Page 1 of Silent Night With Adrian

Chapter 1 Adrian

She didn’t scream when my men grabbed her.

Not that I expected her to. Mia Vitale’s got more fight in her than most of the men I’ve come up against. Instead of panicking, she fought back—furious, wild—her movements sharp and tactical. Took both Ryan and Salvi a couple of tries to subdue her, but eventually, they got her here to me, wrists bound, fire blazing in her eyes.

Even now, as she kneels on the dusty floor of the cabin’s living room, her silence is louder than any scream would have been. And it unsettles me more than I’d like to admit.

I nod to the guys, sending them out. 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’s sister, 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 herselferect, 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 catch myself 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 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—thinking things 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 see it in her eyes—the disbelief, the betrayal, sharp and painful. I’ve destroyed whatever connection we might’ve had, reduced it to ashes, 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 say another 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.

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