From the staircase, through the open doors, Jia could see five men rummaging through their cupboards and belongings. There were three of them in her father’s office, and two went past them up into Zan’s bedroom. She followed them. Her brother was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head down. He looked small and scared.

The policemen finished their search and gathered in the hallway. Akbar Khan gently removed his wife’s hands from his arm when the officer in charge told him he needed to go with them. Zan, who had been staring down at his feet, looked up on hearing his name. For the first time in his life, Akbar Khan put his arm around Zan. ‘It is OK, beta. Just tell them the truth, my son,’ he said. Jia remembered Benyamin clinging to his mother’s leg as the door to Pukhtun House sucked shut behind them, like the closing of a vault.

CHAPTER 14

With the wedding party in full swing, Benyamin decided it was time. He looked around for his girlfriend, Mina. She was waiting patiently by the house. Catching his eye, she turned and began walking to the gate. Something about the way her sari clung to her hips, her waist pinched like a sixties Bollywood heroine, made Benyamin grin. He was one lucky guy, and he couldn’t believe she’d agreed to what they were about to do.

His mind flashed to Jia. She always thought she knew best. Well, she didn’t have a fucking clue. He quickened his stride, flicking her from his mind, and slipped his hand into Mina’s, leading her towards his car. Of course he needed to be there for the rukhsati; he didn’t need reminding. He checked his watch. They would be back in time to give the bride away.

Finding his car blocked in by the other guests’, he shouted to the valet, who threw him a set of keys and pointed to a yellow Ferrari. The doors clicked open and the couple slipped in, the car purring into action. He put his foot to the gas and gunned down the driveway, seamlessly disappearing out of the gates.

Once outside the grounds of Pukhtun House, Mina unbuckled her sandals and began unwrapping her sari. From the corner of her eye she could see Benyamin stealing glances, young lust flooding through him. She played up to the attention. He reached over to rub his hand up her thigh, and she pushed him away. ‘Keep your eyes on the road!’ she said. He laughed loudly, the adrenaline coursing through his veins and making him hard. Before he could try anything else, Mina had pulled on a black dress and was slipping her heels back on.