Page 52 of Silent Night with Massimo

I nod to the guys,sending them out. They give me a quick look, some mix of sympathy and wariness in their eyes. They know this job’s personal for me, but they won’t ask questions. It’s late evening, the dim light from the fireplace casting shadows over her slim figure as she slowly pushes herself up to her knees, her movements precise and restrained, like a wildcat trapped in a cage.

Once we’re alone,I take her in, and it’s like a punch to the gut.

Mia Vitale—Dante’ssister, my family’s enemy, and the one person I should feel nothing for. But she’s right here, looking up at me with those sharp green eyes that could slice through steel. Even with her hands tied behind her back, she holds herself erect, unbroken, her dark hair spilling around her shoulders in soft waves. There’s a confidence, a fire in her that commands attention, and I don’t miss how every curve of her body, wrapped in her casual clothes, manages to be both elegant and defiant.

Five years have changed her,but hell, they haven’t taken away that impossible beauty.

I catchmyself staring and force myself to take a mental step back. I don’t want her to see how she’s affecting me, and the last thing I need is to let my guard down. I’m here for one reason only, and it sure as hell isn’t to lose my head over her.

“Comfortable?”I ask, my voice rough, gruff, as if that’ll drown out the traitorous thoughts in my head. I want to sound indifferent, detached, but my eyes betray me as they roam over her, drinking her in.

She doesn’t answer,just tilts her chin up, those green eyes narrowing as she meets my gaze. There’s no fear there, only pure, blistering anger. She’s kneeling on the floor, hands bound behind her, but you’d think she was the one holding all the power here.

“Not planning to scream for help?”I ask, a touch of humor slipping into my tone.

She glares at me,fire flashing in her eyes. “I know no one would hear,” she snaps. “Besides, why waste my energy?”

I bite back a smirk.

Typical Mia—thinkingthings through, even in the worst situations. Five years ago, she’d been a girl full of big dreams and idealistic nonsense about leaving this life. She’d opened up to me once, told me about her plans. And for a split second, I’d thought maybe we were cut from the same cloth, both wanting out of a life that wouldn’t let us go.

But that was then.And now?

Now,she’s the enemy’s sister. And I’m the one keeping her here, bound and at my mercy.

I step closer,watching her as she watches me. Her gaze is steady, those green eyes studying me as if she’s trying to figure out why I, of all people, am here. She knows I’m Massimo’s enforcer, the one who takes orders and doesn’t flinch, no matter how brutal they are. But this is the first time she’s seeing me like this—up close, with nothing between us but a few feet and a hell of a lot of bad blood.

“What are you doing, Adrian?”she asks, her voice low, almost soft, but there’s an edge to it that tells me she’s not asking because she’s afraid. She’s asking because she doesn’t understand why it’s me standing here.

It’s a good question.One I don’t have a clean answer for. I force myself to stay neutral, locking down the part of me that wants to remember her as she was back then, wide-eyed and idealistic at eighteen.

“You know why,”I say, my tone gruff, letting the weight of our situation settle between us. “You’re leverage, Mia. Nothing more.”

She holds my gaze,her lips parting slightly as if she’s trying to process my words, and I feel that old attraction clawing its way up, forcing me to focus on every inch of her, on the way her chest rises and falls with controlled breaths. She’s all fire, a spark that burns without ever losing its cool, and it drives me crazy in a way I haven’t felt in years.

“Leverage?”she echoes, her voice laced with anger, yet I don’t miss the hurt beneath it. “You, of all people?”

I swallow hard,the memory of that night five years ago resurfacing despite myself. She’d looked at me differently back then, as if I were someone worth knowing, someone she could trust. Now, that trust is long gone, shattered by my presence here.

“Yeah,”I reply, my voice hard, masking any trace of the pull I feel. “Me of all people.”

I seeit in her eyes—the disbelief, the betrayal, sharp and painful. I’ve destroyed whatever connection we might’ve had, reduced it to ash, and part of me hates it. But there’s no other way. I’ve got orders, and nothing can get in the way of that.

She takes a shaky breath,her chest rising, and I can’t help but follow the motion, my gaze lingering on the curves of her body, every line and shape reminding me of just how dangerous she is to me in ways that go beyond our families’ feud.

Before she can sayanother word, my phone buzzes in my pocket, breaking the spell. I pull it out, glancing at the screen. It’s Massimo.

“Do you have her?”His voice is cold, direct, the tone he uses when there’s no room for failure.

“Yes. She’s not going anywhere,”I reply.

“Good.Dante needs to know we’re serious. His sister for the territory—that’s the deal.”

I glance back at her,taking in the way her jaw clenches, her gaze hardening as she tries to figure out who I’m talking to. Dante won’t come for her easily; he’s too ruthless, too calculated. She knows it too, even if she won’t say it.

“She still in one piece?”Massimo asks, though there’s a dark humor in his voice.

I exhale slowly.“Yeah. No one’s touched her.”

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