Page 58 of The Last Hope

“Niko ! You won !” my son exclaims, grinning.

Nikolaï’s piercing gaze shifts from me to Rafael, his expression softening just enough to force a smile.

“Of course I won,” he says, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine.

He crouches down to pick up Rafael, bringing our faces level, but instinctively, my arm tightens around my son. Those iceberg-blue eyes settle on me again, and my throat tightens as I catch something behind their hardened gaze.

Without a word, my arm loosens, releasing my baby, and Nikolaï lifts him effortlessly with one arm. His other hand wraps around my arm, gently pulling me out of the vehicle. My eyes widen as I suddenly notice a dozen men moving around us.

Had they been there the whole time ?

“Where is he ?!” my sister’s voice suddenly rings out through the darkness, and I turn to see her standing face to face with Sasha, who has yet to say a word. He merely glares at her, his expression dark and unreadable.

“Where is the man who was supposed to drive us ?” Sienna shouts again, slamming her hands against his chest in a futile attempt to push him, but he doesn’t budge an inch.

I tense as I see Sasha’s jaw clench, his patience clearly wearing thin. I take a step toward them, but a steel grip around my arm stops me. I look up at Nikolaï, but his attention remains locked on his brother and my sister, his expression unreadable. Meanwhile, he rocks my son gently, lulling him back to sleep, completely unaware of the tension crackling around him.

“Why so much curiosity ?” Sasha finally speaks, his deep voice matching the weight of his stare. He lowers his head toward Sienna. “Is he your lover?”

My sister doesn’t answer. She presses her lips together, but I don’t miss the slight tremble in her jaw—nor do the Ivanov brothers.

“I killed him,” Sasha finally says, his voice cold.

A strangled gasp escapes my sister, her eyes widening in horror.

“No.”

She shakes her head violently, and I freeze as I see a single tear slip down her cheek—for the first time in eight years.

“No !” she repeats, louder this time, struggling in his grip.

“Let me go ! Let me go ! I’ll kill you, Sasha Ivanov, do you hear me ?!”

I flinch at every one of her screams, her voice breaking toward the end as Sasha flips her around, pinning her against the car. He presses against her back, holding her still.

“Stop him,” I whisper, my eyes fixed on my sister’s twisted expression of hatred and pain.

I grab Nikolaï’s jacket, shaking him.

“Please, stop him !”

His gaze finally drops to mine. His jaw clenches, his lips pressed into a thin line as he takes in my face.

“Enough, Sasha,” he commands without looking away from me. “The man is alive.”

Sienna stills, panting and trembling. Her eyes squeeze shut, her forehead pressing against the roof of the car. The relief rolling off her is almost tangible.

Sasha, however, doesn’t move. If anything, his expression darkens further. He turns her around again, gripping her shoulders now, fully blocking my view of her face.

“So that was the plan ?” he murmurs, his voice quieter but laced with fury. “Running away with your lover ?”

Sienna lifts her chin, sharpening her claws.

“It’s better than waiting for you to decide when to sell us to the Italians!” she spits, standing on her toes to get closer to his face, her eyes blazing with anger.

Beside me, Nikolaï stiffens, his gaze burning into the side of my face. I don’t dare look at him.

“We’re going home before Rafael catches a cold,” he finally mutters.

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