Run: 2026-07-01-01KWEAD9GVD6Y4ACKT3TNMHXVS

The rain hammered against the window of the Rusty Nail Pub while Molly spread out the blueprint on the sticky table, ignoring the ring of beer stains that had accumulated over decades of shady deals. "So let me get this straight," Bill said, squinting at the crayon drawing. "Our target is a seven-year-old's birthday party." "Timmy Fenwick's eighth birthday, to be precise," Molly corrected, tapping the paper. "And don't say it like that. This is a legitimate operation." "Legitimate. We're stealing presents from children, Molly." "We're liberating presents from children who have too many already. Have you seen the Fenwick house? They've got a bounce castle shaped like a dragon. A dragon, Bill." Bill rubbed his temples. "That doesn't make it right." "Right, wrong, these are just words invented by people who never had to split rent three ways with a guy who steals from us." "Gerald doesn't steal, he 'borrows indefinitely.'" "Same thing." Molly jabbed at the blueprint again. "Focus. The presents will be piled on the table by the cake at approximately three fifteen, right before the pinata. That gives us a window of exactly four minutes before the sugar rush turns those kids into a feral horde." "How do you know all this?" "I have a source." "What source?" "The invitation. It's on the fridge. Times, activities, everything. Parents print entire itineraries these days, it's honestly a security nightmare for them." Bill leaned back, crossing his arms. "And how exactly do two grown adults infiltrate a children's birthday party without looking, and I cannot stress this enough, suspicious?" Molly grinned and pulled two costumes from her bag with the flourish of a magician. "Behold." Bill stared at the crumpled fabric. "Is that a chicken costume?" "Party entertainment. Nobody questions the chicken." "I refuse to be the chicken." "Fine, you can be the alligator." "I refuse to be the alligator too." "Bill, someone has to be an animal. That's just how these things work." He grabbed the costumes and inspected them with visible despair. "This alligator only has one eye." "Adds character. Kids love character." "Kids will scream and run, which defeats the entire purpose of a subtle heist." "There's no such thing as a subtle heist involving a bounce castle shaped like a dragon, Bill. We're past subtle. We're in commitment territory now." Bill sighed the sigh of a man who had made many terrible decisions in his life and was fully aware this would rank among the worst. "Fine. But I want it on record that I think stealing from children is a new low, even for us." "Duly noted." Molly folded up the blueprint with satisfaction. "Now, we hit them at three fifteen sharp, grab the presents, and we're out before the pinata even cracks." "And if someone catches us?" Molly smiled, sliding the alligator costume across the table. "Then we tell them the chicken did it."