Page 83 of The Last Hope

Andrei, Alexei, Rafael, Mikhail…

I tried to rise, but another shove sent me down again.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a hand lift once more—Antonio?

“Selina!”

Someone gently grasped my shoulders, helping me sit up. Tears filled my eyes as I met Sena’s concerned gaze. She took my hands, squeezing them tightly.

“Breathe, Selina. It’s going to be okay,” she said softly, inhaling deeply through her nose and exhaling through her mouth.

I mimicked her movements. I had to calm down—for them.

Andrei, Alexei, Rafael, Mikhail…

“Step aside, Velma!” Agata’s sharp voice rang out again. I saw her trying to reach me, her eyes black as coal, but Velma blocked her path, standing firm.

“You will either go inside and wait calmly or leave!” Velma ordered, her voice unwavering.

Agata’s glare shifted between us, “who do you think you are?” she asked haughtily.

Velma didn’t flinch.

“I am no one, Madame Agata—just an insignificant maid. But I follow the orders of my mistress,” she said, taking a deliberate step forward.

Agata instinctively stepped back.

“And Madame Ivanov told me to eliminate any threat to this household.”

“Grandmother, let’s wait inside,” Nina urged, tugging on her arm and this time, Agata obeyed.

“Miss Selina! Are you alright?” Velma asked, cupping my face in her hands.

I couldn’t suppress a grimace.

“Sena, get some ice. I’ll grab the cream,” Velma instructed, pulling out a chair before hurrying inside with Sena.

I exhaled shakily, rubbing my hands against my thighs, but it was useless. Tears streamed down my face as sobs wracked my body.

Andrei, Alexei, Rafael, Mikhail…

“Miss Selina?”

A deep male voice startled me, and I looked up to see David, one of the family’s trusted bodyguards. “Have you found them?” I asked, rising to my feet without moving too close.

“No, unfortunately not. But the gate leading to the forest was left slightly open. They must have gone through there. We’re heading in that direction,” he said, nodding before disappearing into the rain.

I turned toward the towering trees lining the estate—so massive, so dark. Too terrifying for four small boys. My gaze shifted to another gate behind the hedges, leading north into the forest.

Quickly, I rushed toward it and tried the handle—it was locked. Frantically, I felt along the wall, searching for a mechanism like the one in Russia. At last, I found a small panel hidden inside a hatch.

“A code? What was it? What was it?”

I closed my eyes, trying to recall the sequence Sienna had once entered. I tried several combinations, my vision blurring with tears, my breath ragged. I cursed aloud at least a dozen times—until the door finally clicked open.

Without wasting another second, I shoved the gate wide and plunged into the depths of the forest as the rain poured harder and the cold closed in around me.

Nikolai

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