Page 129 of Monk
He hesitated, and then he turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
The moment he was gone, I turned to John. He was staring at me, his expression a mixture of awe and disbelief. “Jesus Christ, Lina,” he said, his voice rough. “You just?—”
“Saved your ass?” I finished, walking over to the table. “Again. Yeah. I did.” I leaned down, my hands braced on the table, my face inches from his. “And you’re going to tell me everything,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Starting with what the fuck you’ve done now.”
John’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Okay. I will.”
I straightened, my heart still pounding, my hands still shaking, but I didn’t let it show as I walked to the door, pulledit open, and stepped out into the chaos. Every eye in the room turned toward me. Kansas. Widow. Angel. Whisper. All of them.
I took a deep breath and then I raised my voice, loud enough for everyone to hear. “DIAMONDBACKS!” I shouted. “NOT A FUCKING WORD! You invoke your right to remain silent. You refuse to answer questions. You wait for me. Do you understand?”
One by one, the brothers nodded. Kansas grinned, his expression fierce and proud. Widow’s mouth twitched into the faintest hint of a smile. Angel raised his sandwich in a mock salute.
I turned to the lead ATF agent, who was standing near the front desk, his face still red with anger. “Release them,” I said, my voice calm and professional. “Now.”
The agent stared at me and then he turned to one of his subordinates and muttered something under his breath. The subordinate nodded and started unlocking handcuffs.
I watched as, one by one, the brothers were released. Kansas was the first to walk over to me. He stopped in front of me, his expression softening. “My wife?”
“At Commanche County Hospital, waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
I nodded. “Go but just know, we’re not done yet.”
“I know,” he said. “But thank you anyway.”
I watched as the rest of the brothers filed out, their expressions ranging from relieved to furious. And as the last one walked through the door, I turned back to the interrogation room to find John still sitting at the table, his hands still cuffed.
I walked back in, my heels clicking against the tile. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Monk
The officer who uncuffed me didn’t say a word. He just unlocked the metal restraints, stepped back, and walked out of the interrogation room like he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
I rubbed my wrists, feeling the indentations the cuffs had left behind, then I stood and followed Lina out into the chaos of the police station. She was already moving, her heels clicking sharply against the tile floor, her shoulders squared, her entire body radiating fury.
I didn’t say anything. Didn’t need to. I just followed her, watching as she cut through the crowd of officers and agents like a blade through flesh.
She stopped in front of Chief Sean O’Rourke.
He was standing near the front desk, his arms crossed, his expression weary.
When he saw Lina approaching, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Ms. Wilcox,” he said, his tone cautious. “I assume you’re here to?—”
“Drop the charges,” Lina said, her voice sharp and uncompromising as she pulled a manila folder from her bag and slapped it down on the desk in front of him. The sound echoed through the station.
O’Rourke looked down at the folder, then back up at Lina. “What is this?”
“Evidence,” Lina said, her voice cold. “Evidence that proves the rape allegations against my client are fabricated. Evidence that proves your entire case is built on lies, coercion, and conspiracy.”
O’Rourke’s jaw tightened as he picked up the folder and opened it, his eyes scanning the contents.
I watched as his expression shifted from skepticism to confusion to something darker, and then to anger. “Where did you get this?” he asked, his voice low.
“That’s not your concern,” Lina said, stepping closer. “Whatisyour concern is that you have been manipulated by a federal agent who orchestrated this entire arrest to serve his own agenda.”
