Liam carried the duffle bag over his back as he climbed up the side of a quiet, rundown house. His hands gripped the old drainage pipe, boots moving silently along the wall like he'd done this a thousand times. The building was a few blocks away from Sam's. High enough. Dark enough. Isolated. Perfect.
He reached the rooftop and crouched down. The night was still. Just wind brushing past his ear. He set the duffle bag down beside him, unzipped it with a single, fluid motion, and pulled out a compact binocular. With practiced precision, he raised it to his eyes and zoomed in on the glowing window across the street—Sam's room.
There he was. Sam.
Curled under a thick blanket, soft blue light from his night lamp casting faint shadows over his bed. He looked asleep. Calm. Liam watched his chest, expecting a rise and fall. Nothing. A second passed. Still nothing.
Liam narrowed his eyes.
Before jumping to conclusions, he scanned the street below.
