Delgano: A Dark Contemporary Interracial Romance

“Could be a group from Eastern Europe looking to set up shop in Morocco, and if you want to get by, you have to learn the language.”

“But something still feels off, doesn’t it?”

“Yep. Let’s sweep this last area as quickly as possible and head back to your girl. In the meantime, I’ll call Hannah to make sure she and Barnes are on their toes. Even if it’s nothing, a heads up couldn’t hurt.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

Adrían stared at the dry landscape as it passed by.

Lee snoozed in the cab.

Trevor continued to drive, and for as long as they’d been going, they didn’t seem tired. Lee had fallen asleep out of boredom because the man at the previous location had been so easy to track, capture, and assassinate.

“How would you feel if Lilly died?” he asked.

Trevor gripped and released the steering wheel until his knuckles went pale. “Well, the answer I gave Tori, Lilly’s sister, is that I don’t know how I would feel. I’ve loved Lilly since I learned what the damn feeling was, so thinking about her not being here? Not having her? I don’t even consider it.”

“And the truth?”

“The truth is…I think about it all the time. Gano, if I’m being honest, I would sail down the River Styx on a piece of pallet wood and barter with Hades to exchange my soul to save Lilly’s life. We’re miles and miles apart, but in my heart, I know I’ll do whatever I can to be with her, even if I have to kill who she’s with. Yes, he might love her, but not the way I do. I’d give her my fucking heart. Cut it out myself if I have to.”

Lee kicked the back of Adrían’s seat. “Hey, why didn’t you ask me?”

Trevor glanced in the rearview mirror. “Because you don’t have a heart.”

“I used to, but it turned to stone after I didn’t do a damn thing with it,” Lee said. “Does that count?”

Adrían shook his head. “No.”

“Why are you asking?” Lee prodded.

“Because the kid’s in love with Sayeda, obviously,” Trevor answered. “Us black hearts sometimes come with a little bit of red space, you know. And I think, to some extent, black hearts love stronger because they know they don’t have many chances left at it. I’m not sure about those made of stone, though. You’re on your own there, mate.”

“It’s not love,” Adrían clarified.

Still, had things been different, she would have had to move to the other side of the globe to avoid becoming his woman on a more permanent basis. With her, even the simple things were enjoyable—conversation, eating dinner together, shopping at a busy market, and a kiss in complete darkness.

It used to feel like his virginity was a curse placed on him by his mother. Since he was a little boy, she’d always preached for him to be careful of “friends of the jaguar.” She’d warned him to be mindful of those he allowed into his life because people harbored light and dark energy. With more time, Sayeda could have become the light that balanced his dark past. Had they more time, he saw no obstacles that would have prevented him from opening up to her.

“How would you know it’s not love?” Lee asked. “No one in this truck is qualified to define what it means to love someone. Where I’m from, two people don’t get married. Two families do. In all of my twenty-seven years, I’ve met no one worth making that kind of commitment to.”

Trevor raised an index finger. “I know something about it. If you two would like a lesson, say so.”

Neither one of them responded.

“I’ll tell you anyhow. They say, if you love someone, you let them go and wait for them to return. But that is bloody bullshit. If you love someone, you tag them. Follow them. Find them. Don’t wait for life to boomerang them back to you.”

“And if she’s with someone?” Adrían asked.

“Kill him.”

“What if she’s happy?”

“Kill him. She’ll be happier with you.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “And if I don’t kill him?”