Page 64 of Carver’s Crusade

I freeze.

Her eyes blink open sleepily, green and unfocused at first before landing on me.

“Carver?” Her voice is rough from sleep. “Where are you going?”

Jesus Christ.

Even half asleep, she sounds sexy as sin.

I lean down, brushing my fingers lightly along her cheek. “Church, baby.”

Her face tightens instantly, anxiety flickering across her features.

I hate that look.

“It’s okay,” I murmur. “Go back to sleep. I’ll come get you when we’re done.”

She blinks up at me, still tangled in blankets and sleep. “You’re leaving?”

“Only downstairs.” I give her a small grin. “I promise that I’m not disappearing on you.”

That earns me the tiniest relaxed breath.

“If you wake up before I get back,” I continue, “head downstairs. You’ll probably find the other Old Ladies in the common room.”

A faint blush creeps across her cheeks at the term Old Ladies, and fuck if that doesn’t do something to me.

She pulls the blanket higher around herself. “Okay.”

I lean down before I can stop myself and press a kiss against her forehead. Her eyes drift shut instantly, trusting me enough to relax again.

That feeling settles me.

I straighten reluctantly and dress before heading for the bedroom door, already knowing I’m going to spend the next hour or so thinking about the woman waiting in my bed upstairs.

I sit at the long table in Church, leaning back in my chair with my arms crossed over my chest while brothers filter into the room. The air smells like coffee, cigarettes, leather, and engine grease. All the familiar sights and sounds, but today it feels different. And the reason for that difference lies upstairs in my bed.

Dante walks into the room, and the conversations die immediately.

The Demon Dawgs President takes his seat at the head of the table, his expression hard and unreadable. Chaos and Grimm take their places on either side of him. The rest of us are already in our usual spots.

Dante glances around the room. “Church is in session. Shield asked for this meeting to discuss a situation. We’re here to figure out how to solve it. Shield. Tell them what’s happening.”

Shield nods once and folds his hands on the table.

“As most of you know, Raven, Athena’s receptionist, was attacked in the parking lot behind the dojo. Maestro found the video that showed the owner of the gym next door to the dojo, Tony Martin, leaving the parking lot around the time of the attack. Tony claims he wasn’t at the gym and that someone stole his car. He has a friend who backed him up and gave him an alibi.”

Byte flashes the image of a yellow Mustang pulling out of a parking lot. We can almost see the person driving. The driver looks like Tony, but would that stand up in court? Probably not.

“As you can see, we can’t prove the driver was Tony, but the Mustang showed up the next day parked in a parking lot. It still had gas, and there was no damage.”

“Bullshit,” Feral calls out.

“Yeah, that was my thought, too,” Shield says. “Last night, Raven confirmed Tony Martin attacked her. She also said that he’s been following her. He attacked her again last night outside her apartment. Carver brought her here to stay until we can eliminate Tony as a threat to her, but he isn’t our only problem. There’s more going on than just Tony being an asshole.”

Shield goes on to describe how Tony has been following Raven and threatening her as Byte flashes his image on the screen. I have to fight the urge to rush out of the room and find her to make sure she’s still safe. I know she is, but the fear is overwhelming.

“Raven wasn’t certain she could trust the cops, so she didn’t come forward,” Shield says. “Instead, she researched Tony and followed him.”