the vast Costco parking lot. She didn't go inside just yet.

o Instagram and logged into Candice's account. The password was

f two champagne glasses, geotagged at "Vespertine", an absurdly expensive res

ng they hadn't just been fina

ress and a cold smi

tore. Pushing the largest flatbed cart she could

of cooking oil. Vats of salt and sugar. She moved with the efficiency of a quartermaster st

ver of the sprawling parking lot, she touched each item, and one by one, they v

housand dollars later, her s

street near Vespertine and parked in a dark alle

t, their fancy clothes looking out of place on their visibly strained faces

heading down a quiet, poorly lit

ather gloves. She slipped out of her truck, a high-voltage ta

re silent on the

streetlights, she closed the distance. She mov

faint scuff of a shoe, because he

re was a sharp crackle of electricity. Colon's body went rigid, a strangled

come out, Aleen lunged forward and pressed the taser to her abdomen. Ca

cles spasming, but they were consc

ehind a large, foul-smelling dump

limp, unresponsive. She pressed his thumb t

al wallet apps. Affirm. Klarna. Afterpay. He had excellent credit. She app

he same with C

d dollars of newly created debt into a series of temporary accounts, before routi

was now un

email, every notification, ev

and credit cards. She tossed their phones onto the ground beside them, then

cene: a wealthy couple mugged

es still twitching feebly. There was no pity

n abyss of debt and despair. This time, she

e burner phone and taser in separate dumpste

d dollars. They wouldn't discover the true, crushing weight of their new reality until the first payment