MilonguerraHE HAS ALREADY given her cabeceo—that long look, intense with meaning, across the floor—and she has accepted, with a subtle tilt of the head, understanding, naturally, that to decline the invitation, which is also a challenge, would be tantamount to ceding the prize to him and his partner, which she and her partner are certainly not willing to do.
It’s always the tango, when covert operatives need to confront one another, discreetly, among people who aren’t part of the trade.
Thus they are now in abrazo, her right hand raised and clasped in his left, free arms wrapped around each other’s backs, bodies lightly grazing. He could grip her hand painfully or crush her too tightly against him, but he doesn’t. She could dig fingernails into his back or impale his foot beneath a stile
