Jackson stepped off the machine, standing tall like a weathered monument before the trembling child. He lowered his sunglasses, his deep voice carrying a rasp earned from years of cold highway winds.
"What are you doing out in this storm, little one? Where are your folks?"
The little girl stopped a step away, catching her breath. Her tiny hands, red and shivering from the cold, reached up toward her chest. With great care, she untangled a handmade bracelet woven from vibrant rainbow threads, holding a small silver heart-shaped pendant.
"My mommy told me... I had to find you," she said, looking up with wide, luminous blue eyes filled with a heartbreaking mix of rainwater and tears.
Jackson stared at the colorful trinket, his heavy brow furrowing. An unexpected pang tightened around his chest. "That's a beautiful bracelet, kid," he muttered softly, his gruff edge softening against his will.