Page 125 of Monk

“She means it.”

I turned to find Chief Sean Curran O’Rourke standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

The lead agent glanced at him. “Who the hell are you?”

“Police Chief O’Rourke, Lawton PD,” he said, his tone flat. “And trust me when I say Ms. Wilcox doesn’t make idle threats. If she says she’s going to bury you in court, she will. And she’ll win.”

The agent’s expression darkened, but he said nothing.

I turned back to Kali, who was still sobbing on the couch. The sound of boots echoed through the clubhouse as more agents moved through the building, searching, tearing apart everything in their path. Kansas was being hauled to his feet, his face twisted with fury.

Angel, Widow, and Neville were all being cuffed, one by one. And then I heard it. The sound of more brothers being brought in from outside. Ashe. Fifty. Bongo. Lips. All of them cuffed. All of them silent.

My chest tightened as I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm, to stay focused. Then I turned toward the brothers, my voice cutting through the chaos like a whip. “DIAMONDBACKS!”

Every head turned toward me.

Kansas. Angel. Widow. Fifty. All of them.

“NOT A FUCKING WORD!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the clubhouse. “You hear me? Not. A. Fucking. Word. You do not speak to these agents. You do not answer their questions. You do not consent to anything. You invoke your right to remain silent, and you wait for me. Do you understand?”

Kansas nodded, his jaw tight. Angel gave me a sharp nod. Widow’s expression was murderous, but he nodded too. One by one, the brothers nodded. “Good,” I said, my voice steady. “I’ll be right behind you.”

The agents began hauling them out, one by one, their boots echoing against the floor.

Kansas looked back at Kali one last time, his expression breaking for just a moment. “I love you,” he said, his voice rough.

“I love you too,” Kali sobbed, and then he was gone.

The sound of sirens filled the air as the ambulance pulled up outside.

Paramedics rushed in, their faces professional and focused as they moved toward Kali.

“Ma’am, we’re going to take you to the hospital,” one of them said gently. “Can you tell me where you’re feeling pain?”

“My stomach,” Kali whispered, her voice shaking. “I’m twelve weeks pregnant.”

“We’re going to take care of you,” the paramedic said, his tone soothing. “Just try to stay calm.”

I stayed with her as they loaded her onto the stretcher, holding her hand as they wheeled her toward the door. “Lina,” she said, her voice breaking.

“I’m going to fix this,” I said, squeezing her hand. “I promise. I’m going to fix this.”

She nodded, tears streaming down her face, and then they were gone.

The clubhouse was empty now. Silent. Just me and the agents tearing through the building like vultures. I turned toward O’Rourke, who was still standing in the doorway, watching me with that same unreadable expression. “You knew,” I hissed, my voice low and dangerous. “You knew they were coming.”

He didn’t deny it. “This is a federal investigation, Ms. Wilcox,” he said. “I don’t have jurisdiction.”

“Bullshit,” I spat, stepping toward him. “You could have warned them. You could have given them a chance to?—”

“To what?” he interrupted, his tone sharp. “To hide the evidence? To destroy it?”

“To prepare,” I said. “To not have a pregnant woman assaulted by a federal agent.”

O’Rourke’s expression flickered, but he said nothing.

“You’re a coward,” I said, my voice cold. “You hide behind your badge and your jurisdiction, and you let innocent people get hurt because you’re too afraid to do the right thing.”