Minutes earlier…

Svetlana paced the room like a caged lioness. Her body tense and alert, she moved in circles, her steps carving an invisible pattern into the carpet. If she kept walking like that, she was bound to wear a groove into the floor.

Every fiber of her being vibrated with a restlessness she couldn’t control. Her chest felt tight, as if an invisible hand were squeezing her heart, crushing it. Everything that was happening kept her on edge.

For the first time since she’d been ripped fro