Toward the agent.
The federal agent said quietly:
“You still have time to fix this.”
The officer looked at him.
“You threatening me?”
“No.”
“Then what does that mean?”
“It means remove the cuffs after verification.”
“Move your cruiser.”
“Clear the intersection.”
“And explain what happened when the appropriate people arrive.”
The officer’s jaw tightened.
“You really think somebody important is coming down this road.”
The federal agent stared at him.
“Yes.”
The answer was so simple that it frightened the younger officer.
His radio crackled.
Dispatch responded.
The younger officer listened.
His face went pale.
“Say again?”
The older officer turned.
“What?”
The younger officer raised one hand.
Listening.
The dispatcher repeated the information.
The younger officer looked toward his partner.
“We need to uncuff him.”
The older officer stared.
“What did they say?”
“We need to uncuff him now.”
“What did they say?”
The younger officer stepped closer.
“They confirmed the name.”
The older officer looked toward the federal agent.
The agent said nothing.
The younger officer continued.
“They confirmed federal coordination at this location.”
The older officer swallowed.
For the first time since arriving, he looked at the credential properly.
Actually looked.
Not glanced.
Read.
He stepped toward the agent.
Then stopped.
The federal agent watched him.
“Keys.”
The older officer blinked.
“What?”
“The handcuff key.”
The officer reached toward his belt.
Then a low vibration moved through the pavement.
Everyone stopped.
It was subtle at first.
A deep mechanical rumble.
Multiple engines.
Approaching together.
The younger officer turned toward the horizon.
The older officer followed.
Dark vehicles appeared several blocks away.
Not one.
Several.
The formation moved with obvious coordination, lights flashing discreetly but unmistakably.
The older officer froze.
The federal agent remained against the SUV.
Hands still cuffed.
His expression did not change.
The younger officer whispered:
“Oh no.”
The older officer turned toward the patrol car.
Its position suddenly looked very different.
Minutes earlier it had looked authoritative.
Now it looked like an obstacle.
“Move the cruiser,” the federal agent said.
The older officer looked at him.
The agent’s voice sharpened for the first time.
“Move it.”
The younger officer ran.
He jumped into the driver’s side because he was closer.
The cruiser pulled backward from the intersection.
The older officer fumbled with his cuff key.
The federal agent remained perfectly still.
“You said you weren’t giving orders.”
The officer’s hands shook.
The agent replied:
“Circumstances changed.”
The first black SUV reached the block.
Then another.
The lead vehicle slowed.
The older officer finally inserted the key into one cuff.
He turned it.
Nothing.
Wrong angle.
The federal agent closed his eyes.
“Slow down.”
The officer stared.
“What?”