Delgano: A Dark Contemporary Interracial Romance

Barnes released.

“In this line of work, an enemy can look like a friend,” Barnes said. “They can look like a brother. You always have to be prepared. Death could be as close as seconds away. Makes sense?”

Adrían nodded, coughing. “Claro.”

“Does that mean yes?”

“It means su?—”

Barnes charged again.

He braced for impact, prepared to grapple, but the bear fighter had him on the ground before he could fully plant his right foot.

Barnes leaned over him, hand outstretched. “What’d you do wrong there?”

“Don’t know, but I bet you’ll tell me.”

“You didn’t run. There’s no shame in running.”

He ignored the hand and rose to his feet. “I don’t run.”

“Look at it as retreating,” Hannah offered. “Many of the groups we encounter will be as well-organized as militaries. Retreating allows you to regroup.”

“Especially if you’re on home turf,” Barnes added. “If someone enters your home, someone who’s never been there before, you have the environmental advantage. Now, say it: retreat and regroup.”

Adrían stared at him.

“He won’t stop bugging you until you do,” Hannah said.

Adrían, stretching the muscles in his neck, mumbled, “Retreat and regroup.”

Barnes grinned. “That’s good, kid. That’s good.”

After another hour of getting his ass handed to him, he and Hannah headed to the villa. Sweat covered his skin like a wetsuit, so he took a shower and washed his hair before heading to the kitchen.

Sayeda wasn’t there.

His lunch was arranged on the dining table. As he sat, he searched for a note, which she usually left if she planned to miss one of their meals together, but there was none. Resigning himself to eating alone, he stuck a homemade potato chip into his mouth and peered between the sesame buns on his plate.

“It’s a salmon burger,” Hannah said. She also looked refreshed, wearing a pair of denim shorts and a top that showed off her taut stomach, her feet bare. “Give me one second. I’ll eat with you.”

“Where’s Sayeda? Is she all right?”

“You ask about her a lot.” She made herself a burger, took the chair across from him, and focused on smearing sauce on her salmon patty. “You like her or something?”

“Yes.”

Her head popped up. “So, you do?”

“I like her company. I like listening to her, just like I like listening to you.” Though, there was a marked difference between what he heard when Hannah spoke, and what he heard whenever Sayeda opened her mouth.

Hannah stole a chip from his plate and tossed it into her mouth. “Here’s the thing…recon only tells us so much. Then, words and letters in a file don’t give me information that will be useful for my sexual endeavors. So, let me ask you right out: have you ever been in love?”

He couldn’t fall in love.

It was as if his heart was waiting for a specific person, which he would have been fine with if he was still sixteen. What was the point of having sexual feelings if he would never enjoy the physical connection of bodies coming together?

Literally and figuratively?