This time Mousavi didn’t stop when Saad put his hand on him. He strode forward and drove his fist into Nir’s abdomen. The pain radiated throughout his body, and he groaned more deeply than ever.

Then Mousavi’s hand wrapped around Nir’s throat and he squeezed. “You think you can laugh at me, you Jewish dog? You think I will just stand here and take it like my Saudi friend here? He is not a warrior. I am. I have killed trash like you before, and I will kill you too.”

The general released his neck and stepped back while Nir coughed and gasped. Then he took his face in his hand and squeezed again. “You came to tell those Sunni traitors when you plan to fly over their airspace to come to my country and attempt to destroy our nuclear program. You will now tell me when this operation is planned to take place. Or I will bring you pain like you’ve never imagined.”

Dropping his hand, he turned and walked back to Saad.

Kamal took a step forward. “So, you see, Jew—”

“You, shut up,” Mousavi said, pointing at him. Then he snapped his fingers and called out “Ghasemi!” A small, thin man wearing a doctor’s smock walked over. An IRGC soldier followed carrying a table, which he placed in Nir’s sightline.

Here it comes. How am I going to survive this? I’m all out of bravado. Ignorance is my only defense, and that’s only going to make it worse. Nicole’s Jesus, please help me through this. If You protect my life, I’ll know it was You.

The man unwrapped what looked like a knife roll, then began removing instruments one by one and placing them on the table. Blades and picks and hooks. Sandpaper, a corkscrew, a small butane torch.

Nir knew the drill. This was all part of the psychology game. But even though it was a game, it still worked. That was why they did it. He was as terrified as he’d ever been. He was helpless, and he was vulnerable to whatever this man decided to do to him.

“Hey, Doc. While you’re at it, how about—” Nir’s voice faltered as the IRGC soldier returned carrying a cricket bat and some spiny-looking sea creature.

As the doctor continued his prep, he said to the soldier, “Knees and ankles first, please. Carefully.”

The soldier left the sea creature, took the cricket bat, and walked over to Nir. The two locked eyes, and the man’s gaze remained impassive, dead. He stepped sideways, wound up, and swung. The bat connected with Nir’s left knee, and he cried out. The pain was immense.