His hand moved toward his belt.
"You want to make this difficult?"
Naomi's heart began beating faster.
In the passenger seat, Donovan remained motionless.
But he was awake.
He had awakened several minutes earlier.
He had heard everything.
He recognized the officer's voice.
Greg Mitchell.
Donovan had seen that name before.
Internal-affairs reports.
Citizen complaints.
Use-of-force incidents.
Complaints that had somehow disappeared.
Donovan's eyes remained closed.
He listened.
He wanted to know what Mitchell would do if he believed there were no witnesses.
Naomi took a slow breath.
"Officer, I will cooperate."
"Then get out."
"I will do so."
She reached for her seat belt.
Mitchell suddenly raised his voice.
"Don't move!"
Naomi froze.
"Your hands."
She placed them on the steering wheel.
For several seconds, the only sound was rain.
Then Mitchell said something that changed the entire situation.
"I think there's something illegal in this car."
Naomi looked directly at him.
"There isn't."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Mitchell smiled again.
"Then you won't mind if I search it."
"I don't consent to a search."
The smile disappeared.
"You attorneys always think you're smarter than everyone."
Naomi said nothing.
In the passenger seat, Donovan opened his eyes.
He stared at the ceiling.
His migraine was still there.
But something else had replaced the exhaustion.
Concern.
Not for himself.
For Naomi.
He knew exactly how quickly a routine traffic stop could become dangerous.
And he knew something else.
If he revealed who he was too early, Mitchell would suddenly become polite.
The complaints would disappear.
The story would become a misunderstanding.
There would be no evidence of what Mitchell had intended to do.
So Donovan stayed silent.
Naomi looked at the officer.
"I'll cooperate with any lawful order."
Mitchell stepped backward.
"Call for backup."
His radio crackled.
"Unit Four requesting another vehicle."
A second voice answered.
"Copy."
Naomi felt the temperature inside the car change.
Backup.
She glanced toward Donovan.
He remained apparently asleep.
But she noticed his hand move slightly.
Two fingers tapped against the side of the seat.
Their private signal.
I'm awake.
I'm here.
Naomi understood.
She was no longer alone.
And Officer Greg Mitchell had no idea that the sleeping passenger was the new police chief of Oak Haven.
For the first time that night, Naomi allowed herself a very small smile.
The trap had changed direction.
But neither she nor Donovan yet knew how far the consequences would reach.
Two additional patrol cars arrived within minutes.
Their headlights illuminated the rain.
Three officers approached.
The first was young.
Officer Jenkins.
He looked nervous.
The second was Sergeant Miller, a veteran supervisor with nearly two decades on the force.
Mitchell immediately began explaining the situation.
"Driver was swerving."
Naomi looked at him.
That wasn't true.
"She became argumentative."
Also untrue.
"And now she refuses to cooperate."
Naomi almost laughed.
She had been cooperative from the beginning.
But she knew better than to interrupt.
Jenkins looked uncomfortable.
"Did you observe the vehicle crossing the line?"
Mitchell glanced at him.
"I said I did."
Jenkins nodded.
"Right."
Sergeant Miller approached Naomi's window.
"Ma'am, step outside."
Naomi complied.
She opened the door slowly.
Rain immediately soaked her hair.
She stepped onto the shoulder.
"Place your hands where we can see them."
Naomi raised them.
"I'm complying."
Mitchell moved around her.
"Turn around."
She did.
"Hands behind your back."
Naomi looked at Miller.
"Am I being arrested?"
Miller hesitated.
Mitchell answered.
"You're being detained."
"For what?"
"Suspicion."
"Suspicion of what?"
Mitchell didn't answer.
That silence mattered.
Naomi knew it.
Miller knew it.
Jenkins probably knew it.
Mitchell either didn't care or believed he was protected.
He walked toward the vehicle.
"I'm searching the car."
Naomi spoke calmly.
"I do not consent."
Mitchell ignored her.
He opened the driver's door.
Then he leaned inside.
"Search away," Naomi said. "Just remember there are cameras."
Mitchell stopped.