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The boat rocked beneath my feet, salt spray stinging my face as we cut through the dark water. I knew Gio was still reluctant to have me here observing his operations, evident from the tight line drawn across his jaw. Not to mention, it seemed as though he was refusing to meet my gaze from across the boat.

The only reason he brought me along, I knew, was because I had presented a strong argument. I had convinced Gio that understanding his reality might somehow illuminate the truth about my brothers.

It had taken me three days to wear him down. Three days since our fight in Cold Spring.

“If I'm going to understand my brothers, to know whether they're innocent or guilty, I need to see what this world is really like,” I had told him, standing in his office with my arms crossed, refusing to be dismissed. “You're in the same business. Who better to show me?”

Gio had looked at me with steel. “You know all there is to know.”

“By what? Seeing that one operation you took me to?” I'd countered. “That’s like reading a page and claiming you know the book.”

“It's dangerous,” he'd tried another approach, but I could see the resolve weakening in his expression.

“So is being ignorant,” I had replied. “How can I be objective about my brothers' world if I've never seen it?”

He'd sighed then, a deep, weary sound. “Fine. I’ll take you for one operation. Just one. But you have to promise to stay by my side and do as I say.”

I had agreed without wasting a breath. Now, as the mainland lights faded behind us and the boat sliced through the black water toward an unknown island destination, I suddenly felt nervous.

Gio stood at the bow, very far from me, his broad shoulders squared against the wind, his black hair ruffled by the breeze. He was still angry with me, still hurt by my attempts to prove my brothers' innocence despite his saying I could do so. But with him this angry, I felt it wasn’t the right time to remind him of our deal.

Let him simmer down, I thought, before I broach the subject of what happened that day.

On the other hand, I knew I had used our date for my personal agenda and understood how that could have hurt him. His pain, his hurt, it came from someplace deep. I shouldn’t have tried to prove a point that specific day, of all the days we had. I knew I ruined the lovely time we’d been having. But what choice did I have? Family was everything.

I made my way carefully toward him, balancing against the boat's persistent rocking. The five other men on board, Gio's men, watched me with curious eyes.

“I appreciate this,” I said when I reached Gio's side. The wind whipped my hair across my face, and I tucked it behind my ear. “I know you didn't want me here.”

He didn't look at me. “No, I didn't.”

His coldness stung more than it should have. By now, I had grown fond of his warmth, one he reserved just for me.

“Are you going to be angry the entire night?” I asked in frustration..

His jaw tightened. “I'm not angry, Larissa. I'm concentrating. This isn't a field trip. We’re making our way in the dark, through patrolled waters. If we’re caught…”

I swallowed hard, recognizing the truth in his words. “I understand.”

Half an hour later, the island emerged from the darkness ahead of us, a darker shadow rising from the water and stretching across the night sky. There wasn’t a single light to beckon us, and it was clear that this place was meant to be hidden, to appear untouched.

“We're here,” Gio announced before turning to his men. “We follow the standard protocol. I need two of you on the perimeter,” he nodded at two armed men. “Vito, you stay with the merchandise, and you two,” he pointed at the remaining men, “come with me.”

The men nodded and checked their weapons before moving. I noticed how they moved around Gio with a respectful ease. There was no fear in his presence. It was different from how I'd seen men behave around my brothers.

As we approached the shoreline, Gio turned to me. “Stay behind me. Don't speak unless spoken to, and even then, say as little as possible. If anything happens, anything at all that feels wrong, you get back to the boat immediately. Understand?”

I nodded, my throat suddenly dry.

The boat slowed as we approached a small, dilapidated dock. Figures appeared from behind the trees, and I gathered these were the men we were here to trade with. Each man, I noticed, was armed. They were more than we were, and suddenly, I was afraid.

But there was no going back now.

“Ready?” Gio asked, but he was looking into the darkness, not at me.

We got off the boat. I stumbled slightly on the uneven dock, and Gio’s hand reached out for me instinctively. Even angry, he couldn't help but watch out for me.

The men from the tree line approached, speaking in rapid Russian that I couldn't understand. Gio responded in Russian right back. For some reason, heat pooled in my belly. God, he sounded sexy.

The men led us down a narrow path through dense vegetation. The ground was uneven, and I often found Gio’s steadying hand at my elbow, on the rougher terrains.

We emerged into a clearing where several shipping containers stood in eerie silence. More armed men waited and watched her approach. My heart hammered against my ribs, and I tried to blend into the shadows behind Gio.

I watched the trade take place. Gio had told me we were visiting dangerous men, that I wasn’t to draw attention to myself and so I stood behind him, not asking a single question, trying to ascertain what was happening.

Gio passed them the suitcases, and when the men opened them, I nearly balked at the sight. They were full of cash.

When the cases arrived at our side, Gio nodded at his men. “Would you mind checking that, gentlemen?” he asked politely. His two associates opened the cases, and I peered over Gio’s shoulder, surprised by what I saw: pharmaceuticals.

Cancer drugs, insulin, and treatments for rare diseases, all packaged from foreign countries. This was not the weapons or hard drugs I had expected.

“Why these?” I whispered to Gio during a moment when the others were occupied with finalizing the trade.

His eyes never left the transaction, but he answered, “Because people need them to survive, and the official channels charge ten times what they're worth. Some parents can't afford to keep their children alive.”

Something in my heart blossomed. Even amongst criminals, I realized, there was honor.

I watched as he negotiated terms for the next exchange. Gio was polite and cool. He never flexed his muscles; he was humble. When one of his younger men made a mistake in the currency exchange rate, Gio corrected him gently, away from prying ears. The young man nodded his thanks, and Gio let him continue with the price setting for the next time around.

He operated differently than my brothers, who usually had a tendency to intimidate. I knew this from the conversations that sometimes took place at our home. Gio was… different. Kinder.

Something shifted inside me as I observed him. For the first time, I truly started to respect him. The attraction I felt for him was something different. Tonight, I saw him as much more. I saw the man he was beyond what he presented to me.

And in that moment, I knew Gio had never been someone he wasn’t. He’d never pretended, never manipulated. This was the man he was. Loyal, protective, a criminal but also kind and true.

A lump formed in my throat, and I wished, wished we could return to how things were between us—before we went to Cold Spring, before I made the mistake that cost us the perfect day.

A while later, Gio guided me back toward the boat with a gentle hand at the small of my back. The contact felt different now. More reserved. And I hated it.

The return journey began in silence. The other men dozed or spoke quietly among themselves, but Gio and I sat side by side, with inches between us. It was getting late.

I stared at the dark water, replaying the night's events.

“I've been unfair to you,” I said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Gio looked at me, and to my surprise, he said something I hadn’t expected: “No, Larissa. It’s me who should apologize.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed.

“Okay,” I murmured, nearly singing with joy that we were at least talking again. “I was not expecting that.”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips, the first I'd seen all night, but he said nothing more.

I took a deep breath. “I've been unfair. I was so fixated on proving my brothers' innocence that I haven't really listened to what you've been trying to communicate. Tonight showed me that things aren't as black and white as I wanted them to be. That day, I ruined an innocent, fun day and turned it into an agenda. I shouldn’t have.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “And I've been acting like a sulking child because you wounded my pride. You have every right to question, to investigate, to seek the truth about your family. I shouldn't have expected blind trust when I haven't earned it.”

“I think you're earning it now,” I said softly.

Gio shook his head. “I let my feelings for you cloud my judgment. I was hurt that you would use our date to gather information, but of course you would. Your brothers are your family, and I would do the same for mine. I've been salty and difficult because you were simply trying to do what you believed was right.”

His honesty disarmed me completely. Without thinking, I reached out and laced my fingers through his. When he squeezed in response, the warmth inside me for him surged into a fiery heat.

Three days. Three whole days we had fought, and just now I realized how much I missed him. I missed his touch, the way he gathered me in his arms, how he nuzzled in my neck, the way he smiled at my good jokes, and frowned at the bad ones.

And without thinking, I leaned in, closing the distance between us, my fingers tracing the sharp line of his jaw as I pressed my lips to his. For the briefest second, I felt him freeze at my boldness, but the next moment, he turned to me and gripped my waist, tugging me closer.

Seems like he missed me too.