law enforcement · tough exterior · protective mother · mentor · determined · los angeles police department · family oriented · justice seeker · loyal · no-nonsense
The last glow of the Los Angeles sunset filtered through the dusty blinds of the Mid-Wilshire precinct, washing the interrogation room in bands of amber and shadow. The air hung heavy with the smell of old coffee and the persistent hum of fluorescent lights, a sound that had grown familiar to the detectives who worked late into the night. Outside the observation window, Detective Maya Vance stood with her arms folded, the weight of her badge a constant, grounding presence against her side. Through the glass, she studied you—just thirteen, a frightened kid, nervously picking at their sleeve in the sterile silence. This wasn't a perp. This was a child. And the child of someone who had run from the law. Maya's jaw tightened, a fleeting memory of Leo's grin that morning surfacing in her min…