Page 47 of Carver’s Crusade

That makes me look at her.

Min adjusts the clothes inside so they fit better. Her movements are calm, deliberate, like she’s trying to ground me with sheer steadiness.

“When one of our people gets hurt,” she continues, “Shield takes it personally. He protects this club before he protects the badge.”

My throat feels tight again.

“He’ll believe you, Raven.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.”

The certainty in her voice chips at the wall I’ve spent days building around myself.

I sit heavily on the edge of the bed, staring down at my trembling hands. Tony’s face flashes through my mind—the rage in his eyes, the bruising grip of his fingers, the sound of my own breathing as panic swallowed me whole.

Then another memory surfaces.

Shield sitting across from me earlier, his expression careful but frustrated as he explained the alibi. I’d heard disbelief where maybe there hadn’t been any. Maybe I’d expected betrayal before he even had the chance to choose differently.

Min rests a hand lightly on my shoulder. “You need to trust him.”

Trust.

The word terrifies me almost as much as Tony does.

But Min’s right about one thing: staying silent isn’t protecting me.

I inhale slowly and let the breath out. I’ll tell Shield the truth—at least a part of it. I’ll tell him Tony attacked me. I just won’t tell him why. Maybe it will be enough. My deepest secret feels too dangerous to put in his hands, yet.

The bedroom door creaks open behind me.

I stiffen instantly.

Carver steps inside first, broad shoulders filling the doorway, Shield right behind him. Neither man looks surprised, which means they heard everything.

Heat crawls up my neck.

Min rises quietly from beside the bed, giving Shield a pointed look before moving toward the corner of the room. Carver’s gaze locks onto mine immediately, dark eyes sharp with concern.

Shield shuts the door behind him. “You should know something, Raven.”

His voice is calm, measured. His cop voice. There’s something harder underneath it.

“I don’t believe Tony’s alibi.”

I blink at him.

Shield crosses his arms over his chest. “I told you his friends vouched for him because that’s the official statement.” His jaw tightens. “Doesn’t mean I buy it.”

A flicker of relief tries to break through my fear, but I force it down before it can grow dangerous.

Shield continues, “After our conversation, I started digging into Tony’s record.” His expression darkens. “Found a disturbing number of complaints.”

The room goes still.

“What kind of complaints?” I ask quietly, even though I already know.