Page 84 of Carver’s Crusade

And Tony Martin is dead on the floor, Nancy’s corpse only a few feet away.

Shield looks around the room again, clearly trying to make sense of the chaos.

His gaze lands on Nancy.

“What the hell happened here?”

Min answers first.

“Nancy kidnapped Mia.”

Shield blinks. “What?”

“Jackson came to the clubhouse for help,” Min says firmly. “You guys were gone, so we came.”

Caitlin steps forward next. “We found Mia here. Jackson and Marcus already took her home.”

Shield rubs both hands over his face.

“This just keeps getting better.”

Ashlyn points toward Nancy’s body with shaky fingers. “Nancy attacked Min with a knife. They fought over it.” She swallows hard. “Nancy fell.”

Min snorts softly. “After I shoved the knife into her.”

“Why was Tony here?” I ask.

“We think he came for Mia,” Raven says. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. Nancy was waiting for someone to arrive. Tony said that Nancy had something for him. My guess is Tony was going to buy her from Nancy.”

Shield dons a pair of gloves before heading for the kitchen. There, he studies Nancy’s corpse. When he returns to the living room, he kneels beside Tony’s still form. He checks the man’s pulse before running his hand over his face. He doesn’t speak for several long seconds.

Raven turns in my arms to study him.

I hold her tighter as we wait for his next action.

Shield finally stands and slowly turns toward us.

His eyes move across every person in the room, one at a time.

Then his gaze flicks to Nancy, then to Tony, as his jaw tightens.

And finally, quietly, he says, “I might have an idea.” He’s no longer wearing his cop face. He’s all about the Demon Dawgs now.

“Carver,” he says sharply.

“Yeah?”

“Help me move him.”

The words hit me like a freight train. For half a second, I just stare at him before realization sets in. He isn’t arresting Raven; he’s covering up for her. The relief crashes through me as I rush over to help.

Together, we drag Tony across the hardwood floor toward Nancy’s body. His tennis shoes scrape loudly against the wood while Raven watches silently from where she stands. Min and the others circle around her protectively.

Shield drops Tony beside Nancy with a grunt and immediately crouches beside Nancy’s body. He takes out a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes the handle clean.

“What are you doing?” Caitlin whispers.

Shield doesn’t look up. “Saving all your asses.” He grabs Tony’s limp hand and wraps it around the knife handle. He then holds his hand out to Raven. “Give me the bottle.”