The Last Hope

20

Nikolai

It's almost ten in the morning when I enter the office, a draft hitting me. The door leading to the balcony is open, and I see Sasha leaning on the railing smoking. "Is everything ready?" I ask, sitting behind the desk where my brother's PC is on, "yeah," Sasha grumbles as he enters, closing the door behind him, then opens and closes it again. I grimace at his gesture; his OCD becomes uncontrollable when he's on edge, his tone and dark expression confirming my thoughts as he walks towards the fridge where he grabs a bottle of water. If there was one person not to anger in our sibling group, it was Sasha.

Not because he was the most violent—that title belonged to our younger brother despite his appearance of an excited kid—or the most vindictive, a title belonging to Grigori, the old fox. Or even the most cunning, as I assume that title. Sasha was unpredictable, even for us who had grown up together, and this unpredictability made him dangerous. He struck where you least expected it, and it hurt, very badly, from my childhood experiences.

But I must admit, I truly thought he was going to break Sienna Floros's neck last night, and I'm not sure I would have stopped him. They had almost escaped; if one of our men hadn't spotted Sienna lurking near the East wall and informed Sasha, they would have succeeded in escaping.

When Selina reappeared, more beautiful than ever in the dress I had chosen for her, I thought I was seeing a mirage. Her brunette hair contrasted strongly with the emerald dress, bringing out her deep green eyes, but everything shattered with that small step she took back. I didn't know what Sienna had said to her behind that screen, but she had managed to distance Selina from me by thousands of kilometers. And when Sasha explained Sienna's escape plan that he had somehow learned, I thought I was going mad, but I had to wait until night to get hold of Sienna's accomplice. Something my brother had taken great pleasure in, probably breaking his nose with the force he exerted on his neck when the guy tried to resist.

I lower my eyes to the screen of the PC when an incoming call appears. I answer without delay as Sasha joins me behind the desk, our sister-in-law's smiling face appears and my shoulders, tense since last night, relax slightly. "Oh my God, what happened?" she asks, her face now taking on a worried expression while Grigori and Roman appear instantly behind the couch where she is sitting. I sigh, running my hand through my hair, "nothing important, we're handling it..." "Nikolai and Sasha Ivanov, you will tell me immediately what's going on! Are you hurt? Are the children okay?" she exclaims, sitting up almost sticking the camera to her forehead, this woman seriously, I swear under my breath before quickly explaining the events of last night without going into too much detail.

There's a moment of silence, intense silence,"I hope you didn't do anything stupid to those women," Elif sighs, placing the tablet on the coffee table and slumping back against the backrest. Grigori starts massaging her shoulders, his black gaze fixed on us, while Roman drops down next to our sister. Sasha growls, raising his eyes, so I shake my head, closing my eyes. Seriously, with the way she raised us, that wouldn't happen.

"And did you manage to make Sienna's boyfriend talk?" Roman asks, his playful gaze on Sasha, and the latter tenses, his jaw clenched. Our younger brother would be dead by now if he were under Sasha's hand. "No, he hasn't said anything yet," he says through his teeth, as he's the one who handled the interrogation of our prisoner, "but he's probably Russian. I'll run a facial recognition search. A man with a scar like his shouldn't be roaming the streets."

"And what about your end? The meeting with the Italians?" I ask, sitting up. It must be around 10 p.m. there; the meeting was at 7 p.m. Elif's face hardens again as she straightens up, escaping from her husband's hands. "I don't know how Selina could stand that man all those years, Niko, but I was this close to pulling my gun and blowing his brains out," my sister growls. I furrow my brow as Sasha leans over the desk, getting closer to the camera. "What do you mean you were ready to shoot him? You let hem come to a meeting with the Italians?!" Sasha growls at our brothers, and I totally agree with him.

"As if we had a choice, you know her," our younger brother replies, rolling his eyes, while Grigori nods, his dark gaze fixed on his wife. "Hey, I'm still here, just so you know," Elif says, elbowing Roman in the ribs and waving her hand above her head. "And wipe that look off before you end up sleeping with your brother." Grigori instantly raises his gaze to us, lips pressed together, while Roman groans, massaging his side.

"Of course, I had to see this monster with my own eyes and give him my darkest stare. Anyway, I made it clear to them that we would never hand over Selina, Rafael, or Sienna, whom that madman seems to want to gut", Sasha tenses beside me, slowly straightening up. "It's her who helped her sister and Rafael escape. It doesn't surprise me that he wants to get his hands on her," I say, tapping my fingers on the table.

"These bastards were willing to give us a significant share of the operations in Illinois to get the Floros sisters and Rafael back," Grigori says, and Elif gives him a probably deadly look over her shoulder. "Whatever they offered, we refused it all," Elif says, turning back to me, smiling softly, I nod, silently thanking her even if I know that despite his grumpy behavior, Grigori would never strike a deal with the Italians.

"But I noticed that there were disagreements within the Rasili family," Elif says, sliding her fingers under her chin, her eyes reflecting almost like a quantum computer's calculations. "What do you mean?" I ask, interested. "The Rasili father doesn't agree with his son, I'd say. I think when Selina told us she wasn't Antonio Rasili's wife, it was the truth. I believe it's Antonio's parents who refused to let a marriage happen. They probably think they can find a good match that would increase their influence within the Cosa Nostra. I think they saw Selina as a pastime for their son until they found the perfect woman for their heir," she finishes through her teeth.

A pastime, a doll to torture, I close my eyes, trying to keep calm as I feel the shadow of a deep rage starting to take hold of me. "These fuckers," Roman grumbles, his gaze now darkened. "You're probably right. If Antonio wasn't there, his father would have negotiated only to get Rafael back, he doesn't give a fuck about getting back Selina" Grigori adds.

"He would have neither," I say calmly, though I don't feel calm, "of course," Elif supports me. "We'll have to prepare for possible attacks then. They know now that they're under our protection. I'll reinforce security around the manor..." " it won't be necessary," I interrupt, gripping the chair's armrests as all eyes turn to me. "We'll come join you there and wait until Elif finds a safe place for them to live peacefully," I say, forcing the words out of my mouth.

"What are you talking about, Niko?" Elif asks, confused. "I thought that..." "Grigori is right. For everyone's safety, it's better that they leave," I reply, my throat tightening while Grigori nods, relaxing. "I knew you would understand what's best for our family," he says. "Wait, I...", "Elif, please, find a place by next week." My sister-in-law stares at me for a few more seconds, her lips pressed, her gaze hard, shaking her head, probably disapproving of my decision. "As you wish," she finally sighs.

"Okay, then tomorrow, Roman and I will come back with you to accompany them here. With the Italians ready to attack, it's better to be cautious," Grigori says. "Agreed, Sasha will pick you up," I say.

We agree and hang up under Elif's sad gaze, which darkens my mood even more. I slump back against the backrest as I feel Sasha's gaze on my profile. "What?" I growl, getting up. "Are you really going to let them leave?" he asks, his jaw clenched. I smirk mockingly at him, "Why? Wasn't it you who wanted to get them moving when they first arrived?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

He inhales deeply, shoving his hands into his pockets, slowly approaching me. He stops in front of me, raising eyes similar to mine, "I hope you won't regret your decision," he says before circling me and leaving.

I hope not too.