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ⁿᵒʷ ᵖˡᵃʸⁱⁿᵍ
𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 & 𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬
𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 , 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐫
The streets smelled different here. Acrid smoke, exhaust fumes, the faint tang of something illegal simmering in the alleys. Maya pushed Leo’s stroller faster, weaving through cracked sidewalks, keeping her eyes sharp. Every glance over her shoulder made her heart skip.
She shouldn’t have come here. Not with Leo. Not alone. Not without a plan.
But she had a lead. A friend of a friend, a kid who ran in Jax’s old circles, had mentioned a name — “Manny.” Someone who could, maybe, point her toward him. It was a thread she had to follow.
The block was alive with whispers.
“Yo, Maya?” a voice hissed from behind a chain-link fence.
Maya froze. Her stomach tightened. A tall boy stepped forward, hoodie up, hands shoved in pockets.
“You lookin’ for someone,” he said, eyes darting to the stroller. Leo stirred, cooing. Maya gripped the handle tighter.
“I need to find Jax,” she said, voice low.
He snorted. “Crazy girl. Ain’t nobody just walks up and asks about him. You got balls.”
“I have to find him,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “It’s… important. For Leo.”
The boy studied her. Something in her eyes — fear, desperation, resolve — made him hesitate. Finally, he nodded. “Manny. He might help. But it ain’t safe. You need to be careful. He don’t like strangers poking around.”
Maya swallowed. “I’ll be careful.”
The alley that led to Manny’s apartment smelled of rotting garbage and something sweet she couldn’t place. A light flickered behind a cracked door. She knocked once. Twice.
The door opened a crack. A man’s face appeared, skeptical.
“Manny?” Maya asked.
He frowned. “Who’s askin’?”
“Maya. I… I need to find Jax. He’s my son’s father.”
For a moment, Manny just stared. Then he stepped aside. “You got guts coming here, girl. But if you really want him… come in. We talk.”
Inside, the apartment smelled of cigarettes and old pizza. Manny leaned back in a rickety chair, eyes calculating. “Jax is dangerous,” he said flatly. “You know that, right?”
“I know,” Maya replied, voice unwavering. “But Leo deserves to know his father. I have to try.”
Manny sighed. “He don’t just disappear. He leaves trails. People. Places. Moves so you don’t find him. But… maybe I can help. You gotta understand, this ain’t a game. One wrong step, and…” He gestured vaguely toward the city outside.
Maya nodded. “I understand. I’m ready.”
Hours passed.
Maps scrawled in ink, phone numbers scribbled on scraps of paper, whispers of the corners Jax had been seen, the associates who still ran errands in his world. Manny was slow, cautious, like he was trying to gauge if she’d survive the information he was about to hand over.
Finally, he leaned back. “Alright. I’ve given you all I can. But you should know… the deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. And Jax… he’s changed. Harder. Meaner. Not the boy you remember.”
Maya’s stomach churned. She wasn’t scared. Not really. Not enough to stop. Leo needed him. She needed answers.
“I can handle it,” she said, voice low but fierce.
Manny’s eyes lingered on her for a long moment, then he nodded. “Good luck, Maya. You’re gonna need it.”
𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚 steps back onto the street, the city’s neon lights buzzing around her, Leo safe in his stroller. Her heart races, but determination burns hotter.
The trail is messy, dangerous, and full of unknowns. But for the first time in months, she feels… close.
Closer to 𝐉𝐚𝐱.
Closer to 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬.
Closer to a future where Leo finally meets his father — no matter how dark that path might be.
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