gest wholesale club. She didn't drive to the front entrance where the suburban moms with thei

e passenger seat, and walked up the metal stairs to a

rinters. She walked straight to the largest desk in the room, where a woman with a tight bun and a stre

chair opposite Wanda

ay from her screen. "Give me a minute,

piece of paper across the desk. It was a flawlessly forged 501(c)(3)

"We don't do tax-exempt discounts

a cashier's check, officially certified by her ban

for two hundred and f

zeros. She slowly looked up, her posture straightening instantly. The an

anda asked, her voice dropping

ntractor for a government-subsidized earthquake preparedness initiative.

of long-grain white rice. Twenty tons of high-protein flour. Ten tons of

ot?" Ellery asked, he

er belt. "I'll get three heavy-duty f

aisles of the warehouse. She watched as the yellow forklifts pulled down massive, shri

the canned g

ngle can of Spam, red kidney beans, and tomato paste with an e

ie, military-grade survival biscuits. She waved her h

gh toilet paper, medical-grade alcohol, bleach, and

blet so fast her fingers were blurring. This single orde

unts, Wanda suddenly shivered. She rubbed her arms. "Jesus

, bruised gray. The wind whipping into the warehouse carried a biting, unnatural chill.

of the freeze, Wanda had recognized Ellery shivering outside the

red her voice, her eyes locking onto Wan

today. Before you clock out, buy the heaviest winter coats you have in stock. Buy sl

aback. "What? Why? It

room for argument. The sheer oppressive weight

pen from her pocket and scrib

. The total came to two hundred

valley by 8:00 AM tomorrow," Ellery said, writing

l flatbed fleet right

She pulled her coat tight, pulled out her phone, and started searching for com