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There’s a pause. “I’ve gotta say it… Don’t let your dick lead you astray, man.”
“Not an issue.” I force my words to be quiet and measured even though my knee-jerk reaction urges me to tell him to fuck off.
I know I came at Mac hard, but not once in the whole interaction did she waver. Not once did she give any indication that she was being dishonest or hiding something. Every one of my instincts tells me so.
Bronson should trust my judgment after all these years, because not one goddamn time have my instincts led me wrong.
I may not know Mac Ford’s favorite color, if Mac is her full name or if it’s short for Mackenzie, when or how she found her love for cars, or how she got her scars. What I do know is what she looks like when she dishes out her sarcasm, when she taunts me—both have her lifting that chin of hers boldly and staring me dead in the eyes.
When she’s scared or angry, her cheeks go a little pink and her fingers twitch. And when she’s satisfied as fuck, her eyes go hazy and her features soften.
I know when she hugs—even after admitting they’re foreign to her—it feels like she puts her whole heart into it. I know what it’s like to be buried balls deep inside her and to have her come on my tongue and cock.
Bronson’s voice drops lower. “How long have we been friends?”
My eyes fall closed on a silent Fuck. “A few decades.”
“Since you showed up at my school, enrolled as a junior when you damn sure didn’t look like one.” A smile colors his tone with his next words. “You were a scrawny little motherfucker but scrappy. Smart as hell, too. I knew the first moment the older kids tried to start shit with you, there was more to you than meets the eye. And I was right.”
He lets that hang between us before continuing. “You and me, we made somethin’ of ourselves. Started at rock bottom, too, with no handouts. And we didn’t get there by lettin’ other people dictate what we should or shouldn’t do.”
He goes silent, and I wonder what the hell kind of point he’s trying to make. “Any particular reason you took that little stroll down memory lane?”
Bronson chuckles. “’Cause I know you. You’re smart.” There’s a brief pause. “But your tone changed when you talked about this Mac woman. Never done that before, and it’s not a good sign.”
“Just ’cause my tone changed?” There’s no mistaking the skepticism in my voice. “You’re worryin’ over my damn tone?”
“Never heard you talk like that before about any woman. And you know what it means.”
I let out a huff of breath. “I’m not fuckin’ compromised.”
“Mm.” That’s all he says, and it grates on my fucking nerves. “Guess we’ll find out.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and bite back an expletive. The dull throb behind my eyes just adds to the fuckery that’s become my life. “I’m gonna figure shit out. Gotta know the reason I was led to her.”
“Do what you gotta do. But like Red said, be safe.”
“I’ll do my best.”
We end the call, and I shove my phone in my back pocket, heaving out a breath. My eyes instinctively veer to where Mac works on my car. Her silver ponytail shifts as she eases the old rubber off the rim. Confidence is in her movements, and it’s clear she knows what she’s doing.
I’m not staring at a woman who has anything to do with my sister’s murder. It’d be a hell of a lot easier if that were the case.
Because now, I’ve got to figure out what the guy wanted me to see or find out here. I need to stick this out and determine whether Mac is a lead to something more.
I just hope like hell it doesn’t turn out to be another goddamn dead end.
27
MAC
I finish up installing Daniel’s “new” used tires and replacement rim while he’s on his phone.
I wonder who the hell he’s talking to. Hopefully, he’s telling them how he’s about to shell out some cold, hard cash to the woman who’s saving his ass with these tires and rim.
Yeah, I’m pretty damn salty over how he came at me earlier. A small part of me, though, can understand why. He’s bent out of shape and battered much like his car is, carrying around his grief for his sister.
I press the button to send the hydraulic lift higher so I can get a look beneath the vehicle and ensure it didn’t somehow sustain damage to the frame.
