THE ROOM OF ZIP TIES
The room was in chaos—lamp overturned, sheets torn—but his eyes locked onto the floor beside the bed.
Marina sat slumped against the heavy bedframe. Her wrists were zip-tied to the mahogany posts. Duct tape sealed her mouth. Her eyes were red, wide, and frantic.
But it was the sight next to her that broke him.
Peter and Paul were bound close against her, small bodies trembling. Not gagged—just too terrified to cry. They stared at Alexander not with relief, but with the same fear they had likely shown their captor.
“My God…” Alexander breathed.
He dropped to his knees. “I’ve got you. I’m here.”
Marina struggled against the ties, eyes flicking past him—toward the open closet behind his shoulder. She shook her head violently, trying to warn him.
Alexander pulled a small pocketknife from his keychain and sliced the duct tape from her mouth.
The moment she could breathe, she screamed:
“Mr. Vance—behind you!”
