Bayou Bishops Box Set: Books 1-12

CHAPTER 9

Revelator wanted to fall on his face and weep at the unexpected break in the darkness.

“What’s up?” Bishop called from behind on his Belle Noir.

Rev headed over to him on the side of the road where him and the rest of The Twelve pulled off. “She just called.”

Bishop climbed off his bike, pulling his helmet off. “Cherie?”

“Was her phone but I spoke to the Uncle. Sounds like he doesn’t want anything to do with her mess if he can help it. He’s bringing her to our room at the hotel .”

Bishop gave the signal for a five min stop, then faced him again. “What’s your plan?”

Revelator’s heart hammered faster like it was gradually catching up to the reality he’d found her and she was safe. “I plan to make sure she can’t leave again while we finish this fucking job.” Revelator”s fury rose above his relief, pissed that she”d fucking do this. “Then I’m bringing her back and I want to know what kind of repercussions there are for this bullshit she”s pulled. Only I don”t know what”s allowed in my situation with her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I don’t know what her and I fucking are. I accepted your invitation to The Twelve, but that hasn’t been officialized.”

“Did you marry her?”

“I…” Revelator realized and shook his head. “I found out that bastard had forced her into a marriage and killed her child. I did what I thought needed doing, I went immediately to kill the sonofabitch. I left before consummating, but she’smy fucking wife in every way but that final one.”

“Did she understand that sex was marriage with you and did she agree?” Bishop asked.

“She did understand and was begging for it when I…” His breath held and he released it, closing his eyes. “…when I was forcing her confession.” He shook his head, feeling like a desperate fool. “She’d have said and done anything to get out of that one.”

“Brother,” Bishop muttered, putting a firm hand on his shoulder and locking gazes with him. “What’s in her heart?”

The question staggered Revelator as he stared at him, while one by one, the words lay like an execution on his tongue. “I don’t fucking know.” He dropped his head and shook it, slowly. “I don’t fucking know.”

“When we get to the hotel, I’ll call and find out specifics as to what can be done till you reestablish where her head and heart is. Let’s ride.”

Revelator headed back to his bike, his body not caring about anything but feeling her again. Where was her head and heart? The same fucking place it was when he’d met her. In all the wrong places. But when he was done with her, they’d be right where they belonged. In his fucking hands, bowing to his fucking will.

****

Cherie’s heart pounded so hard when they arrived at the hotel with all the motorcycles already there.

“Whooooowee, look at them fine beasts.”

The Uncles couldn’t get out the car fast enough, seeming only interested in meeting the custom wheels.

“What is all this, Cherie?” Daddy asked in the rear-view mirror, his face pained with epic parental failure and unspoken I taught you better than all this.

“We should just leave,” she whispered.

The hotel door opened the second she said it and her Samuel walked out, the sight of him drawing a gasp. His searching gaze found her like she was the only thing that existed even though she was glued to the car door farthest from him. He headed her way and all her cells became magnetized to him, vibrating in her body.

“Who is that, Cherie?” Daddy wondered as he came around the car on her side.

“That’s Samuel,” she whispered.

“The Seeing man?”

Samuel opened her door and stood there without a word, his hand out to her. She regarded the friendly seeming offer, everything in her saying it was anything but. “You take my hand or I take yours,” he informed, his voice low and warning.

Shit, shit, shit.

“Excuse me sir,” Daddy butted in, turning his head.

Cherie hurried and took his hand before trouble could start. Mercy, she was not prepared for the hot connection that stole her breath as he pulled her out of the car. He didn’t ask for the kiss he took, and heaven of heavens did he ever take it.

“Um, excuse me, sir!” Daddy opened his door and he broke the kiss, covering every inch of her face in more. Then he wrapped her in his arms and hugged her so tight, she couldn’t fight the sob in her chest. His mouth was at her ear and it blasted without words, only shaky breaths as his strong hands moved over her back then butt, then up again. “Is this your father, Ma Cherie?” he whispered at her ear, the sound and feeling making her lightheaded for a moment alone with him.

She nodded and he kept tight hold of her hand, turning. “Sir,” Samuel said to Daddy now standing behind them. “I’m Samuel. Your daughter’s husband.”

“Husband?” Daddy’s face crimped as his head shook. “Hold up…you married him?” he strained, like things had just crossed an uncrossable line all while Cherie’s heart fluttered at his public confession. She wasn’t sure why Daddy had such a huge problem with it.

“Yes, sir,” Samuel said, his tone unapologetic and proud sounding. “I’d like to introduce you to my Brothers.”

Samuel pulled her behind him toward the line of bikes and now men grouped together, talking to her Uncles like they were old comrades.

“Aye,” Uncle Leals said, waving them over. “These cats rolled with us in the wheels for meals, man. They raised enough dough to feed three fuhkin’ towns.”

“We no good at math, like our brother Richard is,” Uncle Miles said. “Otherwise we woulda added two and two together.”

All three uncles laughed real good at that, even the Twelve joining them.

“You’d get along perfect with Hurricane,” one of them said. “He thinks math is Egyptian cusswords.”

More laughter all around while Daddy stood there like a caviar dish at a Cajun butchering.

“Hey,” Samuel said, getting their attention. “Wanted to introduce my wife’s father to my brothers.” He started on his left. “This is my Eveque, he’s the leader of The Twelve—all the men you see here. That’s Lesion, our potion master. Hurricane. Nitro,” he pointed. Traps and Patches. Bacon. The giant is Spar. Then Spook, 8-Bit, Bullets and Shank. And some call me Revelator or Seer. Family calls me Samuel.”

The murmured pleasantries went on for a full minute before Uncle Leals said, “And he’s the lost sheep of the family who wandered north and became Sir Richard The Great of Arkansas.”

“Or Uncle Dicky,” as the underlings like to call him.

“Nice to meet all of you.” Daddy nodded with a smile that said please don’t kill me.

“I have family from, Arkansas,” Spook said. “My Uncle’s in construction there.”

Cherie watched her father, amazed with his ability to remain a mask of control. “A very respectable trade,” he muttered with a nod.

“So, what do you do?” Bishop asked Daddy, making Cherie more nervous. Was like turning the handle on a jack-n-the-box and any second the monster in the middle of the room would pop out and demand attention.

“Just a little banking business,” Daddy said.

She felt bad that he was out of his element and trying to hide that. Cherie became hyperaware of Samuels hand suddenly.

“Excuse us,” he announced, while the chatter never stopped and he tugged her toward the hotel room. She could practically feel Daddy’s eyes on her as she went and prayed he kept his mouth shut.

Inside the room, Samuel shut the door and stared at her. The light in the room lit up the scarred side of his face, making him appear scary and beautiful all at once. “I had to,” she whispered, feeling like that’s what weighed the heaviest in the air. “I didn’t want…” Her voice disappeared when her throat closed and tears welled.

“I understand,” he whispered back, his eyes full of compassion. “I can’t fathom what I would’ve done in your shoes, but…I’m thinking something similar. Anything to protect what’s yours to protect.”

She suddenly felt woozy.

“Pardon me,” a voice said on her right.

She turned and the room spun a little as Lesion passed and left out. When had he come in? “I don’t…feel.”

She fell into Samuel. “I got you.” The tone in his voice shot panic into her blood while her muscles refused to do anything with it. “I forgive you Cherie for what you did for the express reason why you did it. And now you will understand why I’m doing this. Because you’re mine to protect. Your son is mine to protect. Our son,” he clarified. “I can’t express how much I love your devotion, though. I hope you admire mine the same. The drug Lesion just gave you will wear off in about thirty minutes. I’ll have you gagged and tied by then. Your Uncles and father will ensure you remain safely here while I do my job as your husband.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, then both cheeks.

She watched him straighten and head out the door while she lay helpless, her fear and panic bouncing off the cocoon of glorious warmth saturating her.

****

Revelator dialed Bishop, giving him the signal. Him and Lesion entered the room shortly after. “The father will surely need the same, I’m thinking,” Revelator said, getting both their nods.

“The Uncles?”

“They stay out of it,” Revelator said. “There’s bad blood between them but not bad enough to warrant loyalty to us. And I have a feeling her father makes enough money to pay for this to go any way he wants. Not that they could be bought, but I’m not taking a single chance.”

“We’ll need to leave one of the Twelve here to watch them,” Bishop muttered. “Why not just take her back to the swamp and let us handle this?”

“No, Brother. I saw what I saw. I have to be there.”

“Fuck,” he muttered. “I’ll leave Bacon and Patches.”

“Whoever you think,” Revelator said.

Bishop texted Nitro. Lesion’s coming out with sedatives for the father and her uncles. Get ready to drag them inside when they drop.

Bishop eyed Lesion. “Do your thing with the father and the uncles. They’re all concealed carrying and I can’t have a fucking gunfight.”

“Got it, boss.”

Thirty minutes later, Cherie came into use of her vocal cords, screaming behind the gag with the others tied on the floor, propped up against the wall. He sat next to her. “I’ll remove your gag if you agree not to scream.”

She nodded, and Revelator had never seen such fury in her eyes as he worked the material out of her mouth. But it was her fear that cut his gut. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going get our son and kill a devil.”

She shook her head a lot. “You can’t do this, you can’t tie me up like this. I need to go, I need to go with you, they’re expecting me!”

He shook his head. “Never.”

She stared at him, her chest heaving then looked around. “Bishop. I have rights, don’t I? As his wife, as his-his right hand, don’t I have a right to what happens, a say? A vote?”

“Without consummation, the marriage isn’t official,” he gently informed. “Until that happens and until you pass the Gauntlet Trials, you have no voting power on any official business of The Twelve.”

“This is my business!” she cried. “My child!” She shot her eyes to Revelator. “Then he doesn’t have authority over me!” she said. “I know these people, I can deal with them better than you can. You could get him killed, that’s what you could do, you don’t know how these people are. If they think they have me they will negotiate. He’s bait, he’s leverage, don’t you see? It’s me he wants.”

“And it’s you he’ll never have,” Revelator swore.

“You’re willing to risk my child’s life? You said he”s our child? How is that possible when we”re not even married! You think just because you believe we”re married, that we are? That gives you the right to do this? Who the hell do you think you are? God!?”

“Well, I”m not officially part of The Twelve yet either, Cherie, so, who I am is The Seer, The fucking Revelator, the man who saved your life, who fell in love with you, who killed for you and will kill again for you. Who would die for you. That”s who I am.”

She shook her head severely, tears falling. “I will never forgive you. I will hate you.”

He nodded, holding her stare as that promise lacerated his heart. “I know.”