Page 68 of Carver’s Crusade

The table grows crowded as Jinx joins us. She appears calm and unbothered by the thought of playing bait to catch these bastards.

I’m beginning to realize that fearless might just be her natural state.

“I know how to fight,” Jinx says calmly. “I haven’t met Izzy yet, but I’ve heard good things about her. We’ll both be fine. You said these assholes drug their women. We’ll figure out a way to make it look like they’ve succeeded. As soon as they have us inside the house, you guys can make your move. They won’t expect it. They also won’t expect Izzy and me to fight back. We’ll have the upper hand.”

“Walk through the plan,” Lenora suggests.

“We’ll have two on each man. If they convene at the house, we’ll wait and watch. Raven already gave us intel on what happened Friday night. If they follow the same MO, we’ll follow the ones who leave,” Shield says.

“How do you plan to get Izzy and Jinx in place?” Min asks.

“The prospects can drive them. Byte will have us wired so we can communicate. We originally planned just to watch the bar and then follow the assholes back if they grabbed a woman. With the new plan, the prospects can be ready to drop Izzy and Jinx off so they can slip inside,” Shield continues.

“If they don’t take the bait and go for another woman, then what?” I ask. Carver reaches over to squeeze my hand.

“The prospects pick up Izzy and Jinx, and we follow the targets back to Rollings’ house. We won’t let anything happen to the women. I promise,” Shield says.

“We know it’s not the best plan, but it’s a good one. We want to stop these guys as soon as possible,” Babe chimes in.

I nod. He’s right. It isn’t a good plan, but it’s better than sitting around doing nothing while they think up a better one. I study Jinx, who feels my eyes on her. She smiles at me.

“We won’t be helpless,” she says calmly.

Everybody looks at her.

She shrugs one shoulder. “We can carry.”

Carver immediately shakes his head. “Too risky.”

“No,” Jinx says firmly. “It’s smart.”

She looks around the table without an ounce of hesitation.

“We hide weapons on ourselves. Small blades, collapsible batons, and pepper spray.” Her expression hardens slightly. “If one of them gets us alone before you reach us, we need options.”

The room goes quiet because nobody can argue with that.

Min points at Jinx approvingly. “Exactly.”

Jinx reaches down and pulls a knife from her boot. “I’m always carrying. This isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve been in dangerous situations before. From what I’ve heard, so has Izzy. We won’t be in danger.”

“There are still so many things that could go wrong,” Torch says.

“It’s a controlled setup,” Shield corrects. “We stay close. We watch every angle. The goal is to attack them before anyone gets hurt.”

Carver’s hand settles heavily on my thigh beneath the table, grounding me instantly.

I understand why everyone is tense.

We all know exactly what these men are capable of.

But as I look around the table—at the bikers, Old Ladies, and the woman volunteering to walk into danger anyway—I realize something else.

Tony Martin and his friends picked the wrong people to hunt.

CHAPTER 27: CARVER

Resting my hand on Raven’s knee, I can feel her tension. Her glances toward Jinx make me realize she’s worried about her part in the upcoming operation. I gently squeeze her thigh, drawing her attention. She glances at me and offers a small smile before turning her attention back to the others.