“We’ll sort it out at the station,” the tall one snapped, already turning her toward the patrol car, gripping her arm harder than he needed to.
She let a few seconds pass. The gravel crunched under their boots. The evening was so quiet you could hear the wind moving through the wheat on either side of the road.
Then she spoke again, calm as ever.
“Before we go anywhere — I need one of you to reach into the right pocket of my shorts. There’s something in there. With my hands behind my back, I can’t get it myself.”
The two men looked at each other. The second officer actually laughed out loud.
“Oh, this should be good,” he said. “What, gonna slip us a bribe? Think that’s gonna save you?”
“Just look,” Victoria said simply.
The tall one hesitated for half a second — some instinct in him, maybe, some flicker of doubt he wouldn’t have admitted to — then reached into her pocket and pulled out a small leather case.
