Kevo’s sneakers slipped precariously on the wet, rain-slicked balcony railing.
A cold sweat broke out across his forehead despite the freezing night air.
His heart leapt into his throat as he swung his legs over the edge, his fingers gripping the cold, rusted water pipe that ran down the side of the concrete building.
Below him, the dark alleyway smelled of rotten cabbages and damp charcoal.
Thud!
The heavy wooden front door of the Airbnb upstairs was kicked open with brutal, echoing force.
The sound of splintering wood was instantly followed by the heavy thud of combat boots pounding against the floor tiles right above Kevo's head.
"Jump, buda! Jump before they look over the edge!"
Brayo hissed from the darkness below, having already slid down the pipe with the practiced agility of a street hustler.
Kevo let go of the pipe. He fell through the air before hitting the corrugated iron roof of the neighboring butchery with a deafening, metallic crash.
He rolled hard to absorb the impact, smashing into a pile of discarded wooden crates in the narrow alley.
A sharp, burning pain flared in his left shoulder, but a massive wave of...