A third blow, and his knees crumpled. He had never known the meaning of pain, or fear, until this moment.
Why not just tell them? his frightened mind was pleading. Alex has already set it up with the American.
"You are worse than a mere criminal," she went on, dark eyes filling with anger. "You are a traitor. You will tell us every detail of your involvement, from the very beginning."
How much did they really know? he wondered. Were they bluffing?
They were bluffing, he quickly concluded. Otherwise she wouldn't be asking him things she should already know.
If you talk, you'll jeopardize everything. The most important thing now is to keep KGB from discovering the scenario. If they do, they still could stop it.
Of course they were alarmed. They should be. In the New Russia being born, there was no place for them.
But I can't endure pain. I'll talk if there's pain.
He felt a surge of resolve. Whatever else happens, he told himself, I won't be the one responsible for making it fail. I can't let them know any more than they do now. I've—
Another blow struck him in the side and he felt his knees turn to butter. None of the gardeners in the park seemed aware that a man was about to be beaten to death. To them the four foreigners were merely huddled together as they strolled, enjoying the dubious beauty of modern Athens.