Page 27 of Silent Night With Adrian

“Three days, Adrian,” he said, tone leaving no room for argument. “After that, I expect results. Call me when it’s done.”

The line went dead, but the weight of Massimo’s order lingered like a heavy stone in my chest. I shoved the phone back into my pocket, taking a moment to collect myself before glancing back toward the kitchen.

Mia was watching me, brows furrowed, a question in her eyes. She walked towards me and hugged me hard. Pulling her head back to look up into my eyes, she opened her mouth to say something, then hesitated, studying me as if trying to read whatever I was holding back.

““They’re really going to kill me, aren’t they?” she asked, her voice dead with empty resignation.

“They won’t touch you,” I say firmly, holding her closer. “Not while I’m here.”

But as I looked at her, the worry tightening her expression, I knew I couldn’t keep lying. Not to her. Not when her life was on the line. I had to protect her, even if it meant defying Massimo, even if it meant tearing down everything I’d built within the family.

Because the truth was, I’d already chosen her above my family. And now, I had to find a way to save her life—and mine—before time ran out.

Chapter 21 Adrian

After Mia woke up from her long morning nap, clearing needing the extra hours of sleep to recover from the stress and exhaustion in the past twenty-four hours, we settled into the living room to start the work of setting up our escape plans.

While she raided the refrigerator to gather ingredients to make us some sandwiches for a late lunch, I made a phone call to my contact in the local coroner’s office.

I keep my phone angled away from Mia as I dial the next number, carefully guarding the display as if she might glimpse the details of who I’m contacting. It’s not that I don’t trust her—God knows I do—but this contact is one I’ve guarded for years. Even Massimo doesn’t know I’ve got Dr. Edmund Rhodes on standby for “special circumstances.” This is a man I’ve trusted with secrets, a man who could either ruin me or help me vanish entirely, depending on how the chips fall.

I step into the small alcove by the window, turning my back as the phone rings, my voice dropping low when he answers. “Edmund, it’s Adrian.”

“Mr. Luciana,” he greets me, his tone sharp but professional. “You need bodies and equipment, I presume?”

“That’s right. A man and a woman. And I’ll need it quiet. Off the record.”

A pause. He understands that I’m asking for more than just a favor. There’s a price on this kind of discretion, one I’ve always paid him well for, but even he can sense that this time is different.

“I can arrange for two anonymous cadavers to be delivered to the cabin. You’ll receive them prepped and unidentifiable. I’ll handle the autopsy reports and ensure there’s no trace back to either of you. No names, no records.”

“Perfect. And bring the supplies we previously discussed to create an explosion—the fuel, the ignition switch.” I glance over my shoulder at Mia, who’s watching me with a mix of curiosity and tension as I murmur instructions. “We’ll set the stage and then disappear. Understood?”

“Understood, Mr. Luciana. I’ll see you tomorrow night after midnight, as long as the roads are clear.”

“Good man,” I reply before hanging up and turning back to Mia, who’s waiting with a steaming mug of coffee and a look of nervous expectancy.

She hands me the coffee as I sit across from her, taking a long sip and letting the warmth fill me, grounding me in the moment. I know she’s waiting for me to spell out the full extent of what we’re about to do.

“We’re in the clear for supplies,” I say. “Bodies, fuel, ignition switch, everything we need to make this believable.”

“Are the roads clear?” She cocked her head, a worried expression on her face.

I nodded. “Almost. I arranged a private crew to start working on them yesterday. I get updates and I’m told they are finishing the last section of road and driveway today.

Mia nods, her fingers tracing absent patterns on the rim of her mug. “Adrian… you’re really sure this is what you want to do? To leave everything?”

I reach across the small table, taking her hand firmly in mine. “Mia, I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. There’s nothing left for me in that world—not when I have you here with me.”

Her gaze flickers, and I can see that fierce independence tempered by a tentative hope, the same vulnerability she showed me our first last night, one that makes me want to shield her from every hurt that’s ever crossed her path.

But even as I hold her hand, feeling the steady beat of my own heart grounding me, I know there’s something she still needs to know. Something that might break her but needs to be said if we’re going to move forward.

“Mia…” I pause, bracing myself for the pain I’m about to unleash. “There’s something else I haven’t told you about.”

She sits more upright, her brow furrowing as she senses the shift in my tone.

“When Massimo called me, he gave me a direct order.” I feel the weight of the words pressing against my chest. “He ordered me to kill you.”

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