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.
“I started digging through Tony’s social media accounts after the attack.
After I heard about his alibi,” she says quietly.
“I found all his old posts with tagged photos and made a list of his friends. Friends who have been part of his life for years. There are five of them. Five men who he has been close to since high school.”
Shield straightens slightly. “Names?”
Raven nods. “Paul Storr, Scott Tyler, Jay Banks, Cliff Mellor, and Andrew Rollings.”
I repeat the names in my head, locking each one into place. Five men connected to the bastard who attacked her. Five men who add another layer of danger.
“You think they’re helping him?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” Her voice shakes a little. “But after what I saw last night…” She trails off.
I lean closer before I can stop myself. “What happened last night?”
Raven exhales slowly. “I staked out Tony’s gym.”
The words hit me like a slap.
“You did what?”
Her eyes flash with irritation. “I needed answers, Carver.”
“You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
“But I didn’t.” She squares her shoulders, stubborn as hell. “I parked across the street and watched the gym until he closed up. Then I followed him. He was driving his yellow Mustang.”
Shield’s expression darkens. “You followed him.”
“Yes.”
I scrub a hand over my mouth, already hating wherever this story is going.
“He drove into a residential area,” Raven says. “At first I thought maybe he was visiting somebody, but then other vehicles started showing up.”
My stomach knots.
“How many?” Shield asks.
“Four.”
Silence crashes into the room.
Raven swallows hard. “I recognized the men from their profile pictures online. All of them were there, except for Andrew Rollings. I’m guessing he owns the house where they met.”
I glance at Shield, and the look on his face mirrors exactly what I’m thinking.
Shield jots down the address before using his phone to contact Maestro.
He gives the address to Maestro and tells him to give him the name of the person living there.
After a few minutes, he ends the call and nods.
“The house belongs to Rollings,” Shield confirms. “He’s given Tony an alibi or two before. What happened next?”
I watch Raven, trying to decide whether I’m more furious or terrified by what she’s telling us.
Probably both.
She sits curled into the couch cushion with her knees drawn up.
Min hands her a cup of tea, which she takes with a small thank you.
The weak yellow light from the lamp beside her paints shadows beneath her eyes, making her look exhausted and far too fragile for the kind of danger she keeps throwing herself into.
Shield stays quiet in the recliner, but I can feel his attention sharpening with every word.
Raven takes a breath. “I stayed parked near the house for almost an hour.”
“Andrew’s house?” I ask.
She nods. “Nothing happened at first. The lights stayed on downstairs, but nobody came back out.” Her gaze flicks toward me cautiously, probably measuring how angry I am. “Eventually Tony left with two of the men.”
“Which two?”
“I’m not completely sure. It was dark.” She grimaces. “But I think one was Tyler and the other Mellor.”
I mutter a curse under my breath.
“And then?” Shield asks calmly.
“I followed Tony.”
Of course she did.
I lean back hard against the couch and scrub both hands over my face. “Jesus Christ, Raven.”
“I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do.” My voice roughens. “You followed a violent psychopath in the middle of the night by yourself.”
Her chin lifts stubbornly. “I needed information.”
“You needed backup.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but Shield cuts in first.
“Let her finish.”
I bite back the rest of my temper and gesture sharply for Raven to continue.
“He drove across town,” she says quietly. “At first I thought he might stop at a gas station or a convenience store. Maybe pick up food.” She shakes her head. “But instead, he pulled into the parking lot of a bar.”
Something about her comment makes Shield shift in his seat. He opens his mouth as if to ask her a question, but he remains silent.
“I parked in the back lot where he wouldn’t notice my car,” Raven continues. “I stayed there for a while trying to decide what to do.”
“You should’ve left,” I mutter.
She ignores me. “I thought about going inside, but…” She exhales shakily. “I figured it was too dangerous if Tony spotted me.”
A low growl leaves my throat before I can stop it. “That might’ve been your only intelligent decision that night.”
Raven winces.
“Carver,” Shield warns.
“What? She could’ve ended up dead.”
“And yelling at her now won’t change what happened.” Shield turns toward Raven again. “Go on.”
But before Raven can speak, Shield’s eyes narrow slightly.
“The bar,” he says slowly. “Was it called Check Mate?”
Raven blinks in surprise. “Yeah. How did you know?”
Shield nods once, his expression unreadable.
Every nerve in my body goes taut. “What the hell is—”
But Raven jumps back into the story before I can finish the question.
“After a while, I got out of my car.” She sends me a weak, apologetic smile. “I know. Bad idea.”
“You think?”
“I just wanted to peek inside,” she says quickly. “I thought maybe I’d see who Tony was meeting with.”
I fold my arms tightly across my chest and force myself not to interrupt again.
“The back entrance was near the alley beside the building,” she says. “I hadn’t even reached the door when it opened.” Her voice drops to a whisper. “Tony came out.”
A cold knot forms in my stomach.
“He was dragging a woman with him.”
The room goes dead silent.
Raven’s grip tightens around the mug. “She looked completely out of it.. She could barely walk. He was practically dragging her.” Her expression hardens. “At first I thought she was drunk, but then I heard her talking.”
“What did she say?” Shield asks.
Raven swallows hard. “She kept telling him she didn’t want to go with him.” Her eyes flick toward me. “She was trying to pull away.”
Rage burns hot and instant through my chest.
“That son of a bitch.”
“Tony shoved her against his car,” Raven continues. “She hit the side hard enough that I heard it from across the lot.”
My hands curl into fists.
“And then?” I ask tightly.
Raven hesitates. Then, almost sheepishly, she says, “I tasered him.”
For one full second, neither Shield nor I speak.
“You what?” I finally choke out.
“I had the taser in my purse.” She shrinks slightly under my stare. “I panicked. I couldn’t let him take her.”
I can practically see it happen in my head now—Tony turning, Raven stepping out of the shadows, electricity cracking through the air.
“He dropped immediately,” she says. “Face-first into his car and then onto the pavement.”
Babe coughs suddenly, suspiciously close to laughter.
I shoot him a glare.
Raven presses her lips together, fighting a tiny smile despite herself. “The woman started crying. She was really out of it.”
“You attacked Tony Martin with a taser,” I say slowly, trying to process the insanity of that sentence.
“He was hurting her.”
I open my mouth, ready to argue again, but the fierce conviction in her voice stops me cold.
Raven looks down into her mug. “I left him in the parking lot and took the girl back inside the bar.”
My pulse pounds harder.
Because now I understand why Tony’s escalating.
Raven didn’t just humiliate him once behind the gym.
She humiliated him again.
And men like Tony never forgive that kind of thing.