'Jason?' she repeated.
'Yes,' he admitted. 'We're in trouble. Big trouble.'
'That's what I thought,' she said. 'Do you have a plan?'
'Just one for the moment,' he said, sighing. He was bone tired and things weren't going to get any better in that regard anytime soon.
'Great!' she said. 'What is it?'
'Pray,' he replied, his voice grim. 'It's pretty much all we've got left.'
15
Several hours passed in the cold cells and they spoke very little. There wasn't much to say, despite the thoughts racing through Jason's mind. Finally, they heard the sound of boots approaching, and Jason risked one last bit of conversation.
'Remember what I've told you,' he said. 'Let them focus on me and answer anything they want to know. Don't make them hurt you. With any luck, they're more interested in what I know than what you know.'
'With any luck,' she said. 'Since when have we been lucky on this trip?'
'Well,' he said, 'just the once.'
They both laughed and it felt good to be able to do so, regardless of their circumstances. Jason got to his feet and stood waiting for them to open the door. The electronic lock was once again keyed and his door opened, revealing Troy, along with two of the uniformed guards he'd seen before.
'Come on,' Troy said. He held Tina's 9 mm Russian pistol in his hand and gestured with it. 'It's time to go see Boris.'
Jason shrugged and stepped out of the cell. 'They left you in charge?' he asked. 'Desperate for help, are they?'
Troy sighed heavily. 'Just please shut up, man.' He glanced at the guards and they took up a position on either side of him. Both of them were armed with the Russian assault rifles, as well as handguns. Once he felt that Jason was secure, Troy unlocked Tina's cell and motioned for her to step out.
She did and he fell in behind her, telling the guards, 'We're taking them to see Boris.'
Both guards sniggered under their breath. Boris, Jason thought, must be a real charmer.
Their trip didn't take very long, and soon the guards led them into another concrete room. This one was decorated, however, in the tasteful style of the Spanish Inquisition. It was going to be an interesting meeting, involving no small amount of screaming and bloodshed if the tools displayed on the stainless-steel surgeon's tray were any indication.
Seated on a folding chair in the middle of the room was a massive man. His eyes barely flickered when they entered, and in Russian he instructed the guards to handcuff Tina to the manacles on the wall. They did so, hoisting her up so that her feet were dangling off the ground. It was fortunate she didn't weigh very much or her own body weight might well have dislocated her shoulders. As it was, Jason knew the pain must have been considerable. She kept her lips pressed tightly together.
'What about him, boss?' Troy asked, shoving Jason forward a step. 'Where do you want him?'
'I hate speaking English to you, peasant,' the man rumbled, 'but you would not understand me if I spoke Russian, which is a beautiful language.' He got to his feet and Troy involuntarily took a step backward.
Jason followed suit, trying to gauge their interrogator. Aside from his massive size, which was all muscle, he was completely bald, with hard eyes so dark brown they were almost black. Thin eyebrows rode over the top of them and he had a hawk nose that had clearly been broken more than once. Several scars were visible on his arms, but the real eye-catcher was the grapevine scar that ran from behind his right ear, over his throat and down beneath his shirt. Must have missed his jugular by less than an inch, Jason thought. Too bad for us.
The man wore BDU-style pants, and a black T-shirt that was stretched over his body so tightly that every movement probably came close to rendering it useless. 'I will handle him myself,' he said. 'You may go.'
Troy and the guards didn't need much more encouragement and beat a hasty exit out the door.
In Russian, Jason said, 'I was hoping we could spend some time alone together.'
The giant laughed, his tone cruel. 'No doubt we will, Mr. Siku, in due time.' He gestured to the chair. 'Please, sit down.'
'I'd rather stand, if it's okay with you,' Jason said.
'Not really,' the Russian replied. He lashed out with one fist, and in spite of his size, the man was also gifted with surprising speed. Jason didn't have time to duck as the fist crashed into the side of his head, dropping him to his knees and filling his skull with a faint buzzing sound.
He felt himself lifted into the air and set on the metal folding chair. He shook his head to clear it. 'Wow,' he said. 'You don't play light, do you?'
'I am Boris Ambros,' the Russian said. 'In Moscow, I am called the Siberian Bear.'
'If the shoe fits…' Jason muttered.
'Yes, indeed,' Boris said. 'So, Mr. Siku, I want to reach an understanding with you. You are fluent in my language, so we will speak in the mother tongue. If you speak in English, I will break one of your fingers. Do it a second time…' he nodded in Tina's direction '…and I will break one of hers. Do we have an understanding?'
'Yes,' Jason replied in Russian. 'We have an understanding.'
'Good,' he said. 'Now we can begin.' He moved to stand closer to Jason, a slight smile on his face.
'I'm breathless with anticipation,' Jason said.
The Russian laughed once more. 'It is good that you have a sense of humor. We shall see if you still have it when we are finished here.' He didn't wait for a reply, but dived right in. 'You are Jason Siku, and you are a spy, sent here by your government. There is no question about this.'
'I already told your men, my name is Doe. John Doe. I am not a spy, but a traveling salesman. I sell high-end personal submarines to the wealthy Inuit people along the coast here. Don't you know they're actually loaded with cash?' Conjuring up some saliva, he spit on the floor, barely missing the toe of the Russian's boots. 'Can I get a drink of water? The standard of care in your cells is horrible.'
Once more, the meaty fist lashed out, this time slamming into his jaw. Jason felt himself come out of the chair for a moment before he crashed to the floor in a crumpled heap. A groan escaped him as Boris picked him up again and set him back in the chair. It took all of his strength to not fall out of it again.
'You are Jason Siku, and you are a spy, sent here by your government. There is no question about this,' Boris stated again. 'They will not come for you. They never do.'
Since he hadn't asked a question, Jason didn't bother with a reply. He knew what was coming and that he'd better start conserving his strength. When the silence stretched on for another minute or so, Boris said, 'Good, you are learning.'
He turned to Tina. 'Your man is strong,' he said to her. 'And smart. See how he saves his energy? In time, I will break him. Then…I will break you.'
That snapped Jason out of his stupor. 'She doesn't know a damn thing,' he said. 'Why not stay where the action is?'
'I am already aware that she knows more than she has told you,' Boris said. 'I had one of my men run her fingerprints. It is interesting to me how a woman so young can have two identities. We will explore that later, I assure you.'
Stunned, Jason said nothing. Had he been wrong about her all along? Who was she really?
Boris repeated his stock phrase once more. 'You are Jason Siku, and you are a spy, sent here by your government. There is no question about this.' He stretched his hands, cracking his knuckles. 'You will tell me which agency you work for and you will tell me everything you have learned, and when we are done, you will tell me anything else I want to know.'
Glaring into the man's eyes, Jason said, 'Why don't you untie me? If you can beat me in a fair fight, I'll tell you everything you've ever wanted to know and more.'
'Why should I?' Boris asked. 'You will tell me anyway, and this way, the only blood on my clothes is yours.'
'You're sure about that?' Jason asked. Even as the words left his lips, he lunged forward, snapping a kick at the
