Page 159 of The Last Hope

A long silence followed, and despite myself, I held my breath, gripping the phone like it was the last thread tethering me to reason.

“What’s the subject?”

Relief swept over me.

“Rasili.”

He let out a long sigh, while I held mine in, “to think he’s become an international problem. Should I be proud of the reputation he’s givingCosaNostra ?” he muttered, irony thick in his voice.

“He has my wife and my sons,” I said, gripping the railing so hard my knuckles turned white. Pride and ego burned in my throat, but I swallowed them. For my wife. For my sons.

“I see,” he murmured, waiting for me to say more.

“Do you have any information on their whereabouts ?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“You’re asking me to betray one of my own, Ivanov?”

“I’m asking you to help me find my family, Marino.”

A heavy silence stretched between us. I heard whispering in the background. A woman?

“Marino…” I prompted.

“What I was going to say before you started spitting hellfire was that Antonio Rasili has been disowned by his father. Rasili senior kicked him out—said he wouldn’t shelter a traitorous slut dragging the family name through the mud. Don’t get mad! I’m just repeating what I heard,” he added as my blood boiled.

“So, Antonio is acting alone.CosaNostraisn’t involved in this, Nikolai.”

I shook my head, though he couldn’t see me. “No, Marino. If I don’t have my family back by tomorrow, this will become a war betweenBratvaandCosaNostra.”

“Are you threatening us, Ivanov?” His tone sharpened.

“I’m warning you,” I growled. “The last war will look like child’s play if Rasili so much as touches a hair on my family’s heads.” I slammed my fist against the railing. More whispering echoed on his end. “Marino…”

“Antonio has no access toCosaNostra’sresources. Don’t waste time searching beyond reach—he doesn’t have the means to flee to the U.S. or even Italy,” he said. “That’s all I can tell you, Nikolai. I hope you find your wife and your sons,” he added before hanging up.

I set the phone down on the cold stone and braced myself against it, shoulders hunched. And then, it happened—a tear. Followed by another. And another. I clenched my jaw until it cracked. I tried to breathe, but the air wouldn’t come. I tried to think, but the world blurred around me.

All I could see was Selina crying. All I could hear was the memory of her pain. All I could imagine was what Antonio mightbe doing to her now. And my sons—were they cold? Hungry ? Afraid ? Of course they were afraid.

“Nikolai !” Elif suddenly called from inside.

I heard the panic in her voice and rushed to her, quickly wiping my cheeks.

“What is it ?” I asked as I reached her and Sienna, both hunched over her phone.

“I just got a link,” Sienna said, her voice trembling. “It came with a message: Follow this if you want to find Selina and the boys.” She pressed the link. A map appeared, marked with a red dot.

“Baku, Azerbaijan,” she read aloud.

“Do you think that’s where they are ?” Elif asked, lifting her worried eyes to meet mine.

I held out my hand, and Sienna gave me her phone. I scrolled through her messages to find the number that had sent the link. I tried calling, but it was unreachable.

“How do we know if this is real ?” Sienna asked, her reddened eyes darting between me and the phone. A thousand thoughts rushed through my mind—real or not?

We all froze when the phone chimed again—a new message from the same number. A voice message.

I pressed play and almost flinched when I heard my wife’s voice.

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