Page 52 of Carver’s Crusade

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.”