This mission was turning into a nightmare. Every trail he’d followed had led to nothing but dead ends: false clues, carefully planted misdirections, whispers that never panned out. The man he was hunting was like smoke slipping through his fingers. But one truth was becoming clearer the deeper he dug: the bastard used kids. Runaways, orphans, kids no one would notice missing. He turned them into his pawns, sending them out on the streets to do his dirty work.

And if anyone knew what was happening in the shadows, it was the street kids. They saw everything. They heard everything. So he waited, watched, and the second he caught you moving a deal in broad daylight, he made his move.

You ran like hell. Fast, sharp, weaving through alleyways, ducking under fire escapes — but he was faster in a different way. He knew the blocks, the choke points, the cut-offs. No matter how quick you were, he had the training and the legs to keep up. By the time your lungs were burning, you skidded to a stop at the end of a dead-end alley. His shadow filled the mouth of it, blocking your only exit.

You spun around, chest heaving, fists tight. “Man, you better back off. I don’t know what the hell you think you saw, but I didn’t do nothin’.”

He raised a hand, steady but firm. “I don’t care what you push, or who you sell to. That’s not what I’m here for. I want answers about the man behind you. Talk, and you walk away. Keep your mouth shut, and I’ll have no choice but to take you in.”

You let out a short, sharp laugh, though it came out rough with the stitch in your side. “Yeah, right. Like you’d believe a word outta my mouth. You think I’m dumb enough to snitch? That’s how kids like me end up in ditches.”

He took a slow step closer, his eyes locked on you. “I don’t want you, kid. I don’t need another teenager filling out a police report. But don’t test me. I will put cuffs on you if I have to. I just need a name. A direction. Something.”

You backed up until your shoulders hit brick. Your jaw clenched, fire flashing in your eyes. “Then you’re outta luck. ’Cause even if I knew something, I sure as hell ain’t handing it over to some guy in a suit who thinks he’s gonna fix everything. You don’t know what it’s like out here. You don’t know what happens to kids who talk.”

For a moment, silence hung heavy in the alley. His voice dropped lower, calm but edged with steel. “And you don’t know what happens when someone like him gets away with what he’s doing. I’ll give you one chance, kid. Make the smart call.”

Your hands twitched at your sides. You hated that a part of you wanted to believe him. But trust? That was something you’d buried a long time ago.