Chapter 6 Adrian
Christmas Evening - Present Day
I didn't need to hear her screaming and cursing to know that she was angry as fuck.
When I walk into the room, Mia is silent, her fierce green eyes locked on mine. She’s perched on the edge of the bed, hands bound tightly behind her back. Her fury pulses in the room as she holds my gaze, unbroken.
I settle into the chair by the door, leaning back and watching her. “You know why you’re here?”
She narrows her eyes, that fierce defiance flickering. “Care to enlighten me?” Her words are sharp, but something in her eyes tells me she’s searching for any hint of her fate.
“Your brother owes us something he’s been holding onto for too long.” I keep my tone flat. “Consider yourself… collateral.”
“Collateral.” Her scoff is icy, dripping with disdain. “For all your self-assured plans, it sounds like you have no idea who you’re dealing with. Dante’s not going to give up territory just because you’ve kidnapped me.”
“Maybe not.” I lean forward, smirking. “But let’s be real, Mia. You’re worth more to him than a few deals.”
Her expression falters, her jaw tightening as she swallows. But she doesn’t deny it. “And what if he doesn’t?” she whispers, almost to herself.
The edge in her voice shifts, an unease creeping through, and it hits me that she’s not just resisting this situation—she’s fighting something bigger. Something that scares her more than being stuck in this cabin with me.
“What if he doesn’t what?” I ask, my tone softer than I intend.
She looks away, her teeth grazing her lower lip as she fights to keep her composure. “You don’t get it, do you?” she says quietly, finally meeting my gaze. “If Dante doesn’t come for me, then I have nothing. I lose everything.”
The weight of her words settles between us, and for a moment, I see beyond the fury in her eyes. There’s something raw there, a desperation she’s trying hard to hide.
“So that’s what this is about.” I watch her closely, intrigued. “You’ve been planning your escape from all this, haven’t you?”
Mia’s face hardens, her gaze fierce. “Yeah, I was. Law school, a real career—anything that wasn’t this life. But you Lucianas have a way of destroying everything.” She bites out the last words, her voice laced with bitterness.
I nod slowly, taking in the realization. “So you thought you’d get to walk away clean, leave it all behind?”
Her silence is answer enough. I see it then—a girl who’s been fighting her way to a life without violence, clawing her way to freedom that’s just been ripped away.
A long silence stretches out, thick with tension. Finally, she breaks it, voice barely a whisper. “I bet you think it’s funny, watching me lose it all.”
“Funny?” I shake my head, a strange sympathy pulling at me. “No, Vitale. If anything, I get it more than you think.”
For a brief second, her eyes widen in surprise, her mask slipping as she processes my words. And in that silence, there’s an unspoken understanding—a spark of something neither of us would dare admit.
“Now, be a good girl, and maybe I’ll think about loosening those cuffs."
"You don't have anything to worry about. Where am I supposed to go with a snowstorm keeping us trapped inside?"
"I need your promise that you won't try to escape. Otherwise, your wrists stay cuffed."
"I promise," she mutters.
"I'll believe it when I see it. Until then…” I trail off, standing and moving to leave her alone with her thoughts.
But just before I step out, I glance back. “You’ll figure out soon enough, Mia. In this game, you’re as much a player as I am.”
And with that, I leave her, knowing that our dance has only just begun.