Kyan crouched low behind the garden wall, heart thudding so loud it echoed in his ears.
He'd made it past the inner part of the villa—barely. The hallway guards hadn't noticed the missing keys yet. The grumpy one still snored like a dying bear in the basement.
He peeked out.
The outer compound.
One last gate. Two guards pacing near it, guns slung lazily across their shoulders, talking about some girl in town. Their laughter echoed.
Kyan's hands were clammy.
He moved—quick, quiet. Sticking to the shadows, ducking behind a row of hedges, then the water fountain.
Almost there.
Until—
"Hey," one of the guards paused mid-step. "Did you hear that?"
Kyan froze behind a marble column, holding his breath. He could hear his heartbeat, the dry leaves crunching softly beneath his bare foot.
The second guard shrugged. "Probably a rat."
The first one hesitated… then nodded, walking away.
Kyan exhaled, slowly. His fingers trembled as he crept forward, every movement tighter, sharper.
