Victoria cut him off gently. “It means you’ve been speaking to a county official for the last five minutes like I’m trash because you assumed I had no leverage.”
Daniels stammered, “Ma’am, we didn’t—”
Victoria held up a hand. “Don’t ‘ma’am’ me now.”
Johnson’s eyes flicked toward the road, toward the other officers, toward the squad SUV like he wanted to rewind time and choose different behavior.
He forced a laugh—thin, desperate. “This is… misunderstanding.”
Victoria’s voice stayed steady. “No. This is a pattern.”
Johnson stiffened. “With respect, Ms. Hart, you being—”
“County Administrator,” she corrected, still calm. “Not ‘Ms.’”
Daniels’ face had gone pale. “We didn’t know.”
Victoria’s eyes were sharp. “That’s the point.”
She slipped the invitation back into her bag. “Now,” she said, “I’m going to ask one more time: am I free to go?”
Johnson’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Yes.”
Victoria nodded and reached for her helmet.
Johnson cleared his throat quickly, voice suddenly polite. “We apologize for any—”
Victoria paused and looked at him. “You’re not apologizing because you were wrong. You’re apologizing because you found out who I am.”
Johnson’s face reddened again, but he said nothing.