Bayou Bishops Box Set: Books 1-12

CHAPTER 7

“Alright ladies,” Juliette announced. “Are you ready to be taken to your first test?”

“Ready,” Beth said, along with the rest of the ladies as they got settled in the small motor boat. Juliette was assigned as spotter during the tests. If anything went wrong, she would intervene and call for help if need be. Bishop assured them that they would be given real tests, without foregoing safety.

“What’s happening again?” Tully whispered to Cherie who took hold of her hand.

“We’re starting the tests.”

The…Gauntlet ones?” Tully wondered, looking worried.

Maggie reached across to the girl and squeezed her arm. “You’ll do great!” She nodded at Beth. “We all will.”

Tully eyed Maggie then Beth. “I’m nervous,” she whispered like it was something to be ashamed of.

“We’re all nervous,” Beth hurried. “Aren’t we?”

“Hell, I’m nervous and I ain’t even doing the trials,” Juliette called as she steered the boat. “But Maggie’s right. You’ll all do fine.”

Beth nodded, swallowing the butterflies in her throat. “We need to remember that if we fail, it just means we won’t serve as their right hand in the Twelve’s business. We’ll serve in family business as wives. And mothers eventually,” she said, getting a slow blooming smile from Tully.

“I want to have lots of babies with Lesion.”

Beth grinned at her childlike openness. “Then you have nothing to lose if you pass or fail these trials.”

Her smile dimmed as she locked her gaze on Beth. “I want to do good with everything. For him. He doesn’t mind if I’m not so smart,” she confessed shyly, obviously relieved. “But he’s so smart,” she whispered with a light in her eyes. “And I want to…maybe surprise him. I’m nowhere near smart like him but…I know some things really well,” she assured. “I can read the sky and the flowers and birds and other animals. Daddy always said I was a muskrat in another life and Momma never agreed. She thought I was an angel.” Her face lit up as she clasped her hands together and took in a breath of the morning bayou air. “I like mommas idea. Sometimes I pretend I have wings and I fly all around the world in my mind.” She opened her eyes and looked at Cherie. “There’s no place I can’t go.”

Cherie nodded and put an arm around her. “You are an angel. And nothing takes away your light. We all make a great team. Each of us has something special we bring to these beautiful swamps.”

“Here we are ladies,” Juliette announced, pulling up to a pier. “Welcome to Bullet’s little Bungalow.”

“What happens here?” Tully wondered, climbing onto the pier.

“This is where you’ll take your mental test,” Juliette said. “Easy peasy.”

“Easy peasy,” Beth whispered, climbing her way onto the pier. She was glad for the roomy overalls they were given for the physical aspects of the trials. Whatever they would be. Plenty challenging according to Bishop.

They walked along a grassy path through the woods before it cleared to an open area. Beth eyed the large shack building over a small pond. They took another pier leading to the building, looking all around as she went. She’d had very little time to prepare for anything specific which left her mind examining everything they encountered. She knew there would be four tests. Mental, strength, navigational, and a skills test that related to the hatch they were marrying into. That test had her boggled. For Maggie that would be stealth and for Tully that was… she guessed poisons. And Cherie was married to The Seer. What in the world kind of test would she get? Or her for that matter? Bishop was the leader but he was also over making things the Twelve needed. She had next to zero knowledge about that.

“Welcome ladies!” a deep voice boomed as they filed through the door.

Dear Lord, somebody was cooking something and she was starving for whatever it was.

“Name’s Bullets,” he announced. “I’ll be conducting your first test. Keep your eyes on me and your ears open wide as I explain things only once.” He got right down to business, pointing to the wall on their right. “Over here, we’ve got stations for each of you with identical items to complete your test.” He pointed to the opposite wall. “Over there are the Gauntlet Tables full of various items relating to the rolls of the Gauntlet Dice. And that little table before it is where you will roll the Gauntlet Dice.” He pointed to another small table. “This is where I show you once how to take apart a gun and clean it. Now, your test has four stages. The first stage is where you do exactly as I showed you and clean the gun. You’ll have a timer to complete that task. If you finish it within the time, you move on to the second stage. Stage two you will again clean the gun along with another task to be done simultaneously. Your time will increase to accommodate the extra task. If you finish in time, you move to the third stage. Third stage—clean the gun while doing the second task, and now a third task is added. If you finish in time, you move to the fourth stage. Each stage’s time is adjusted for the added tasks. Each stage has a score. There is a total passing score required, and if you fail to get it, you fail the test.”

He walked to the table with the firearm and picked it up. “This is the gun I’ll be cleaning. It’s called a 357 Magnum. You each have an identical one at the table and they are unloaded.”

They followed him to the Gauntlet tables next. “Each of you will roll the Gauntlet Dice before each stage of the test. It’s a nine-sided dice. If you roll a one, two, or three, you must pick an item from this table. You roll a four, five, or six, you pick from this table. Seven, eight, and nine, you pick from this table. The items on the low roll table are things that would hinder you in the test. The middle-numbered items may or may not hinder you. The higher rolls have items that would help you in the test.”

He crossed his thick arms over his chest and stood before them. “The order of the dice roll is the Belle Eveque, then Miss Spook, then Miss Seer, and then Miss Lesion. You have one chance to ask one question. You may do that now.”

Beth glanced at the women, finding them as flustered as she was with the sudden offer. When none of them answered, he clapped then held his hand out toward the table for rolling the Gauntlet Dice.

****

Lesion stared at Tully on his phone while the rest of the Twelve recorded their bets on the white board. The Belle Eveque and Maggie’s name kept flying around but Lesion wasn’t interested in who won or lost. He cared about the look of worry on Tully’s face. He was silently willing courage and knowledge at her. And not for passing, but for knowing that none of these tests mattered a bit to him. She could fail them epically and she was beautifully brilliant all the same to him.

“The Gauntlet Dice roll!” Shank yelled from the main room where they watched the first test on 8-Bit’s fancy wall screen. He’d long ago installed cameras at every testing location so they could all watch whenever anybody entered the Trials. Lesion chose the farthest corner to watch in. And every muscle in his body was in need of a concoction he was sure didn’t exist.

“Ohhhh, she rolled a six, Eveque!” Spar yelled. “Here comes your Maggie, Spook.”

Lesion wondered how Spook felt about all of it. He’d wanted to ask the husbands of the women that question but couldn’t figure out how. He didn’t hear any response from Spook in the other room but that wasn’t uncommon with him in public circles, even The Twelve.

“Wooooo, six!” Traps yelled. “Hot damn, middle is good! I’m gonna rake it in. Your Cherie is up Seer.”

Lesion turned, hearing footsteps. Seer sat next to him and Lesion realized he had no phone on him. He turned his screen so he could see his wife role. He spoke soft French when the die landed on eight.

“She looks nervous like Tully,” Lesion said, hoping to gain some of Seer’s insight.

“Oh, she is,” he said softly. “But she’s always nervous and full of doubt. Ever since I met her. Always second guessing herself. Never worthy.”

Lesion wasn’t sure what to say especially now that Tully was up to roll.

“That one has a special light,” Seer said, sounding curious. “The kind darkness cannot dim.”

Lesion’s heart stuttered in his chest when the “Ohhhhhh daaaaamn,” erupted in the other room from Tully’s roll. A two. Fuck.

Seer patted his shoulder. “She’ll be fine.”

“I thought I didn’t care but my body and brain is calling me a liar,” Lesion confessed. Like the Daisy’s.

“Understandable,” Seer said, as they watched Bullets take them all to the Gauntlet Tables to pick their poison. Or dessert.

“She’s scared,” Lesion couldn’t keep from saying when Tully put her thumbnail in her mouth while watching from behind the other women.

“She is,” Seer said lightly, like it was nothing to worry about.

“She’s probably never even seen a firearm up close,” Lesion realized, his unease raising another notch.

“I’m thinking none of them have,” Seer said.

“Private party?” Bishop asked, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Lesion. They were all staring at the screen now.

“They’re picking from the Gauntlet tables now,” Lesion said.

“Did Ma Petite pick?”

“Yes. A hair clip,” Seer said.

Maggie went to the table next. “She got middle too,” Seer muttered.

“She picked chewing gum,” Lesion said.

“What’s happening?”

Everybody turned as Spook walked up.

“Pull up a chair and share your damn phone,” Bishop said. “I don’t have mine. Swore I wouldn’t fucking watch.”

Seer let out a low chuckle before telling Spook, “Your woman just picked chewing gum.”

“Uh-oh,” he said. “That might actually hinder her gifts.”

“What gifts?” Lesion wondered.

“Her dolphin skills?” Bishop asked, getting a laugh from Spook.

“Yeah, she’s got mad sonar powers,” Spook bragged. “She can figure out the distance and exact location of things if it makes a sound.”

“Cherie just picked darts,” Bishop said.

Seer scoffed lightly. “The hell does he have darts for?”

“No telling with Bullets,” Spook muttered.

Lesion wished for once he knew the details of the tests just to be prepared in her behalf if anything. “What did Tully just pick?” Lesion wondered, straining at the screen.

“I couldn’t tell what it was,” Bishop said.

“Here we go.” Spook shifted in the chair as Bullets led them to the firearm table.

“Eyes on me,” Bullets called. “Ears wide open. I’m going to show you how to clean this gun. There are five steps. Number one, you spray your cloth with this. Number two, you wipe down the entire outside of the gun. You start with the muzzle, then the barrel and sights, then the hammer, the cylinder release, the trigger, the trigger guard, the outer cylinder and the ejector rod.” He demonstrated each as he went. “Number three, press the cylinder release and open the cylinder. Spray the cylinder chambers with the same spray and use this rotary brush to clean inside each chamber. Shut the chamber. Number four, spray the cleaner into the barrel and use the rotary brush to clean the inside of the barrel. Number five. Take the microfiber cloth, feed it halfway through this tool like this and run it through the cylinders and the barrel like so. Then shut the cylinder and set the gun down. You’re done. And when you’re done, you yell ‘done’. Got it?”

Lesion watched as they all nodded.

“No talking during tests,” Bullets said. “Your names are on the interior wall of your station. There’s a strip of red tape where you are to stand during the test. You have everything you need to complete your task. Testing starts in one minute. Get to your stations.”

The women all hurried to the side of the room and found their stations. Tully put whatever she’d picked from the Gauntlet table in her pocket, looking over her shoulder at Bullets for the signal.

“You’ll have four minutes to complete this task. Time starts….now.”

The men in the other room went nuts while the four of them watched the women hurry through the steps.

“Wow, so far they’re all nailing it,” Lesion whispered.

“Look at Tully,” Spook said.

Lesion was. Her speed was surprising.

“She’s good under pressure,” Seer muttered, sitting forward. “Come on Ma Cherie, you can do it.”

“They’re making good time, all of them,” Bishop said.

The men were in an uproar by the three-minute mark. One more minute remaining. The final cylinder cleaning with the cloth was costing them time. Every time they shoved the tool in, the cylinder spun.

“Done!” Maggie was the first to yell.

Three seconds later, another “Done!” from Beth.

“Thirteen seconds,” Bishop muttered as the men’s yells got deafening. “Come on ladies.”

“Done!” Tully yelled, holding her hands up before her.

“You can do it Ma Cherie,” Seer barely said.

The men were on the final countdown. “Five…four…three…two…”

“DONE!” Cherie yelled, sending them on their feet in a shout of triumph. Then they all collapsed back in their chair while the men howled and laughed in the other room.

“Your Cherie nearly cost me a heart attack, bruh!” Traps yelled, howling in laughter.

“You and me both,” Seer chuckled, rubbing his hands over his face.

“Your next task will be added to the first one,” Bullets announced. “Along with an extra minute on the timer. Each station has a cubbyhole with a box and a key. Between every gun cleaning step, you will open the box and place one of the items in its proper place on the bulletin board at your station. Each bulletin board has a map with numbers on it. There are five items in the box. You have to figure out the rest. When you’re done with all your tasks, you yell ‘done’.”

Testing starts… “Now!”

“The gun cleaning should be a lot easier this time,” Bishop said as the women jumped into gear.

They all retrieved the boxes in the cubbyhole maybe five to ten seconds apart.

“They are killing it!” Patches yelled in the other room as Lesion held his breath. Tully was confused with the contents of the box.

“They match the numbers on the map,” Seer said, pointing to Beth’s tag she’d just put.

“She figured it out!” Lesion said when Tully put her first tag then zoomed back to the cleaning. She stood there immobile for many seconds then jumped into action, costing Lesion a near heart-attack.

“Come on Maggie,” Spook whispered. “The cylinder release, press the cylinder release.”

“Whooooo look at Miss Seer go!” Bacon yelled, jerking Lesions gaze to the camera at her station. She was on her third peg.

“Two minutes!” 8-Bit called loudly.

“Fuck this is going to be another nailbiter,” Bishop muttered.

Something fell at Beth’s station, and she quickly retrieved it.

“They not gonna make it!” Hurricane cried.

“Yes they will,” Seer said, as if willing it.

“One minute!” 8-Bit called.

“They all have two tags left,” Spook said.

“Ma Petite!” Bishop cried when she dropped a second item.

“Tully is on her last one,” Lesion whispered, his heart racing. “You can do it angel.”

“Maggie’s in the lead!” Bacon yelled. “Bring it home!”

“Thirty seconds,” 8-Bit called loudly.

“Shut the fuck up,” Bishop muttered, moving to the edge of his seat. “The right corner of the map baby, the right corner!”

“Done!” Maggie shot out, putting her hands in the air.

“Ten…nine…eight…”

“Done!” Cherie yelled.

“Yes!” Seer yelled.

“Five…four…three…”

“DONE!” Beth cried.

“Two…one…”

“I’M DONE I’M DONE!” Tully screamed as Lesion collapsed onto the chair in exasperation.

“A SECOND!” Patches yelled. “One fucking second!”

“Very good, ladies,” Bullets announced. “Please remove your tags from the board and return them to the box and return the box and key back to the cubbyhole. The next task being added to the first two will require the pencil and paper to the far right of your station.”

Lesion watched as he stopped at Tully’s station and removed her pencil. “You’ll use the item you picked from the table to complete your third task,” he said quietly before strolling back to his table. “You will draw the gun you’ve learned to clean and label all its parts. You can do this a little at a time in between the first two tasks of cleaning the gun and placing the map tags on the board, or you can do it first and get it out of the way, or do it last. It’s up to you. A minute will be added to the time, giving you a total of six minutes to complete all three tasks. Testing starts in sixty seconds. Get ready.”

“What the hell is that?” Lesion wondered again when Tully pulled the item from her pocket and set it on the table.

“Looks like mechanical pencil lead,” Bishop realized.

“Which is why he took her pencil,” Seer mused.

“I’m a little concerned about this task,” Spook muttered, shaking his head.

“Why?” Lesion wondered.

“Maggie’s too good at drawing. I can’t imagine her doing a quick sketch.”

Lesion cast a glance at him before returning his gaze to the screen. Were they all pretending to not care if their wives won or lost? It truly didn’t matter if Tully won or lost other than satisfying the safety measures The Eveque felt pressed to secure. But he’d not considered what losing might mean to Tully.

All feelings and thoughts on the matter were suspended the second Bullets gave the “GO.” They were all once again on the edge of their seat with the other men carrying on like deaf adults at a carnival.

Tully hadn’t touched her paper yet and he guessed she was intending to do it last. He felt like that was wise. Get the stuff you’ve gotten good at out of the way.

Bullets called out every minute mark this time and Lesion couldn’t tell if it was a deterrence or a useful fire under the ladies. When he got down to the two-minute mark, Tully was on her fourth tag. She was doing good. All of them were. Their speed had increased. The drawing started before the final minute mark and all eyes seemed to be on Maggie judging by the commotion from the next room. Tully kept fighting to hold on to her lead pieces and soon twenty seconds were on the clock.

“Done!” Belle Eveque called out, setting her pencil down.

At ten seconds, another “Done!” was shouted by Cherie, and at five, Tully crossed the finish line, allowing Lesion to breathe.

This time Bullets counted down from, “FIVE…FOUR….THREE…TWO…”

“DONE!” Maggie shrieked, slamming down her pencil before bursting out in laughter and hugging Belle Eveque. Then she hugged Cherie next to her. Lesion’s heart seized when Cherie turned to Tully and hugged her. The happy smile that split her worried face was like watching the dawn of the fucking universe. His universe. She was so beautiful it boggled his mind.

“VERY impressive ladies!” Bullets said, clapping slowly and loudly. “For your final task, ten extra seconds will be put on the clock, giving you a total of six minutes and ten seconds to complete all four tasks. Clean the gun, put your map tags, draw and label your gun, and…play darts.” He opened a drawer next to his gun table and brought out a handful of darts. “Your dart score will count as your score for that task.” He handed each of them five darts. “You already have your darts, so you won’t need these,” he said to Cherie. “The board is there.” He pointed to the far wall. When you’re done with your first three tasks, you’ll make your way to the board and stand at the red line to throw. More than one may throw at a time. This is your final round ladies. Get your stations ready. Return all items back to start. You will begin in thirty seconds.”

Bonus bets were being placed in the other room and Bishop stood. Lesion eyed him as he paced while Spook leaned in his chair with a sigh. He wasn’t sure where Seer had gone and looked over his shoulder. Also pacing. What were they all thinking? He was ready for this to be over, he realized. All of it. He hadn’t had much of a chance to even prepare Tully for any of this. But even if he had, he’d likely have addressed everything but the worry in her sweet face. How could he be so challenged when it came to her?

“And…GO!” Bullets announced, bringing Bishop and Seer running back to their seats where they all sat glued to the screens.

“The are fucking fast,” Bishop muttered.

“They are,” Spook agreed while Seer gave his seeing nod.

Lesion agreed to himself, sure it was pride he heard in their tones. Had Bishop changed his mind about wanting them to lose? From the sounds in the other room, they were all betting against the house. And the house had bet against the women. Lesion had not given their success much thought. They would not pass was The Gauntlet was the general consensus. They knew they might pass some of the tests but the ones coming, the physical ones, he couldn’t imagine them passing them. But then he’d never imagined a woman like Tully either. They were each very odd variables in the formula. Wild cards. With every stage they passed, he was convinced his original instincts about the Gauntlet’s outcome needed recalculating.

They all made better time than before on each task, and it was impressive that they all made it to the dart board with more than thirty seconds on the clock still.

Belle Eveque was the first there and she threw her five darts. Her accuracy had them all astonished. Then Maggie was right behind her and she threw her five darts. Her first one missed the board entirely. And then something magical happened in her mind and the next four were nearly all bullseyes which had the men breaking his eardrums. Cherie was next at seventeen seconds, putting Lesion on his feet. That wouldn’t give Tully much time. He stood glued to the floor when Tully made it to the dart throwing line with seven seconds on the clock. Lesion realized that darts might be her very worst talent as her first three missed the entire board. He wanted to say take your time but she had two darts left and four seconds on the clock. The women were rooting for her and she took aim on her last one and Lesion yelled in triumph.

“That was a fucking bullseye,” Bishop announced, laughing and shaking Lesion’s shoulder.

The odd urge to hug people came over him as he watched Tully jump up and down with that blinding smile. Then came the burning acid in his gut with the need to touch her. How fucking unbearable.

“Thank God that’s over,” Seer muttered, sounding like he needed a nerve agent. Lesion was sure they all did, especially his mongrel brothers tallying their winnings in the next room, yelling as if they were mountains away from one another.

“Your final scores will be given at the end of the Gauntlet Trials,” Bullets announced. “Now, I’m sure you all are wondering what that deeeelicious smell is and that would be the best meal you eva gone eat, cooked special for you ladies by Bacon.” He waved them toward the kitchen. “Come on and get yall some gumbo before you gotta go.”

“Well, that’s my cue,” Spar announced. “I better get to the next testing grounds.”