Page 82 of Carver’s Crusade

I move instantly.

Pure fury drives me forward as I drop beside him and yank the vial of Calabera bean poison from my pocket.

Tony’s eyes widen when he sees it.

For the first time since entering the house, real fear flashes across his face.

“What the fuck is that?” he rasps, muscles twitching from the taser hit.

“You like hurting women?” I hiss.

I uncork the vial.

Min grabs Tony’s shoulders, pinning him down as he struggles weakly.

“Raven,” Caitlin says sharply.

But I barely hear her. All I can see is Mia’s tear-stained face. This monster came here to buy her from another monster. Has he hurt other children? I know he’s hurt women.

Tony bucks beneath Min. “You crazy bitch—”

I grab his jaw and force open his mouth.

Then a deep voice roars from the front of the house.

“Raven!”

I whip my head around and lock eyes with Carver. Shield is right behind him. Both men stop dead at the sight before them. From their position, they can see me holding a vial over Tony’s mouth.

“Raven? What the hell?”

But it’s too late. I shift the bottle to let the poison flow into Tony’s mouth.

CHAPTER 31: CARVER

Tony Martin’s eyes bulge as Raven grips his jaw and forces the vial against his lips.

“No!” I roar.

Tony chokes instantly, sputtering and gagging as dark panic floods his expression. He claws at Raven’s wrist, but she jerks away before he can grab her. His movements are jerky. The bastard grabs at his throat, hacking violently while every woman in the room watches with a look of grim satisfaction.

The women don’t even acknowledge our arrival. Shield and I stand in the doorway, taking everything in. A woman lies on the kitchen floor; I can only see her face and sightless eyes. Min has blood splatter on her shirt. Tony convulses on the floor, choking on what I assume is poison. And Raven, my Raven, stands over his twitching form with a vial in her hand and hatred on her face.

Shield steps forward slowly, his cop instincts snapping into place so fast it makes my head spin.

“What the hell did you just do?” he demands.

Tony stops moving just as Raven turns toward us. She’s pale, but there is no regret on her beautiful features. She doesn’t seem bothered by watching a man die at her hands. How is that possible? It’s almost as if she’s used to it.

And that realization tears through me like a knife.

Shield’s eyes lock onto the vial in her hand as his expression hardens.

“You,” he says quietly. “You’re the one.”

The accusation hits the room like a bomb.

“What?” Tanya breathes.