Madeleine’s polite, cultured tones were even more alarming than the forceful physicality behind Sergei’s threats.  It hinted at a secret cruelty lurking behind that measured façade, and her calm commands to her male accomplice made Yelena’s heart beat even faster.<br/><br/>An agile dancer though she may have been, Madame Naumov was<em>not</em>a close-combat fighter, and she knew it.  Violence had never been a natural part of her personality - one of the (many) conflicts she and Maksim had.  There was no way she could overpower them both - or even one of them - and she knew it. And her odds of escape now with Sergei blocking the door, and the door closed, were poor.<em>But…</em>perhaps complying now would give her a chance to make a break for it later. Maybe she could shimmy out of her bonds later…maybe.<br/><br/>It seemed her only shot.<br/><br/>She said nothing but gasped in surprise and pain as Sergei forced her over the desk, a book of receipts crashing to the floor.  Yelena knew she would likely suffer for it, but a terrified, cornered animal fights back, so she kicked out behind her, blindly towards Sergei’s body.  She wasn’t sure what she’d hit, and the angle weakened the force of her kick, but it gave her some small satisfaction to lash out, however futilely.<br/><br/>His slap against her leotard-clad cheek was answered by a curse in Russian - “Asshole!” - and even though Sergei might have held her firmly in place, Yelena was far from still, squirming to make Madeleine’s job as difficult as possible. When she was turned around, she glared at the woman and spat out that most universal of insults. “You<em>bitch.</em>”<br/><br/>There was nothing she could do to prevent being gagged though, but she twisted her head and struggled to keep her mouth closed, determined to be as troublesome as possible...and to to hopefully give Lila enough time to flee.