Run: 2026-07-25-01KYCSP2F844235S10WCXR27S6

Molly kicked the tire. "We are not stealing from a clown." Bill checked the address. "The invite said 'Molly's nephew's party.' That's family." "He is eight and hasn't spoken to me since 2019. Besides, we're professionals." "We're thieves with a coupon for rope." Molly pulled the ski mask up. "We steal art, Bill. Not LEGOs." "There's forty kids. Forty parents bought forty gifts. That's volume." She stopped. "Wait. All of them?" "Under the bouncy castle. In shopping bags." Molly turned. "How do you know?" "I was invited! By mistake! I RSVP'd yes for recon!" "You RSVP'd?" "As 'Uncle Bill'! I'm on the list!" She grabbed his arm. "Then we walk in! No breaking! Social engineering!" "Exactly! I wear the sweater! You wear... confidence." "I'm wearing black!" "It's a black-tie event for toddlers?" Molly looked at the van. "What about the gear?" "We need balloons. And a lie about gluten." An hour later they stood at the door with a sack of decoy presents. "Remember," Bill whispered, "I'm allergic to shellfish and I brought gluten-free cupcakes." "You're not allergic." "I will be! Convincingly!" The door opened. A woman screamed, "Bill! You came!" "Wouldn't miss it!" He hugged her with one eye on the castle. Molly followed with the sack. "I'm Molly. The... cousin." "From prison?" asked a kid. "From Portland!" Molly corrected. Inside, chaos. Streamers. A magician failing at card tricks. And in the corner, a mountain of wrapped boxes. Bill sidled near. "The target is secured. Repeat, target is wrapped in Spider-Man paper." "How do we move it?" "Birthday boy opens gifts at three. We volunteer to 'organize' the pile. Then vanish during the cake." Molly watched a child cry because the balloon animal was a snake. "This feels wrong." "It's capitalism with streamers." Then she saw him. The nephew. He ran over. "Aunt Molly!" She froze. "Hi, Timmy." "You came!" Bill nudged her. "Family moment. Use it." Timmy pointed at the sack. "Did you bring my present?" Molly looked at Bill. Bill looked at the mountain. "We brought..." Molly knelt. "We brought ourselves. And also, I bought you that robot dinosaur in the corner." "That was from Grandma!" "Then Grandma is generous." Bill coughed. "Should we... organize gifts?" The mother handed them a stack. "Yes! Put them near the castle!" They walked over. Bill started sliding boxes into their decoy sack. "Molly, help me tie balloons to distract." She tied one. Then another. A child asked for a dog. She made a poodle. Bill was now waist-deep in gifts, shoving them into a sack labeled "BALLOONS - DO NOT OPEN." "Molly, the sack is full!" "Then we need the second sack!" "It's in the van!" "Go!" Bill ran out. Came back with a duffel. "Molly, we're good. Five minutes." Then the lights dimmed. A voice shouted, "CAKE TIME!" Bill froze with a box labeled "TIMMY - OPEN FIRST." Molly grabbed it. "Bill! Drop it!" "It's already in the bag!" She pulled it out, shoved it back onto the pile, and dragged Bill behind a curtain. They waited. Breathing hard. Bill whispered, "Did anyone see?" Then Timmy's voice: "Mom! Aunt Molly tied my favorite balloon! And she put my robot back!" Molly peeked out. The kids were eating cake. The mother was waving at her. Bill looked in the sack. It was full of balloons they had tied. And one cupcake. "We stole balloons, Molly." She took off her mask. "We need to leave." "Agreed. Through the window?" "No. Through the front. With dignity." They walked out, sack of balloons clanking. Bill looked back. "We failed." Molly held the door. "No. We got invited back next year." "That sounds like a threat." "That sounds like retirement."