"You don't give orders on my property without a warrant or probable cause," Nadine said, her voice icy. "You are trespassing. I suggest you turn around and walk back to your vehicle."
"I have probable cause," Gentry sneered. "Just last week, Arthur Penhaligon over on the HOA board warned us about porch pirates and casing crews hitting these estates. Now I see an unidentified individual grabbing mail from a $10 million house claiming she owns it. I need to see some ID right now."
"My identification is inside my home," Nadine said, "where I am going."
"You aren't going anywhere until I verify who you are," Gentry snapped. "You're detained."
"Detained?" Nadine's eyes narrowed. "On my own driveway?"
"If you don't comply, you're going to be in handcuffs," Gentry warned, taking another step forward, invading her personal space. The scent of cheap cologne and stale coffee washed over her.
Down the street, the sound of a dog barking broke the tension. Nadine glanced past Gentry to see Beatrice Langley, a notorious neighborhood gossip, walking her golden retriever. Beatrice had stopped dead in her tracks on the sidewalk. She pulled out her smartphone, her eyes wide, and started recording the interaction.
Gentry noticed the audience. Instead of de-escalating, the presence of an onlooker seemed to inflate his ego. He needed to assert his dominance to prove to the wealthy residents of Windsor Hills that he was the apex predator protecting their pristine bubble.
"Last chance, lady," Gentry said, unclipping the handcuffs from his belt.
The metallic jingle sent a shiver down Nadine's spine. Her daughter, Chloe, was inside the house. If things went wrong, if this man decided to use force, Chloe would be sitting in the living room, completely unaware that her mother was being assaulted just 50 feet away.
But Nadine Brooks was not a woman who backed down. She had negotiated with ruthless foreign tycoons and navigated hostile corporate takeovers. A bully with a badge was just another man trying to leverage power he didn't truly possess.
"Officer Gentry," Nadine said, her voice dropping to a near whisper, vibrating with a dangerous intensity. "I bought this estate from the Harrison family three years ago. The deed is registered under Brooks Holdings. If you call dispatch and run this address, they will tell you exactly who I am. If you take one more step toward me with those cuffs, I will not only ensure you lose your badge, but I will personally bankrupt you and the precinct that trained you."