The Last Hope

8

Nikolaï

I enter the living room followed by my brothers, Sasha carrying the unconscious woman in his arms and Roman attempting to talk to Rafael, who remains glued to his mother. Grigori paces behind Elif, seated on the couch, trying to calm him; her eyes widen as she sees us and quickly stands up.

I pass through the arch leading to the room, and I'm the first person my brother sees near the glass doors. 'Finally, you're here, moy brat ! Rasili called to...' He stops speaking as the others follow me. Sasha places Sienna on the couch, drawing a stunned look from Elif, while Roman stands behind Selina and her son.

'Blayd! Are you kidding me, Nikolaï?' Grigori yells, walking toward me. However, Elif intervenes, placing her hands on her husband's chest to push him away. 'Calm down, askim!' she says.

'Calm down?! Calm down?! We're entering a new war with the Italians after everything we've been through, Elif!'

'What are you talking about?' I ask, approaching. 'You would know what I'm talking about if you weren't busy chasing after another man's wife!' my brother retorts angrily, his gaze making me grit my teeth.

'Rasili called, saying his wife and son have been kidnapped, asking if we knew anything! The man is searching for his wife everywhere, Nikolaï, like a mad dog...'

'I am not his wife!' Selina suddenly cries behind me, drawing everyone's attention. Surprisingly, her face is as shocked as ours, quickly turning crimson. I might have found it beautiful, but her bruises, the cut lip, and the fear in her eyes overshadow everything else.

'You said the same thing last night at the gala. What does it mean, you're not his wife?' Selina remains silent, just lowering her head, clutching her son against her legs.

'It doesn't matter if you're his wife or not, young lady. You're the mother of his son for almost ten years! You need to go back to...'

'Grigori, enough!' I growl, keeping my eyes on the mother and son, who flinch at my brother's words. She lifts her head, and her eyes meet mine. 'They won't go back to Italy,' I assert, not breaking eye contact. Her chin starts trembling, making me clench my fists to refrain from touching her. My brother grabs my shoulder, pulling me back with a tight jaw.

"Come on Greg, come on, let's get some fresh air askim" said Elif, throwing herself on her husband's arm and pulling him towards the sliding doors opening onto the garden, Grigori tries to resist, but quickly gives up when his wife gives him the 'rabbit' look. They quickly disappear between the tall, freshly trimmed bushes.

'Mamma? Are we going back to the monster's lair?' Rafael asks his mother in a whisper in Italian.

Selina quickly crouches next to her son, gently shaking her head, smiling slightly. 'No, angelo mio, we're not going back there,' she reassures him, stroking his cheeks.

I crouch down beside them 'Your mother is right, my boy. You're not going anywhere; you're safe here.' I say in Italian.

'Here?' Selina asks, frowning, looking at me. 'Yes, here,' I reply in English, standing up and forcing her to look up at me.

'Surely not,' she retorts, shaking her head vigorously. 'I don't trust you, your brother wants to contact Antonio,' she adds, stepping back.

Now it's my turn to furrow my brows as anger rises at her accusation. I take a step toward her, raising my hand to grab her arm, but freeze as she flinches at my gesture. 'No! Don't hurt mamma!' Rafael shouts in English, starting to hit my thigh.

Selina tries to restrain him with one hand,  "Rafael, angelo mio, calm down," but to no avail. I bend down, grab his arms, and lift him to my height, surprising him enough to cease his struggles. "Listen to me, young man, because I'll say it only once—I will never harm your mother or you. Never, understand ? " I say firmly but gently, locking eyes with him. His green eyes, similar to his mother's, widen, and he eventually nods. "Good," I say, setting him down and running my hand through his hair.

"And I hope you've understood as well that you'll stay here," I add, looking at his mother, who gazes at me, now bewildered.

"Surely not," the same words resonate from the woman on the couch, rising with a growl. "Sienna!" Selina exclaims, seeing her sister rise unsteadily. Sasha reaches out to support her, a worried look on his face. "Don't touch me!" she tries to break free, but she lacks the vigor from earlier; she seems weaker. Selina rushes to her bag at the entrance, grabbing a syringe she placed on the coffee table. "What's this?" Sasha asks, frowning. "Insulin, Sienna is diabetic," Selina replies, removing the needle cap.

"Diabetic," Sasha repeats, jaw clenched, helping a pale and trembling Sienna to sit. Selina lifts the hem of her skirt and inserts the syringe into her sister's thigh through her tights with a precise motion, as if she has done it a thousand times. "It'll be okay, Sienna. I've given the injection; you'll be fine," reassures Selina, rubbing her thigh. Sienna nods, smiling gently at her sister, unable to speak, dropping her head against the back of the couch, lips trembling, while Sasha stands beside her, fists clenched, eyes fixed on her.

"What's happening?" Elif asks, entering the room alone this time, quickly joining Selina. "Is she okay?" Selina nods, straightening up with a soft groan when her hand bumps into the couch. "She'll get better in a few minutes."

"What have you done with your husband, little kotenok? (kitten)" Roman sarcastically asks, emphasizing the nickname Grigori gives Elif. She turns her head sharply towards my younger brother, a dark look in her eyes. "I buried him in the garden. If you don't want to join him, shut up, mudak," she replies, putting on an exaggerated smile. Roman grimaces and raises both hands in a sign of surrender.

"And you, are you okay?" Elif asks Selina this time, pushing strands of hair from her face and grimacing at the numerous bruises. "Oruspu çoçugu! (son of bitch) " she curses in Turkish, brushing her fingertips over Selina's cheekbone, who looks at my sister-in-law with shining eyes. "Her fingers need a doctor. Sasha, call one..."

"No need, I've already found one. He was supposed to join us at our motel if you hadn't kidnapped us," Sienna grumbles, standing up, having regained her color. Sasha gently but firmly pushes her back into place. "Don't get up," he says through clenched teeth.

She shoves his hand off with a shoulder push. "Ne trogay menya, ublyudok! (Don't touch me, asshole)" she growls in Russian with a slight accent. "You speak Russian," my brother observes, surprised, a rarity for him. Sienna ignores him, stands up, grabs her sister's hand and her nephew's, "Let's go."

"You're not going anywhere," I say simply, as Sasha and Roman block their path. "You're safe here," I add, approaching with my eyes locked on Selina's.

"Safe?" Sienna repeats incredulously. "Don't take me for a fool. I know who you are, the Ivanovs," she says, her gaze shifting between my brothers and me. "Grigori Ivanov, the eldest, head of the Russian mafia. Nikolai Ivanov, his right-hand man," she continues, casting a disdainful look at me. "Sasha Ivanov, the devil's advocate, and the youngest, Roman Ivanov, the family's wild dog," she finishes, making Sasha growl and Roman chuckle. "Not to mention the Machiavellian brain that has kept this family standing for years, Elif Ivanov," she adds, glancing over her shoulder at Elif.

"I like her," Elif says with a smirk. "Tell me, you've done your homework," Sasha murmurs harshly, taking a step forward, and to her credit, Sienna doesn't back down, holding his gaze. "I prefer to know my enemies," she replies, stretching the lips of my brother into a smirking smile.

Their staring contest lasts a while until I put an end to it, facing Selina's pale face as she clutches her injured hand to her chest. "Enough. Roman, go get a doctor. Elif, please prepare something to eat." I say, removing my jacket. Sienna turns her slightly lighter green eyes toward me, ready to retort, but I raise my hand, stopping her. "If Antonio Rasili called my brother, he suspects your presence in the area, probably due to our exchange last night," I add, glancing at Selina. "This motel won't provide safety, and your sister urgently needs help, so stop being selfish and think about her," I finish more sternly.

Sienna stiffens at my words, and her hardened gaze quickly fades as she averts her face. "Don't talk to her like that! She's just doing what she thinks is right. It's not out of selfishness that she saved me!" Selina defends her, giving me a dark look, squeezing her sister's hand. I maintain eye contact with Selina, appreciating this new fierce and protective facet of her personality.

"I'll show you to your rooms. Follow me," I say simply, heading towards the white marble stairs leading to the upper floors.