Page 31 (1/2)

Zero dollars Ariana blinked, hoping the nue It didn’t

Her bank account had zero dollars when only two days ago her paycheck had been deposited It wasn’t a ister at the bakery, but it was more than zero

“Fuck” She ripped the receipt from the ATM and checked it one o She’d have to wait until theto talk to someone about it Obviously, someone hacked her account She’d been robbed

After tucking her debit card back into her purse, she headed down the street to the bus stop She had one token left, whichher jacket tighter around herself, Ariana ducked into the shelter to wait for the bus She’d et a few hours of overti the ovens at the bakery was one of the jobs she disliked the ave her extra cash And if she ever wanted to , she needed more income

A chilled breeze blew into the shelter, blowing her hair wildly around her Traffic was lighter at this tiht The sun had already disappeared behind the tall buildings, casting the corner into shadows

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, so she grabbed it

Found your letter Sorry to see you go, but I understand

Her boss, Randy, had sent her the e Confused, she started to tap out a response Maybe he was texting the wrong person She wasn’t going anywhere Where the hell would she go? She didn’t even have bus money

Two men stepped inside the bus shelter with Ariana

“Evening” The taller of thereeted her with a sharp nod The other, less tall but not short by any means, rolled his shoulders back and flicked his chin up toward her The strong scent of ne filled the space

“Hi,” sheher text

“Cold tonight” The tall an small talk

“Yeah,” Ariana responded, watching her phone Sending The h

The twosuits with dark ties and shiny shoes Why would they be needing the bus? Ariana took a few steps to the left, away from them

She typed out the ain and hit send

Message not sent

What the hell was going on with her phone? She paid the bill last week Maybe it was the service She held out her phone higher, looking at the bars light up on her screen No, she wasn’t in a dead zone