"You're offering to settle an alleged registration offense for cash on the roadside?"
His smile tightened.
"That's what I said."
"Would I receive an official receipt?"
The deputy stared.
For a moment, the only sound was the distant hum of highway traffic.
Then he stepped closer.
"You think you're funny?"
She didn't answer.
He glanced at her designer clothing.
Then lowered his eyes toward the silver bracelets stacked around her wrist.
"Nice outfit. Nice car. You can clearly afford four grand."
The woman remained perfectly still.
The deputy's expression hardened.
"Or maybe the car isn't yours."
He looked toward the younger officer standing near the second patrol vehicle.
"Get the tow company on the radio."
The younger deputy hesitated.
He was twenty-seven, white American, tall and clean-shaven, with closely cropped blond hair and the tense expression of someone who had been uncomfortable since the stop began. He wore the same sheriff's uniform but lacked the older man's casual confidence.
"Sir, dispatch hasn't confirmed the registration flag."
The senior deputy turned sharply.
"I didn't ask whether you liked the stop."
The young man lowered his eyes.
"Yes, sir."
The older deputy turned back toward the woman.
"Keys. Now."
She looked at him.
"No."
The word was quiet.
But unmistakable.
The deputy laughed.
"You really want to make this difficult?"
She reached toward the open driver's door, intending to retrieve the license that had fallen beneath it.
The deputy suddenly shoved the door inward with his boot.
It slammed shut with a heavy metallic sound.
The woman stepped backward to avoid the edge.
Her long gray ruffles swept across the gravel.
Several silver bracelets struck one another with a sharp, delicate clink.
The deputy pointed at her face.
"Don't touch that vehicle again."
She stared at him through her sunglasses.
Then spoke in a voice so controlled that the younger officer looked up.
"You're making a serious mistake."
The deputy smiled.
"Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea who you're dealing with."
She slowly removed her sunglasses.
Her dark eyes met his.
"Then tell me."
The deputy stepped closer.
"Someone who can take your car, put you in the back of my cruiser, and leave you standing before a judge who knows my name."
The younger officer shifted uneasily.
The woman noticed.
Then she asked another question.
"Have you established a lawful basis for seizing my vehicle?"