Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Lina
The manila folder felt heavy in my hands as I pushed through the clubhouse door.
I’d spent the last three hours compiling discovery documents for Kali. Financial records, property deeds, business licenses, everything she needed for the city council meeting next week about the community center expansion.
The gathering room was quiet for once. No music blaring. No brothers drinking at the bar. Just the low hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of someone working on a bike in the garage.
“Kali?” I called out, walking toward the kitchen.
No answer.
I set the folder on the bar and pulled out my phone, about to text her, when I heard it.
The sound of engines. Multiple engines. Not motorcycles.
Vehicles. My stomach dropped as I turned toward the front entrance just as the doors exploded inward with a deafening CRASH.
“ATF! NOBODY MOVE!”
Men in tactical vests flooded into the clubhouse, weapons drawn, shouting commands that overlapped into incomprehensible chaos.
“GET ON THE GROUND!”
“HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!”
“DON’T FUCKING MOVE!”
My heart slammed against my ribs as I instinctively raised my hands.
What the hell!?
“Lina!” Kali’s voice cut through the chaos as I spun toward the hallway and saw her stumbling out of the back office, her face pale.
“Kali, don’t!” But she was already moving toward me, her eyes wide with terror.
“FREEZE!” an ATF agent shouted, swinging his weapon toward her.
“NO!” I screamed, stepping between them. “She’s innocent. Don’t you dare!”
The sound of boots thundering down the stairs made me turn as Kansas appeared at the end of the hall, the same place Kali came from, only, Kansas was shirtless, his jeans barely buttoned, his expression shifting from confusion to rage in the span of a heartbeat. “What the fuck!?”
“GET OVER HERE! NOW!” an agent shouted, his gun trained on Kansas.
Kansas’ hands went up slowly, his eyes scanning the room, counting agents, assessing threats. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Angel, Widow, and Neville, the club’s prospect, emerge from the hallway, all of them freezing as guns swung in their direction.
“Hands up! All of you!”
“We’re unarmed!” Kansas shouted, his voice steady despite the fury radiating from every inch of his body. “We’re unarmed!”
“I said get over here!”
Kansas moved slowly, his movements deliberate, his gaze locked on Kali. She was shaking. Trembling so hard I could see it from across the room. “It’s okay, baby,” Kansas said, his voice calm, soothing. “Just stay calm. Everything’s gonna be—”
“Ma’am, step away from the bar,” an agent said, grabbing my arm.
I yanked it back. “Don’t touch me.”
“Step away from the bar, now.”
“I’m an attorney,” I said, my voice sharp and clear. “And unless you have a warrant, you need to get the hell out of—”
“We have a warrant,” the agent said, his tone smug.
My stomach dropped.
Fuck.
“Then show it to me,” I demanded.
The agent ignored me, turning toward his team. “Clear the building. I want every room searched. Every closet. Every fucking drawer.”
Agents scattered, boots pounding against the floor as they moved through the clubhouse like a swarm. I heard doors slamming open. Furniture being overturned. The sound of glass shattering.
“Kali, come here,” Kansas said, his voice tight as she took a step toward him.
And that was when it happened. An agent, tall, broad-shouldered, with a buzz cut and a face like granite, stepped directly into Kali’s path. “Ma’am, you need to sit down and—”
“She’s scared,” Kansas said, his voice rising. “Just let her—”
The agent grabbed Kali’s arm. Roughly. Too roughly when she didn’t move fast enough. “I said sit down—”
Kali gasped, stumbling as the agent yanked her toward the couch, and Kansas exploded.
“GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER!” He lunged forward, crossing the distance in three strides, and tackled the agent to the ground.
The impact was brutal. The agent’s head cracked against the floor with a sickening thud, and Kansas was on top of him, his fist already swinging.
“MY WIFE IS FUCKING PREGNANT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!”
His fist connected with the agent’s jaw. Once. Twice. Three times. Blood sprayed across the floor, splattering the polished wood in dark red droplets. The agent’s nose was already broken, bent at an unnatural angle, and his lip was split wide open.
“KANSAS, NO!” Kali screamed, her voice raw with terror and desperation as agents swarmed him immediately, grabbing his arms, his shoulders, his waist, trying to pull him off.
But Kansas wasn’t stopping. He was a man possessed, consumed by protective fury.
He threw an elbow backwards, catching one agent square in the ribs, and I heard the satisfying grunt of pain as the man stumbled back.
Kansas swung again at the man on the ground, his knuckles connecting with the agent’s cheekbone with a crack.
“YOU DON’T FUCKING TOUCH HER! YOU HEAR ME? YOU DON’T FUCKING TOUCH HER!”
It took four agents to finally drag him off, their hands gripping him like vises, and even then, he was still fighting, still thrashing against their hold, still shouting, his face twisted with rage and streaked with sweat.
His chest heaved with each breath, his knuckles were split and bleeding, and his eyes were wild—absolutely wild—as he stared down at the agent who was still on the ground, groaning and clutching his shattered face.
“Cuff him!” someone shouted.
“Kansas!” Angel moved forward, but an agent shoved him back, a gun pressed to his chest.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Widow’s hands were already up, his expression murderous but controlled. Neville looked like he was two seconds away from doing something stupid. And Kali was on the couch, sobbing, her arms wrapped around her stomach, her entire body shaking.
I moved without thinking, crossing the room and dropping to my knees in front of her. “Kali, look at me,” I said, my voice steady despite the chaos around us. “Look at me. Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t know. My stomach.”
“Okay. Okay, we’re going to get you help. I promise.” I turned toward the nearest agent, my voice cutting through the noise like a blade. “I need an ambulance. Now.”
The agent looked at me like I’d just asked him to fly. “Ma’am, you need to step back.”
“She’s pregnant and she was just assaulted by one of your agents,” I said, my voice rising.
“If you don’t call an ambulance right now, I will personally ensure that every single one of you spends the next decade in court defending a lawsuit for excessive force, assault on a pregnant woman, and violation of civil rights. Do I make myself clear?”
The agent hesitated.
“Now,” I repeated, my tone leaving no room for argument.
He pulled out his radio. “Dispatch, we need an ambulance at the Diamondback clubhouse. Pregnant female, possible injury.”
I turned back to Kali, brushing her hair out of her face. “You’re going to be okay. The baby’s going to be okay.”
She nodded, but I could see the fear in her eyes.
Behind me, I heard the metallic click of handcuffs snapping into place.
Kansas was on his knees now, his hands cuffed behind his back, blood dripping from his knuckles.
The agent he’d punched was still on the floor, unconscious, his face a mess of blood and swelling.
“You have the right to remain silent,” one of the agents said, his voice mechanical. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
“Where’s the warrant?” I demanded, standing and turning toward the lead agent.
He was standing near the bar, watching the chaos with a satisfied expression. “Excuse me?” he said, his tone condescending.
“The warrant,” I repeated, walking toward him. “You said you have a warrant. I want to see it.”
He smirked. “And who the hell are you?”
“Carolina Wilcox,” I said, my voice cold and professional.
“I’m the legal counsel for the Diamondback MC and everyone associated with it.
And unless you show me that warrant right now, I’m going to file a motion to suppress every single piece of evidence you collect here on the grounds of unlawful search and seizure. ”
The smirk faltered.
“I’m also going to file a formal complaint with the Department of Justice regarding your agent’s assault on a pregnant woman,” I continued, stepping closer.
“And I’m going to ensure that every news outlet in Oklahoma knows that the ATF stormed a private residence without proper cause, brutalized a pregnant woman, and violated the constitutional rights of every person in this building. ”
The agent’s jaw tightened.
“So, I’ll ask you again,” I said, my voice dropping to a deadly calm. “Where. Is. The. Warrant?”
He stared at me for a long moment. Then he reached into his vest and pulled out a folded document, shoving it toward me.
I took it, unfolding it quickly and scanning the contents.
Fuck. It was legitimate. Federal warrant.
Signed by a judge. Probable cause listed as “conspiracy to transport illegal firearms across state lines.”
My stomach sank.
“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.”
His jaw tightened.
“I’m going to remember this,” I said, my voice dropping to a deadly calm. “And when this is over, when I prove that this entire investigation is a sham, I’m coming for you too.”
I didn’t wait for a response as I grabbed the file, turned and walked out of the clubhouse, my hands shaking, my heart pounding, my mind already racing through everything I needed to do.
Call the bail bondsman.
File motions to suppress.
Get the brothers out.
Protect Kali.
Find John.
The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the compound as I climbed into my car and started the engine.
Then and there, I made myself a promise.
I was going to burn this entire investigation to the ground.
And I was going to make sure every single person responsible paid for what they’d done.