The neighborhood Rapp ended up in was one of the many planned communities going up at the edges of Riyadh. Modern white stucco units sat on lots crammed with palm trees and other plant life that signaled status to desert-dwelling people. Walls were about seven feet high but broken by sections of horizontal wooden slats designed more for architectural interest than security. Gates were metal, each with unique artistic embellishments and widely spaced bars.

His phone informed him that his destination was on the right and he maintained his speed as he passed. The gate was closed, but the SUV that had been at the construction site was visible just inside it. The fact that it was still in Isa’s driveway didn’t bode well for his old acquaintance. It was a potential stroke of luck for Rapp, though.

He parked next to the curb and stepped out, noting that the neighborhood’s cameras appeared to be shut down like they had been at the construction site. Another thing in his favor. But, again, not so much Isa’s.

When he reached the gate, the two men who had left with Isa were nowhere to be seen. Rapp took advantage of their absence to climb a slatted section of wall and drop onto the lawn on the other side.

He weaved through the trees, noting the light bleeding around drapes and shades that had been carefully closed. There was no practical way to get around to the back and based on his continued ignorance of his tactical situation, one method of entry was as good as another. No reason not to just climb the steps leading to the front door and get this thing moving. If Isa wasn’t already dead, he would be soon.

The door was unlocked, so Rapp turned the knob and gave it a nudge. His left hand was wrapped around Muhammad Singh’s Browning Hi-Power, which he’d cleaned with a bottle of water on his drive over. Would it shoot? Who knew? What he was absolutely sure of, though, was that he wasn’t getting his deposit back on the Porsche.

The door swung partially open with no reaction from inside, so he peeked around the jamb. A tasteful entry with a living area on the right and a hallway to the left. The dim light that had been visible around the drapes was coming from an open door near the back. So were human voices, too low to be intelligible or even to differentiate. Were all three men in there or was one of them ensconced somewhere else in the house, searching for signs of trouble?

Only one way to find out.