Page 61 of Carver’s Crusade

“We aren’t giving up on rescuing the women, if they are inside,” Carver assures me. “Shield is pulling records on Tony and all his buddies. He’s compiling all their arrests, complaints, and witness statements. He’s combing through every report where cops questioned them, or they backed up each other’s alibis.”

I stare at him. “Can he do that?”

A faint grin tugs at his mouth. “Shield can do whatever he wants. If he can’t get the information through proper channels, he has Byte and Maestro to get them for him.”

That honestly doesn’t surprise me.

“And then what?”

“Dante’s calling Church in the morning.” His expression darkens slightly. “We’ll go over whatever Shield finds and come up with a plan to trap them.”

The word trap sends a small chill through me despite the heat surrounding my body.

“You mean prove what they’re doing?”

“Yeah.”

“But how?”

Carver studies me for a second before answering. “Don’t know yet.”

That honesty should scare me.

Instead, it reassures me. There is no fake promise. He isn’t pretending to have all the answers. He doesn’t pat me on the head and tell me that they’ll handle it and I shouldn’t worry. No, there is just determination.

“We’ll figure something out,” he continues quietly. “As soon as we know more, I’ll tell you.”

I look down into the lavender water, tracing my fingertips across the surface. “Tony’s careful.”

“Most predators are.”

The bitterness in his voice makes me glance back at him. His eyes are on the floor now, his expression unreadable. His expression makes me wonder what kind of monsters Carver has dealt with before.

The thought lingers between us for a moment before he looks back at me.

“You got anything else on Tony or his friends?” he asks. “Anything strange you remember that could help us?”

“I don’t have very much, but I scanned their social media and documented what I could find. I have it all on my computer.”

I shift to move out of the tub, but Carver stops me. “Let me help you out.”

I stand carefully when Carver offers me his hand, the water cascading down my body in warm streams. My legs feel loose and heavy from the heat of the bath and the wine, and for one terrifying second, I wobble.

Carver catches me instantly.

His hands grip my waist, steady and strong.

“Easy,” he murmurs.

The word rumbles through me.

I look up at him, suddenly very aware that I’m completely naked and dripping water all over his bathroom floor. Steam curls between us while his dark eyes roam over my face instead of my body.

That somehow affects me more.

He reaches for a large fluffy towel hanging nearby and wraps it around me carefully, tucking the edge securely above my chest. His knuckles brush my shoulder gently before he steps back.

“I’ll give you a minute,” he says quietly.