Page 28 of Carver’s Crusade

“Or,” I say slowly, watching the girl hand off a box of screws to a customer, “we follow instead of confront.”

Axel glances at me. “You think they’ll lead us somewhere?”

I don’t respond because something has snagged my attention. Or, I should say, someone. A familiar figure with dark hair, a slim frame, and moving with a purpose. Raven.

She stops at a booth a few rows over—Luis’s, if I’m remembering right. My chest tightens, something sharp and protective kicking in before I can stop it.

“What?” Jackson asks, catching the shift in my posture.

I don’t answer right away. My eyes stay locked on her as she leans in, talking to Luis like they’re old friends. I know Luis; he specializes in products that can be dangerous in the wrong hands. After the attack, I can’t be surprised that Raven is looking for ways to protect herself. However, her confidence while talking to Luis tells me that this isn’t the first time she’s bought off him.

I’m moving before I consider why. Raven turns as I approach and smacks into my chest. I reach out to steady her as she takes a step back.

“Carver! What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you that question.” I glance at Luis, who is watching us with a frown on his face.

“Raven, is there a problem?” he asks. “Is he the one…?

She glances back at him and shakes her head. “No. Not him.”

“Not him, who?” I ask.

“The man who attacked her,” Luis says. “She says he’s been following her. I just want to make sure it wasn’t you. I offered to help teach him a lesson, but I don’t think I’d survive if I had to take on your entire club.”

I chuckle. “No, you wouldn’t, but you don’t have to worry. We aren’t the ones who hurt her. Shield is working on finding the guy. However, I do need to speak to Raven about him. Seems she’s been holding out on us.”

I take Raven’s elbow and lead her to the center of the aisle. “Do you remember who attacked you? If you do, you need to tell Shield.”

Raven yanks her arm away before facing me. “I told Luis what happened to me and that I felt like someone was watching me. If I knew who attacked me, don’t you think I would have told Shield? What reason would I have for keeping that information to myself?”

I relax a little at her statement, but something still feels off. However, I don’t want to get into an argument here. Not if it could cause our petty thieves to take off. Raven’s presence gives me an idea, though.

“Okay, sorry, it just sounded like you knew more than you were saying. I want to get back to the possibility that someone is watching you, but I don’t want to do it here. Would you be interested in doing me a favor?”

Her eyebrows draw together as she studies me. “What kind of favor?”

“If you glance behind me, there is a table at the end of the aisle with a blue canopy manned by two teenagers.”

Raven shifts to her left to study the booths. She shifts back and nods. “I see them.”

“We think they’ve been stealing from our work sites. All the items they’re selling match the items that were stolen, but we need to get closer to see if we’re right. We don’t want to scare them away. We want to know if they’re working on their own or part of a gang. We’re afraid they might recognize Jackson or me. Axel can probably approach them since he doesn’t look like a biker, and he hasn’t spent much time at the sites. I was thinking we could pretend we’re together. They’re less likely to suspect me of being a threat if I’m here with my girlfriend.”

Raven narrows her eyes before shifting for another glance. “They’re kids. Teenagers. You aren’t going to hurt them, are you?”

“No. We don’t hurt kids. But we need to know what’s going on and put an end to the thefts. We need to know why they’re stealing from us. They could be working for someone. We can’t just let them keep stealing from us.”

Raven nods her head in understanding. “I get it. If they’re working for someone, you want to find out who. If they’re stealing because they need the money…”

“Then we’ll help them figure out a better way to earn it. Hell, they can work at the sites if they want to earn some cash. But the stealing has to stop.”

“Okay, I’ll help you. What do you want me to do?”

Taking her hand, I lead her back where Jackson and Axel are taking turns watching the teenagers and me.

“This is Raven,” I say, introducing her to Axel and Jackson. “She’s going to pretend to be my girlfriend while we approach the teenagers. Axel, I want you to head over there, too. Jackson, stay here. They might recognize you. Axel, talk to the boy. Raven and I will approach the girl.”

Axel leaves us and walks around the booths to approach from the opposite side, closer to the boy. He waits until a customer also approaches before he makes his move. He’s studying the hammers. He picks one up and says something to the boy. This is our cue. Raven and I saunter down the aisle, hand-in-hand. Raven points at a few things and leans into me. Anyone watching us would believe we were just a couple spending some time shopping together.