“No, it’s the price for a car that is not in proper working order. If you would like to argue, we can go down to the station and discuss this.”

That was a threat. “I’m not arguing. I’m telling you it’s an outrageous amount. Chief Allroy would never do this to anyone on the island. He would pull them over, let them know about the problem, chat for a while, and that would be it.”

“I am not Chief Allroy.”

“We all know that.”

“Look, Evie, don’t get smart with me,” he huffed. “I can have you out of your truck and into the back seat of my car in two minutes with handcuffs on, your rights read to you.”

I stared at him. He was a dangerous man. He would like that. He would like to yank me out of my car, manhandle me, shove me up against the back door, press his body into mine, and rip my hands back and into handcuffs. There was no one out here to see what was going on, and he would love that. He would relish it. He would take his time, he would taunt me, degrade me, his hot breath on my face, his skin to mine. That image made my stomach churn as if someone were spinning it as hard as they could with a wooden spoon. I turned to look out my front windshield and said nothing else.

“Got anything else to say?”

I didn’t move.

“What?”

I said nothing.

He loved this, I could tell. He loved to put women into a submissive position. He loved to shut them down.

“I can’t hear you,” he said. “Any more smart-aleck remarks? Any more back talk? You want to tell me what you think?”

“You’re trying to bait me. I have nothing else to say.”

I did not look at him, which I could tell made him even more angry, but I was seething now, too.

He seemed to relent slightly, probably because there were cars coming from both directions. “Go and get the taillight fixed, then bring me the ticket and I’ll reduce it. Maybe if you’re lucky, and nice to me, I’ll get rid of it.”

I wanted to hit him. He wanted me to come to him, to be put in a position of supplication, to be groveling for something. Then he could have more power over me. He wanted me to want something from him and to ask for it. He wanted to spend time reducing me to nothing, and if this was the way he had to do it, he would.

My phone rang again. I turned it over so he couldn’t see it was my mother calling again. Ah. It was my aunts in their cars approaching quickly from both directions.

They stopped in front of and in back of me, brakes squealing.