Page 40 of Carver’s Crusade

My blood turns to ice.

“No,” I whisper.

His face is shadowed beneath the parking lot light, but I know him instantly. The cruel mouth. The predatory eyes. Rage burns across his features.

“You fucking dare attack me, you bitch. You should be dead,” he snarls before slamming his fist in my face.

Pain explodes across my cheekbone. I stagger sideways, disoriented, copper flooding my mouth.

Tony grabs for me again.

This time I’m ready.

I yank the pepper spray from my pocket and blast him directly in the eyes.

Tony bellows.

The sound echoes across the parking lot as he stumbles backward, clawing at his face with one hand while blindly reaching for me with the other.

“Bitch!” he roars.

I dodge away from him, my heart hammering so hard I can barely breathe. My vision blurs from panic as I fumble for the apartment door.

Come on. Come on.

The key slips once before I jam it into the lock and shove it inside.

I don’t look back.

I sprint through the hallway, nearly falling as I race for the stairs. My lungs burn by the time I reach my floor. Every sound behind me feels like Tony coming after me.

I finally slam into my apartment and deadbolt the door with shaking hands.

Then I keep moving.

I lock the chain. Check the windows. Turn off the lights.

Only when silence settles around me do I collapse against the wall, gasping.

My cheek throbs where he hit me.

He knows where I live.

The thought crashes through me over and over until panic threatens to choke me. Tony found me once. He’ll find a way inside eventually. I’m not safe here.

I fumble for my phone with trembling fingers. For one horrible second, I hesitate. Calling Carver means dragging him into this mess. But I already know I can’t handle this alone.

The phone rings once.

Twice.

Then his rough voice fills my ear.

“Raven?”

The fear I’ve been holding back cracks wide open.

“Carver,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “I need help.”