I never imagined a normal trip to Walmart would turn into one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. At sixty-three, with tattoos, old scars, and decades of rough roads behind me, I thought I’d seen everything. But nothing prepared me for the moment a terrified six-year-old girl ran into the cereal aisle, grabbed my vest, and begged me to pretend to be her dad. Her voice shook, her eyes wide with fear — and before I could respond, a man came storming down the aisle, red-faced and frantic.
The little girl, whose name was Addison, clung to me as if I were her last safe place. In small, shaky pieces, she told me something was very wrong at home. Her mother needed help,
