Chapter 14 Raven
“So, what will you do now?” I ask Carver as he walks me to my car.
“We’ll use the trackers to find them and figure out who they’re working for,” he says.
“What if they aren’t working for anyone but themselves?”
“Then we’ll have a talk with them and try to figure out how to keep them from stealing from us.”
I feel a twinge of guilt at my part in the discovery. If they hurt those kids… No. I shake my head. No one who supports a place like Crossroads could hurt a child. However. “What does that mean?”
Carver smirks at me. “You mean, are we going to beat them bloody and take our pound of flesh?”
I shake my head. “No, I didn’t think you were going to hurt them. However, scaring them was a consideration.”
He chuckles. “Frightening them is unavoidable. We’re going to confront them, and they’ll likely be scared when we do.
However, we’re going to figure out what’s going on.
We need to know so we can fix the problem.
If they’re working for someone, we need to know who is using them so we can stop him.
If they’re kids who are stealing because they need to eat, then we’ll see what we can do to make the thefts unnecessary. ”
I turn to him when we reach my car. “I didn’t really think you would hurt them.
Athena wouldn’t be with Ranch if you were the bad guys.
You wouldn’t have stood guard over me the night I was attacked if you were a bad guy.
There certainly wouldn’t be a Crossroads if you took joy out of hurting the innocent.
I hope you know that I wasn’t thinking ill of you. ”
Carver rubs his thumb against my cheekbone.
“You wouldn’t have let me walk you to your car if you feared me.
You may not mistrust us, but I’m not sure you fully trust us, yet.
That’s okay. Trust is earned. I think you know more about what happened to you than you're saying.” He places his finger over my lips when I open my mouth.
“It’s okay. Trust has to be earned. I get it.
I’d like you to trust us. To trust me. I’d never hurt you.
I’m on your side in this. Whatever this is. ”
He shifts away from me, and I fight the feeling of disappointment. I nervously tuck a strand of hair behind my ear before focusing on him. “I want to trust you. If that helps. I need to think about it some more.”
“I understand.”
We stare at each other for another moment before I force myself to turn away and open my car door.
“What are you doing tomorrow night?” Carver asks, pulling the door open and leaning against it.
“Tomorrow night?”
He grins. “Yeah, Saturday night. What are you doing?”
I roll my eyes, but smile. “I don’t have plans.”
“We’re having a party at the clubhouse. Why don’t you come? You can meet some of the other guys. I know you’re friends with a few of the women. They’ll be there, too.”
I stare at him as I debate taking him up on his invitation. It would be nice to spend time doing something other than worrying or hunting.
“Please, I’d like to get to know you better. Work on building that trust.”
I grin at his earnest request. “I’d love to. What time?”
He tells me the time and makes sure I have the directions before he closes my door and waves goodbye.
I wave back and drive away with a smile on my face.
I realize with a touch of sadness how long it has been since I’ve really smiled.
It’s been almost as long as the last time I looked forward to something.
The last time I was excited about an evening, it didn’t turn out the way I expected.
That night sent me on a course of revenge.
Could trusting Carver bring me more pain?
Or will trusting him allow me to regain something that I lost?
Putting aside all thoughts of the upcoming party, I return home and prepare.
Unpacking all of the items that I purchased from Luis, I study them.
The taser is similar to my other one; the only thing I have to do is check that it is fully charged.
Pulling out the backpack that I carry with me when I hunt, I load up the taser, the flashlight, and the security baton.
I attach the alarm to the bag and tuck the pepper spray into my jeans.
Around my neck, I hang the set of metal rings that can transform into brass knuckles.
Lastly, I retrieve a vial of the poison and place it in the carrying case to prevent breakage.
Once I store it safely in my bag, I change into something that won’t draw too much attention.
Satisfied that I’m better prepared than before, I turn off the lights in my apartment and jog downstairs to my car.
Driving over to the gym, I park down the street.
I’m fairly certain he’s working today, but I call the gym and luck out when he answers.
After explaining I dialed the wrong number, I end the call and wait.
The gym stays open until seven on Fridays.
I don’t plan on approaching him tonight.
My only plan is to follow him and see where he goes.
Several men exit the gym shortly after seven as Tony locks up behind them.
About twenty minutes later, a yellow Mustang pulls out of the parking lot.
It’s his car. The same one that someone supposedly stole.
How about that? He barely glances my way before turning onto the street.
I remain slouched in the seat until I see his brake lights.
Starting the engine, I flip a U-turn and follow.
He’s not headed to his apartment; it’s in the opposite direction.
He leads me into a subdivision that, luckily, has enough traffic to hide me.
When he pulls up in front of a house, I drive past, keeping my head turned so he can’t see me if he happens to look.
I turn the corner, then make another U-turn and circle back.
I select a spot between two houses with children’s toys strewn across the front yards.
I figure the families are inside either eating or spending time together.
The spot gives me an excellent view of the house Tony entered.
A few minutes later, another car parks in the driveway of the house I’m watching.
Then two more cars arrive, each driven by a single man.
Finally, a third car arrives with two men inside.
Five men enter the house, and I recognize all of them.
They’re the men from the Facebook photos.
I figure it’s a good bet that the sixth member of their group is already inside.
After waiting for ten minutes, I consider getting out and sneaking a peek inside the house.
They may be hanging out, drinking, and watching a game.
If they are, then I’ll leave and just go home.
I can follow Tony another night. However, before I can put my plan into action, the door opens, and three men come out; one of them is Tony.
They each get in separate vehicles and drive off. I follow Tony’s Mustang.
He drives to a bar and parks behind the building near the rear exit.
Confused, I take a spot several spaces away and watch.
He circles the building, and I assume he’s heading inside.
I consider following him, but that would be too risky.
Studying the back door, I debate whether to enter to spy on Tony from the shadows, but since I’ve never been inside, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.
I drum my fingers on the steering wheel.
I consider my options and quickly realize that I don’t have many.
He’s likely inside hooking up rather than doing anything nefarious.
However, I can’t shake the feeling that he’s up to something.
Why would he and his friends meet at one house and then take off separately?
That seems odd. So, what is he doing inside a bar alone?
Before I can talk myself out of it, I open the door and sling on my backpack after palming the taser. I slip it inside the sleeve of my hoodie. As I pass by the dumpster, the back door flies open, and Tony steps out. He’s not alone. He’s half-carrying, half-dragging a noticeably drunk girl.
“Come on, baby, we’re going to go have us some fun,” Tony says in a tone that makes my blood run cold.
The girl mumbles something that I can’t hear, except for the word ‘no.’ She pushes against Tony, but he’s too strong, and she’s too wasted.
“Oh, don’t be like that. I promise you’re going to enjoy yourself. Well, at least we will. You may not.” His words and the evil chuckle that follows them have me moving.
Lowering the taser, I switch it on and come up behind him.
Pressing it against his back, his body jerks and twitches.
He releases his hold on the woman, letting her fall to the ground.
I switch off the taser and consider my next steps.
I desperately want to feed him the poison, but the girl is murmuring and trying to push herself up off the ground.
I can’t risk the possibility of her witnessing me poisoning him and remembering later.
So, instead, I take out the flashlight and slam it against his head.
Then I retrieve the baton and lay a few dozen smacks against his face, arms, legs, and genitals.
At least when he wakes up, he’ll be hurting.
Then I gently lift the girl from the ground and carry her back inside.
Opening the door to the ladies’ room, I prop her inside. Confident that someone will find her.