oom of the garage, grabbing a

nter bay. She leaned over the hood, her muscles working mech

g a heavy tire. He stopped and l

nch, poured a cup of lukewarm water from a plastic pitch

slightly. He lowered his voice so the soun

s on the dark web

risis," Lana said, her tone casual, completely devoid of

oar cut through the quiet

urned their heads towa

driveway, kicking up a cloud of dry dust. The vehicles looked like alie

, letting her posture slump. The sharp, calculating ligh

pened. Mr. Hayes, a man in a tail

from his pocket and pressed it over his nose, his

ared across her forehead and the massive red birth

ing three feet away as if

," Mr. Hayes said.

the dirty rag. "Y-yes, sir," she stut

der from his briefcase. "I am here on behal

w. He told her she had been select

ched out and grabbed Arthur's arm, her fingers digging in

laugh. He reached into his briefc

a cashier's check fo

is pathetic town will see in ten lifetimes,"

the check, letting a sickening, desperate greed wash over her featur

genuine anger. "You're buying and selling a

s eyes on Lana. "This is your biological fat

wage a massive internal war. Then, s

her voice small but ea

d. He turned on his heel and walked back to t

ur. She threw her a

Hayes's line of sight, her fingers slipped a mi

oice ice-cold and steady, using the exact coded phrase they had

and walked toward the luxury SUV. The townspeople sta

scalades pulled out of the dirt lo