Chapter 3 Carver
I don’t know who Raven is, but the despair on Athena’s face tells me how much Raven means to her. Ranch rushes forward and draws her into his arms. “I’ll drive,” I tell them.
Outside, Ranch pulls Athena into the SUV. He fastens her in without releasing her as I slide behind the wheel. Babe slides into the front passenger seat next to me. Dante and several other club members race to their bikes to follow us.
“Who is Raven?” I ask again as Athena weeps silently.
“Athena’s receptionist,” Ranch says.
“What happened?” I ask Babe.
“Min called and said she found Raven behind the dojo. She could see that Raven was hurt, so she called the ambulance. They took her to Alvaredo. Min went with her and made sure Tally was the one treating her. She’s in good hands,” Babe assures Athena.
“Why would anyone hurt Raven?” I ask. “Do you think this has something to do with Carlos and the Roma Cartel?”
“I don’t know,” Babe says. “I don’t see how. We may not know what happened until Raven wakes up.”
We make the rest of the drive in near silence; Athena's weeping is the only sound as Ranch tries to console her.
I let everyone out in front of the ER before parking the SUV. Inside, I find my brothers in the waiting room. Sitting next to Ranch, I glance at a glassy-eyed Athena curled up in his lap.
“Have you heard anything?” I ask him.
“Tally sent Brooke out to give us a quick update after she finished her initial examination of Raven. None of her injuries is life-threatening, although she still needs to run some tests and scans to determine if there is any internal damage. She has bruises around her neck, which means someone choked her. She also has bruising on her face and on her body. That’s why Tally said they need to check for internal bleeding or damage to the organs.
Raven also has some cuts, but they’re minor. ”
“That’s good news,” I say—Ranch grunts in agreement.
Athena shifts off Ranch’s lap when two people enter the waiting room.
The woman is easily six feet. She’s piled her jet-black hair on the top of her head, but a few tendrils have escaped and frame a face of perfect proportions.
The woman is stunning. Her ebony skin glows under the lights.
She’s tall, thin, and stunning. She’s also distraught.
The man next to her is just as scared, but where she’s dark and exotic, he’s light and sturdy.
He’s only an inch or two taller than the woman.
He has blonde hair, a blonde beard, and blue eyes.
Those eyes focus on Athena as she rushes in their direction.
“Who are they?”
Ranch shrugs. We stand and walk over to join Athena.
“I’m Ranch; this is my brother, Carver. I’m Athena’s man,” Ranch says, holding out his hand.
“Karl Mueller, and this is my wife, Sade,” the man introduces himself. His voice booms around the room, drawing all of my brother’s eyes.
“They’re Raven’s parents,” Athena explains.
“Have you heard anything? How is my baby?” Sade asks Athena in a lilting voice.
Athena gives her the same update that Ranch gave me. Sade and Karl relax when they realize their daughter isn’t near death.
“We know the doctor who is treating your daughter,” Ranch explains. “She’s married to our President. Your daughter couldn’t be in better hands. Dr. Chambers is an exceptional trauma doctor.”
As Ranch speaks, the doctor herself enters the waiting room. Dante steps forward to kiss her cheek. She smiles at him as her eyes search the waiting room. When she sees us, she moves in our direction.
“I’m Dr. Chambers. Are you Raven’s parents?
” When the couple nods, Tally continues.
“Your daughter is in recovery and is doing just fine. She has some injuries, mostly bruising with a few small lacerations. There are no signs of internal bleeding or injury. She should wake up soon, but I’d like to keep her here for observation. ”
“What happened to her? Who attacked her?” Sade asks.
Tally frowns. “I don’t have the details…”
“I found her,” Min says, joining us. She’s been sitting with Babe and Shield. “I was giving Detective Black my statement.”
Shield is still wearing his kutte when he joins us and shakes Karl’s hand. “I’m Detective Black. I’ll be looking into who hurt your daughter.”
“You’re a cop? And a biker?” Karl asks, unable to mask his skepticism.
“I am. I’m a Detective with the SDPD. If you’d rather another detective…”
“No, no, that’s fine. I was just surprised,” Karl says. “What do you know about what happened to Raven?”
“I found her,” Min repeats her statement.
“I was checking my father’s dojo and spotted her on the ground in the parking lot we share with the gym next door.
I saw a car leaving as I was pulling into the parking lot.
I found Raven when I parked. I recognized her. That’s when I called for an ambulance.”
“Was she coming to see you?” Sade asks.
Min shakes her head. “I don’t think so. We hadn’t made plans to meet up.”
“We’re checking traffic cams and security feeds from the surrounding businesses,” Shield chimes in. “We’ll track down who was there at that time.”
Sade nods before returning her attention to Tally. “You said she might wake up soon. May I see her?”
Tally smiles warmly at the woman and nods. “Of course, come with me. Only two at a time, I’m afraid. Hospital rules,” Tally explains as Athena moves to follow Sade and Karl.
“I know, I just want to peek in and see her,” Athena says. “Raven means a lot to me.”
“Why don’t you go ahead and go in with Sade?” Karl says. “You can see her, and then I’ll join them.”
Athena beams at Karl. “Thank you. I just want to let her know I’m here for her. I’ll be quick.”
I remain in the waiting room while Ranch leaves with Athena. I take a seat next to Shield, who is sitting across from Babe and Min.
“What do you know?” I ask Shield.
“We think Tony Martin might have been the man who attacked Raven,” Babe explains. “Min recognized Tony’s car as the one leaving when she arrived.”
“Who is Tony Martin? Why would he hurt Raven?” I ask.
“He owns the gym next to my father’s dojo. I’ve never liked him,” Min explains. “He’s hit on me a few times, and he didn’t like it when I said no.”
I see Babe tense, but he remains quiet.
“Has he ever tried to hurt you?” I ask.
Min snorts. “He wouldn’t dare. But I have no trouble seeing him hurting women. He has an attitude problem when it comes to women. He thinks he’s all that and believes women should fall over themselves to be with him.”
“I ran his record and discovered that he’s had complaints filed against him by women.
None of them has stuck. The latest involved a woman who reported that he hit her and broke her arm,” Shield says.
“The DA didn’t press charges because a witness came forward to say the girl tripped at the gym and did the damage to herself. ”
“What? How is that possible?” Min demands.
Shield shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“Sounds like bullshit to me,” Babe says. “Was it just the one witness, or did others back this story?”
“Just the one guy. Paul Storr.”
“Paul Storr?” Min asks in surprise.
“Do you know him?” Shield asks.
Min nods. “Yeah, he’s good friends with Tony. He hangs out at the gym. He would have no problem lying for Tony.”
“Do you think Tony would abuse a woman?” Babe asks her.
Min nods immediately. “Without a doubt. He’s an asshole. He has anger issues, too. It’s another reason why I rejected him. Men like him tend to take their aggravation out on women.”
“I’ll question Raven and see if she can identify her attacker. Do you know if she frequents Tony’s gym?” Shield asks.
Min shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen her there, but then I’m not spending as much time at the dojo as I used to.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave Raven unprotected,” Babe says. “If this asshole attacked her, he may want to come back and finish the job.”
“I can stand guard tonight,” I offer. “I’m sure Athena will feel better if she knows her friend has protection.”
“That’s a good idea,” Shield says.
We stand when Ranch and Athena return to the waiting room.
“How is she?” Min asks.
“She’s awake, although a little out of it. She said she doesn’t remember what happened.”
“I need to question her, but it can wait until the morning,” Shield says. “In the meantime, we think one of us should stand guard for the night, just to be safe. Carver’s offered.”
Ranch clasps me on the shoulder, while Athena hugs me. “Thanks, man. I know Athena would feel better knowing Raven has someone watching over her.”
“I’ll introduce you,” Athena offers, leading the way back down the hall. She knocks on a door before pushing it open. “Hi, it’s me again. I just wanted to introduce Carver to Raven. He’s offered to stand guard over her to keep her safe.”
“This is against hospital regulations, but I know better than to argue,” Tally says, opening the door wider. “Come in and introduce yourself, but then you have to stay outside until Sade and Karl leave.”
I step inside and stop. The woman in the bed has a bruise on her cheek and ugly purple bruising around her throat, but she’s the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen.