Page 39 of Deadly North

But if he’s going to be all adult and everything, I’m not about to let him win at that game. I can be mature, too. Taking a deep breath, I make myself think through the words I want to say.

“You remember what you said when you thought I was flirting with some of the other Bastards out there?” I ask.

“Yeah.” His eyes darken. “I said I don’t share. I didn’t know that was gonna be a problem for you.”

I shake my head. “That’s not it. It’s what you said after that.”

Mack gives me a blank look. God. This seems so juvenile all of a sudden. I feel my anger start to deflate like an old balloon. But at the same time, I know I can’t just let this go. Childish or not, I need to talk to him about the old wound he ripped open inside me.

I suck in a deep breath, and then let the words out. “You said you’d tell the other Bastards I was a lesbian to keep me away from them.”

One corner of his mouth quirks up. “G. Come on. I was joking.”

I swallow. “Were you though? Because that wouldn’t be the first time you did that.”

Mack looks frustrated. He reaches up to rub a hand over his face. “Look. Could we just cut to the chase and you tell me what you’re upset about, instead of making me guess?”

“Brock Tichenor.”

“Who?” He gives me a quizzical look. “Wait, what? From high school? He was on the football team with Fury and me.”

“Yeah. And you told him I was a lesbian so he wouldn’t go out with me.”

Mack cocks his head, then chuckles. He fuckingchuckles! “Yeah, I remember that. But fuck, you can’t still be mad that I got him away from you, Gigi. That guy was a fucking asshole.”

“What? He was not!”

His lip curls in disgust. “You were never in a locker room with him. He was a fuckin’ pig. I mean, most guys that age are. But he was worse than average. Much worse. And he hid it under this fucking All-American boy thing he did. The way he talked about girls was fucking disgusting. He wouldn’t have treated you right, Gigi. I didn’t want you getting tangled up with him. So yeah, I told him you weren’t into guys. It’s the only thing that would’ve worked with a dirtbag like him. And it did. It kept him away from you long enough for him to find some other chick to play with. So I’m not sorry for that.”

I scoff. “Yeah. And it kept every other guy away from me, too. I never had a single date in high school, Mack. Did you know that? Did you know that thanks to you, every popular guy in my class started calling me Gay-Gi?”

Mack suppresses a snort. “Shit, really? That’s a pretty fuckin’ stupid nickname.”

“Yeah, they did. Of course, you and Connor probably didn’t hear that, being seniors. So why should you care, right?”

The bitterness in my voice is tinged with embarrassment — both for my younger self, and for the fact that all of this still bothers me. “God, this is so stupid,” I mutter, staring at my hands in my lap. I get ready for him to mock me for still being so hung up on something that happened so long ago.

But to my surprise, Mack is gentle with me. “It’s not stupid if it hurt you. You had enough bad shit going on when you were a kid. I’m sorry I added to it.” He curls his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “I was trying to protect you. I swear to Christ, Gigi. I wouldn’t ever hurt you on purpose. Not now, and not back then, either.”

How is he doing this? How is he turning from King Asshole to Prince Hero Biker Guy? Damn him. I’m not exactly sorry I brought it up, because Mack seems so sincere about his explanation that I actually believe him. But I’m starting to feel stupid that I’ve held onto my anger at him about this for so long. I need to change the subject.

“Honestly? Just forget about it.” I lean into him, sighing. “It’s all water under the bridge. Or at least, it should be. Let’s just forget about it. How’s Connor? You don’t seem to have a black eye or broken limbs or anything.”

Mack chuckles again. “He’s pissed, for sure. But I think I managed to talk him out of bashing my skull in, at least until we get this situation with Blaze taken care of. He went back to his place to get some sleep.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I can’t really tell you much. All I can say is, if the Scorpions know what’s good for them, they’ll take care of Blaze themselves.”

Mack is telling me things that MC members don’t usually tell the women who hang around their club. I realize I’m being given a level of info that even old ladies don’t often get. I wonder if that’s only because I’m involved. “And if they don’t?”

Mack sets his jaw but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to. I’ve been around Connor enough to know that the two clubs are close to war.

“This is because of me.” My voice breaks as I say the words. “This isn’t right, Mack. Your clubs wouldn’t be on the verge of war if I wasn’t involved.”

Mack grasps me by the shoulders. His eyes lock onto mine, their expression fierce. “You listen to me, Gigi. This is not your fault. None of it is. You’re Fury’s sister. You’re…” He trails off. “The club protects family. Don’t you let this shit get into your head. You understand me?”

I swallow painfully. “Yes.”

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