Yelena’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of the gun cocking, an instant rush of adrenaline surging through her veins.  It was a threatening noise, that she knew without seeing its source. She whirled around with a dancer’s speed, her mind still not comprehending what the threat was until Sergei and Madeline came into view.<br/><br/>The scream died in her throat; she was too startled to speak, her eyes darting from the gun to the cane and the bundle of rope in the woman’s hands. The frightened hammering of her heart was obvious in the pulse point at her throat, in her quickened breaths, and the shaky tone of her voice when she spoke.<br/><br/>“Who..who are you?” Madame Naumov backed up against the desk, mentally trying to recall if there was anything on the desk she could reach and use for a weapon.<em>Phone, stapler, computer keyboard, framed picture of her most recent “graduating class”….No, no, all useless.</em>And Sergei blocked the door…There was no escape.<br/><br/>The dance instructor’s thoughts immediately leapt next to Lila with Sergei’s prodding. Whatever was going on here (Sergei’s accent of course brought her homeland to mind.<em>Was it Maksim? Had he finally found her?</em>), the girl had no part in it.<br/><br/>“No…” she shook her head, swallowing hard. “I am here alone.”  Yelena mentally urged Lila to stay out of view.