Page 5 of Carver’s Crusade

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…”