Page 49 of Carver’s Crusade

I nod quickly. “I went to pick up lunch for Athena, and he was there. He was standing behind me when I turned to leave. I don’t know how long he was there. He hugged me and whispered in my ear that he was coming for me.” I shudder at the memory.

“Why didn’t you tell Shield all this?” Carver says.

“I didn’t think he would believe me. I had no proof. It was just my word against Tony’s.”

“I do believe you,” Shield says grimly.

I swallow hard and nod. “Thank you.”

Carver steps over before pulling me up from the bed. He wraps his arms around me. I melt into him, and for the first time in years, I feel truly safe. I also feel guilty for holding back.

CHAPTER 21: CARVER

I follow Raven out of the bedroom with my jaw locked so tight it aches. Every instinct in me is screaming to find Tony Martin and tear answers out of him with my bare hands. The image of Raven shaking in my arms minutes ago still burns behind my eyes, and it takes everything I have not to put my fist through the hallway wall.

The living room feels too small once we step into it. Too exposed. Shield drops into the recliner near the window, all sharp eyes and crossed arms, while Raven curls herself into the corner of the couch like she’s trying to disappear into the cushions. I stay standing for a second, pacing once across the rug before sitting beside her.

Close enough to protect her.

Not close enough to crowd her.

“Tell me again,” I say, keeping my voice low. “Why would he come after you now?”

Raven stares at the coffee table. Her fingers twist together in her lap so tightly her knuckles pale. “I don’t know.”

“That’s not good enough.” The words come out rougher than I mean them to, and guilt punches me immediately when she flinches.

I drag a hand over my face. “Raven… he’s stalking you. Threatening you. There has to be something.”

She swallows hard. “I swear, Carver, I don’t know what Tony wants.” Her voice trembles, but she keeps going. “Maybe he just wants to finish what he started.”

Ice slides down my spine. Finish what he tried to do the night he strangled her? The words hit like a crowbar to the ribs, and suddenly I can picture it too clearly—Raven alone in the dark, Tony’s hands on her, her fear, her pain. Rage surges through me so fast my vision blurs.

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter.

Raven wraps her arms around herself. “He might be afraid that as long as I’m alive, he’s not safe. He has his alibi, but I have the bruises and the memory of him attacking me. I don’t know.”

Shield leans forward, elbows on his knees. “For what it’s worth, I believe you.”

Raven blinks at him, surprised.

Shield shrugs once. “Tony’s alibi is airtight on paper, but something about this whole thing stinks.” His expression hardens. “People like him don’t stop unless somebody makes them.”

A dangerous silence settles over the room.

Because we’re all thinking the same thing.

And I’m already wondering exactly how far I’m willing to go to keep Raven safe.

I sit forward on the couch, elbows braced on my knees, trying to keep my temper under control while Raven stares down at her hands. The room is quiet except for the ticking clock above the kitchen doorway. Shield hasn’t moved from the recliner, but I can tell by the look in his eyes that he’s tracking every breath Raven takes.

Finally, she lifts her head.

“I found something else.”

Every muscle in my body tightens. “What?”

She hesitates like she’s deciding whether she should even say it. That alone makes my pulse spike.