Chapter 26 · Untitled Chapter

The low, heavy vibration of V8 engines traveled through the polished limestone floor beneath my sandals before the sound even registered in the high-ceilinged majlis. Through the sheer drapes of the arched courtyard windows, the twin beams of xenon headlights cut through the cool Riyadh air, painting pale arcs across the gravel.

My uncle, Abu Tariq, had stepped out onto the colonnaded portico moments before. When he returned, the heavy cedar doors were left slightly ajar, allowing the dry midnight breeze and the relentless, synchronized rumble of idling vehicles to spill directly into the room. He stood just past the threshold, his brown woolen bisht held closed with one ringed hand, his expression carved from gray granite.

Beyond the glass, three senior drivers in crisp white ghutras stood beside two black Lexus LX600s and a long-wheelbase Yukon, their hands folded at their waists, the exhaust plumes rising faintly under the amber floodlights. It was an unsubtle staging—