Bayou Bishops Box Set: Books 1-12

CHAPTER 1

Complete and utter shock cemented Nitro to the floor as he watched Felix walk out of the Basilique.

“Wow,” Bishop finally muttered, turning his gaze on him and cautiously raising a hand. “Before you let whatever I’m seeing explode all over the fucking place, remember I’m on your side in this. We’re going to find a way around it. For one, we’re technically in a war. That takes precedence over the usual rules, especially Bat-ties.

Nitro finally looked at him. “I just…I wanted to protect her.”

“I know Mon Frere, and you still will.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “8-Bit will send us a copy of the war-time laws. Our solution will be there. Get everybody back in here so we can deal with this.”

Nitro’s anger finally unlocked his body, sending him prowling the Basilique floor as he pulled out his phone and opened The Twelve’s chat, sending the message to all at once. “I need to talk to her,” he muttered, pocketing his phone.

“Belle Eveque is with her,” he assured. “I told her to be sure she stays put till we talk. 8-Bit,” Bishop said in his phone. “I need you to find me a copy of the war-time statutes and send it to me. Yeah. Get everybody back in here. Qui.”

When Bishop hung up, Nitro wondered, “What is she expecting to do with a flock of birds? Against my men?”

“No clue.”

He shook his head, back to patrolling the floor while wishing he’d gotten as far as seeing what she did with those birds.

The doors opened and Nitro’s muscles bit with the need to see and talk to her as his brother’s laughs and chatter rolled into the room.

Once they were all seated, Bishop remained standing with palms on the table. “We have a situation. Seems our Little Birdie has challenged Nitro to a Bat-tie.”

Three seconds of silence preceded the eruption of laughter, requiring Nitro to take in a slow breath to keep from goin off.

“Isn’t that… not legal?” Patches finally asked.

“She isn’t the one fighting,” Eveque said. “Her birds are.”

Another brief silence followed by more laughter that would have enraged Felix. But he was having a hard time caring about that while considering what that would do to her and him.

“What’s the plan?” Bacon wondered.

“This is pure bullshit,” Bullets said, unamused. “We’re in a war. He’s trying to get her to safety. Haul her ass out and be done with this.”

Nitro was nearly there.

“That explains why she asked me to go stay with her at her place,” Hurricane muttered.

Nowhe was fucking there.

“Told her I had to get clearance with you, obviously,” Hurricane added quickly.

“Which you do not have,” Nitro said, getting Hurricane’s hands up with a laugh.

“Well, she just entered The Ball competition,” 8-Bit announced, looking at his phone.

“Uh-oh,” Traps chuckled. “She pick me?”

“She picked everybody. Except Nitro.”

“Motherfuck,” Bishop sighed, dropping in his seat.

“It’s obvious who she likes at this table,” Patches mused. “But…all this over you kissing Gracie? Didn’t you just sort of meet Felix? As a woman, I mean?”

“It’s because I lied about not remembering the last time I touched a woman.”

“Welcome to a live preview of things coming for us all,” 8-Bit muttered. “Also, I found the war-time statutes and you surely have a trump card with it.”

“All this for some tits,” Patches said, shaking his head. “Think I’d rather eat more soy and grow my own.”

“Add that to the interview questions,” Spar said. “Are you prone to jealous and childish rampages during war.”

“I’m sure she’ll come to her fucking senses,” Nitro said.

The doors banged open, and Nitro’s guts tensed as Felix made a beeline for the table.

“Holy fuck, incoming, Bruh,” Bacon said right as she grabbed Hurricane’s face and smashed her lips on his.

She shoved him back and aimed her furious gaze on Nitro. “How’s that for tramping, tramp?”

She stormed off and Bullet’s hand clamped down on his shoulder, nailing him to the chair. “Cool off.”

“Bruh!” Hurricane cried when Nitro glared at him. “I didn’t even like it! I wiped it off!” he added.

Nitro reminded himself his brother grinned when he got nervous, and he no doubt saw and felt the premediated explosions popping in him.

“Holy fucking digits,” 8-Bit muttered, getting all eyes on him as he stared at his phone.

“Now what she did?” Traps wondered with an eager curiosity, while Nitro prayed it wasn’t one more dumb fucking thing that would eat up his fuse.

“Not what she did, but her parents.” 8-Bit’s dark eyes nailed Nitro. “She doesn’t even own that place she’s living at. The bank does. But not just any bank, the Drysdale Bank. And that’s not all. Seems there was an arranged marriage with their son, Jake Drysdale. I’m not sure but my hunch says it’s tied to that house.”

“Why do you think this?” Bishop wondered, while Nitro’s blood thickened at the name that evoked murder from his adolescent years. He knew the Drysdale boys. At least Roy, the older one.

“Well…she’s not married to him,” 8-Bit said with brows raised. “And the house is now in repo.”

“When was this?” Nitro asked as her nineteen-year-old fling with Dumb Lips entered the scenario.

“House went into repo six months ago.”

Nitro wondered, “What about the arranged marriage?”

“Fuuuck,” Patches said. “She didn’t tell you about that?”

“No, she didn’t,” he bit, ready to rip a head off.

“Call her Pah-Pah,” Bishop ordered. “Find out what the fuck is going on.”

Nitro pulled his phone out and found their number while The Twelve discussed his options. He stepped away from the table when her Pah-Pah answered then spent five minutes getting to the bottom of it all. And oh, what a fucking bottom it was.

He hung up and remained standing with his back to The Twelve.

“And?” Bullets wondered.

Nitro returned to the table, as everything explosive found one bomb to crawl in named Jake Drysdale. “She called off the marriage when she learned he was unfaithful. They were required to make back payments they couldn’t afford and so found a place in town. They’ve been hoping to get her to move with them so that she doesn’t find out they lost everything when borrowing to fund her bird projects.”

“I thought she had that college grant?” Bishop remembered.

“Long gone, according to her father.”

“That’s fucked up,” Spar decided. “How the hell did they get caught in a deal like that?”

“Her Pah-Pah regrets the day he invited the family to the bird farm where their son met her. Says he didn’t remember agreeing to a contingency plan with the house and marriage but it’s in the contract.”

“Wouldn’t he have gotten the loan way back when?” 8-Bit said.

“Yes, he did. Then consolidated and a new contract was drawn up.”

“He snuck that shit in?” Hurricane said, pissed. “Bruh.”

“Whose Hatch are they living in now?” Bishop asked while Nitro’s plans formed in his head.

“Mine,” Patches said. “You want me to look into it?”

“Quiet as you can.”

“It’s mine to look into,” Nitro cut in. “It happened while they were in my Hatch.”

“I can’t have you committing murder in cold blood at this time, Mon Frier. But if there was indeed a proposal and he was unfaithful, that’s adultery. We have our disciplines for that.”

Nitro forced his internal combustions to settle down at that reminder. The fact that she’d get to determine it was soothing enough for now. Then he remembered her angelic tendencies right as visions of her kissing Hurricane clobbered him. Fuck, she was unpredictable is what she was. And that was actually a good thing for what he would do.

“I’m going to accept the Bat-tie,” Nitro announced. “She’s got a lot to prove, and she’ll get her chance with a Bat-tie while 8-Bit can observe what kind of soldiers her Legions might make. I’ll win that bat-tie, collect my earnings, which is having rule over her. Then I’m going to buy her place from the bank, and she’ll have no choice but to do as I say.”

“Bruh, she’s gonna fucking castrate you!” Hurricane giggled. “Or God forbid, revenge rape me!”

“She won’t do shit,” Nitro assured, staring at the table. “In war-time, we have the right to use whatever we need for the purpose of securing the Hatch. I happen to be in need of her residence due to its location. And if she refuses to hand that over, I’ll arrest her and use the full extent of that law to secure and protect her and our borders.” He looked at Eveque and pried the words off his tongue, “With your permission.”

Bishop stared at him for many seconds before muttering, “Not only do you have my permission, but you have my blessing. Lock this shit down and get it done.”