Chapter 9: The Rooftop Bargain

The morning of the meeting arrived with the kind of clarity that made Hong Kong look like a postcard—sharp-edged skyscrapers, a sky the color of cheap jade, and a sun that promised to burn through any lingering lies. Siu-Bak stood on the rooftop of the shelter on Pau Chung Street, watching the city spread out beneath him like a living ledger. He had bathed in the clinic's tiny washroom, borrowed a...