Chapter 25

The first slap cracked across the room, snapping Khalid Saab's head to the side. Before the shock could register, Yusuf Saleh's palm blurred again and again. The strikes were heavy and rhythmic. Within seconds, Khalid's features distorted; his cheeks puffed into purple welts, his eyes narrowing as his face swelled into a grotesque, bruised mask resembling a pig's head. Khalid stumbled back, his hands hovering near his throbbing jaw. "Yusuf Saleh, I asked you to hit this trash…" he wheezed,...