THE LEGISLATION WAS A WARNING

I was on a date. The bill arrived, the waitress looked at my date and said, “Sir, your card was declined.”

He turned pale.

As we walked outside, she grabbed my arm and whispered, “I lied.”

Then she slipped the receipt into my hand.

I turned it over. Scrawled in chaotic handwriting were only two words:
BE CAREFUL.

I froze. My partner—he said his name was Deacon—was already in front of me, scrolling through his phone as if nothing had happened.