Page 19 of Angel's Share

Alex couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s frankness. “Fortnite, huh? What level are you on?”

The boy’s eyes lit up, a glimmer of connection forming between them. “You playFortnitetoo?”

Alex nodded, eager to find common ground. “Absolutely,” he lied.Fortnite. The Quantum Games. He was shit at them all. He kept his response vague. “It’s been a while. My skills are a bit rusty. We should play sometime.”

“I guess.” The boy stared off in the distance, with a frown that didn’t go unnoticed. His closed-off demeanor was familiar, a vulnerability they shared. It tugged at Alex’s heart, warning him to proceed with caution.

“You’re probably wondering about my wife,” Alex said, his voice gentle.

“Not really,” AJ said, bored.

“Her name is Madison. You’ll meet her soon.” Cautiously, he added, “We’re expecting.”

The boy’s gaze shifted to his feet. “You’re having a baby?”

“Twins, actually.”

“Twins…” He shrugged. “Cool, I guess,” he replied softly, a touch of longing hidden beneath the surface. “A nice, neat, normal family.”

Alex was desperate to peel back the layers, ask the ten million questions pinging in his head, and demand that the kid talk.

Who’s your mother?

Where can we find her?

And, I’m sorry, how many languages do you speak?

Instead, he breathed through it.Relaxed inhale in. Totally-lose-my-shit out.

“Your mom must be worried.” It came out more like a question than a statement.

A shadow passed over the boy’s face, his eyes clouding with a mixture of who knows what. Pain? Uncertainty? Total indifference with a smidgen offuck off.

No response.

For a while, Alex let it go. Then, he remembered Paco’s words.I have a feeling you’ll need this later.

Alex pulled the brand new Rubik’s Cube from his pocket and scrambled the vibrant colors. AJ turned in his direction.

With calculated twists, Alex turned one side, then another. From the corner of his eye, he notice AJ leaning in. Cool and casual, he asked, “Ever play?”

The boy shook his head. “Once. At Paco’s.” His fascinated gaze lingered with each manipulation of the cube. He studied it for a moment. “The goal is to make each plane the same color.”

“You could…if you’re an amateur. Real players spin cubes into patterns.” With effortless speed, Alex worked the puzzle until each side made a capital letter A.

“Whoa.” AJ’s lip lifted on one side.

A second later, Alex reset the colors on all the sides, and made an excuse to check his cell. “Oh, there’s an important email I need to send.” He lobbed the cube to AJ, who caught it left-handed.That makes two of us.

From over his phone, Alex watched. Would his mini-me take to the cube the way he did? With bated breath, he waited.Yes. That’s it. Just a few flips more…

Two minutes later, AJ did it. An intricate pattern emerged on each face—the capital letterD—for Drake.

Silently, he snapped an image, and sent a text.

Angel’s share, my ass.

P.

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