The leader nodded once.
That was enough.
The men moved in immediately. Hands grabbed shoulders and arms, hauling them up one by one. Plastic ties cinched tight around wrists, then ankles, efficient and practiced. No shouting. No hesitation.
Iyisha was pulled to her feet and turned toward Malcolm for a split second before they separated them. Their eyes met.
That look steadied her.
He was calm. Not distant. Present. It settled something in her chest, enough that her breathing slowed despite the cold and the fear tightening everything else.
Waldo kept pleading, voice breaking as they bound him. "Please," he said again and again. "She's pregnant. Please."
Lauren was sobbing now, quiet and helpless, hands shaking as they tied her wrists. She didn't fight. She couldn't.
