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.
Shield points at Raven. “The poison. The dead predators. It was her.”
Every muscle in my body locks. No fucking way. The series of murders Shield mentioned. Men poisoned by an unknown assailant. Raven? My Raven? No. Just no fucking way.
Raven lifts her chin, her green eyes shining with emotion as she looks directly at Shield.
“Yes.”
The single word detonates inside my skull.
Min curses under her breath.
Caitlin gasps.
Ashlyn just stares.
And I want the damn floor to disappear beneath me.
Raven swallows hard. “I murdered those men. I admit it.”
My chest caves inward. Jesus Christ.
Shield exhales sharply and drags a hand over his face. “Raven…”
“He deserved it,” she says, voice trembling now. “All of them did.”
The women murmur in agreement.
I barely hear them.
Because one thought keeps hammering through my brain. The police taking Raven from me and throwing her behind bars. Panic crashes through my chest so hard I can barely breathe.
Before I even realize I’m moving, I cross the room and grab Raven, hauling her against me. She stiffens in surprise before melting into my chest.
I wrap both arms around her like I can shield her from the entire fucking world.
Shield looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Carver—”
“No.” My voice comes out savage. “You’re not arresting her.”
“Jesus Christ,” Shield snaps. “She just confessed to murder. Multiple murders.”
“She killed monsters.”
“She killed people.”
“She protected women!”
The words explode out of me so violently the room echoes with them.
Raven trembles as she clutches my kutte tightly.
Shield looks furious now, but underneath it I can see the conflict tearing him apart. He’s a cop. One of the good ones. He believes in the law even when the law fails.
But this?
This is Raven.
And Tony Martin is dead on the floor, Nancy’s corpse only a few feet away.
Shield looks around the room again, clearly trying to make sense of the chaos.
His gaze lands on Nancy.
“What the hell happened here?”
Min answers first.
“Nancy kidnapped Mia.”
Shield blinks. “What?”
“Jackson came to the clubhouse for help,” Min says firmly. “You guys were gone, so we came.”
Caitlin steps forward next. “We found Mia here. Jackson and Marcus already took her home.”
Shield rubs both hands over his face.
“This just keeps getting better.”
Ashlyn points toward Nancy’s body with shaky fingers. “Nancy attacked Min with a knife. They fought over it.” She swallows hard. “Nancy fell.”
Min snorts softly. “After I shoved the knife into her.”
“Why was Tony here?” I ask.
“We think he came for Mia,” Raven says. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. Nancy was waiting for someone to arrive. Tony said that Nancy had something for him. My guess is Tony was going to buy her from Nancy.”
Shield dons a pair of gloves before heading for the kitchen. There, he studies Nancy’s corpse. When he returns to the living room, he kneels beside Tony’s still form. He checks the man’s pulse before running his hand over his face. He doesn’t speak for several long seconds.
Raven turns in my arms to study him.
I hold her tighter as we wait for his next action.
Shield finally stands and slowly turns toward us.
His eyes move across every person in the room, one at a time.
Then his gaze flicks to Nancy, then to Tony, as his jaw tightens.
And finally, quietly, he says, “I might have an idea.” He’s no longer wearing his cop face. He’s all about the Demon Dawgs now.
“Carver,” he says sharply.
“Yeah?”
“Help me move him.”
The words hit me like a freight train. For half a second, I just stare at him before realization sets in. He isn’t arresting Raven; he’s covering up for her. The relief crashes through me as I rush over to help.
Together, we drag Tony across the hardwood floor toward Nancy’s body. His tennis shoes scrape loudly against the wood while Raven watches silently from where she stands. Min and the others circle around her protectively.
Shield drops Tony beside Nancy with a grunt and immediately crouches beside Nancy’s body. He takes out a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes the handle clean.
“What are you doing?” Caitlin whispers.
Shield doesn’t look up. “Saving all your asses.” He grabs Tony’s limp hand and wraps it around the knife handle. He then holds his hand out to Raven. “Give me the bottle.”
Raven hands him the bottle; he goes through the same process of wiping down the bottle before pressing it into Nancy’s hand. Min picks up the taser and hands it to Shield.
“Raven tased him; he’ll have marks.”
Shield studies the taser before glancing at Raven. “Can this be tracked back to you?”
“I bought it from a friend at the swap meet,” she explains.
Shield glances at me.
“Luis. He won’t betray her.”
Shield nods before wiping it down, too, and pressing it in Nancy’s hand. He then tosses it across the floor as if it had been kicked there during a struggle. He’s creating a story. Tony attacked Nancy, she tased him and then poisoned him, he stabbed her.
I glance at Raven. She’s staring at Shield with wide eyes like she can’t believe what he’s doing for her.
Hell, neither can I. It’s not perfect, but it’s believable. Especially with Shield steering the investigation.
He steps back and studies the room critically.
Then he looks directly at Raven.
“What exactly did you poison him with?”
Raven swallows. “Calabar bean.”
Shield’s brows pull together.
“What the hell is that?”
Raven takes a shaky breath. “It’s a plant. Extremely toxic if prepared correctly.” Her voice steadies slightly as she continues. “Historically, they used it in something called the Trial Ordeal.”
Shield folds his arms. “Explain.”
Raven nods once.
“In West Africa, people accused of crimes were forced to consume calabar bean poison. If they died, they were considered guilty. If they survived…” She shrugs faintly. “They were innocent.”
Tanya shivers visibly. “That’s horrifying.”
Raven’s gaze drops briefly to Tony. “It seemed fitting.”
I tighten my arm around her waist.
Shield studies her carefully. “Do you have more of this poison?”
Every muscle in my body tightens again.
Raven hesitates before nodding. “Yes.”
Shield’s eyes narrow slightly. “You made it yourself?”
She jerks her head.
“Jesus Christ,” Ashlyn mutters.
Shield rubs his jaw. “How?”
“I grow the plants.”
That gets everyone’s attention.
“Where?” Min asks.
“On the roof of my apartment complex,” Raven admits quietly. “Most people think they’re decorative vines.”
Shield stares at her for a long moment.
“You’ve got a damn poison garden on your roof?”
Raven winces slightly. “Technically…”
I almost laugh despite the insanity of the situation.
Only Raven could say something like that while standing beside two dead bodies.
Shield shakes his head slowly like he’s trying to process the woman standing in front of him.
Then his expression hardens again.
“Ashlyn.”
She straightens immediately. “Yeah?”
“Take Raven back to her apartment. Bring back one of the plants.”
Raven blinks. “Why?”
“Because if forensics finds traces of calabar bean in Tony’s system, I need a way to connect it to Nancy.”
Understanding flashes across Raven’s face.
“She’ll need access to the poison,” Shield continues. “And I’ll make sure the trail leads straight to her.”
Ashlyn nods once. “Got it.”
Raven still looks uncertain. “Shield…”
He cuts her off.
“You saved lives, Raven. I’m not saying what you did was right.” His eyes flick toward Tony’s corpse. “But I know exactly what that bastard was.”
Emotion thickens Raven’s expression.
Shield points toward the door. “Go. Before neighbors start paying attention.”
Ashlyn gently takes Raven’s arm and guides her toward the exit. Tanya joins them on Raven’s other side.
Before Raven leaves, she turns back toward me. Fear still lingers in her eyes.
I cross the room fast, cup her face, and kiss her hard.
“You’re coming home to me,” I murmur against her lips.
Her eyes shine with emotion before she nods and disappears outside with Ashlyn and Tanya.
The second they’re gone, Shield looks at me.
“I’ll push the investigation toward Nancy,” he says quietly.
I stare at him.
“You’d do that?”
Shield snorts softly. “Carver, the woman kidnapped a child and was working with Tony Martin.” He gestures toward the bodies. “Nobody’s gonna mourn either of them.”
I drag both hands over my face.
“You realize this could destroy your career.”
Shield shrugs. “Maybe.”
Then his expression turns deadly serious.
“But Raven’s not the villain in this story.”