Page 104 of A Thousand Cuts

The relief was clear in Fix’s eyes when they landed on him, safe and sound, even though he’d been checking in regularly. It was just another reason to solidify the plan in his head.

“Hey, honey,” Fix said, large hand cupping behind his head to lay a kiss to his lips. His beard tickled Liam’s skin. “Any trouble?”

It was a ritual now. Code for curses.

“Not this time,” Liam said, and Fix seemed happier to hear it. It spurred Liam on. “I wanted to talk to you about something though.”

Fix raised his brows. “Sure. You can talk to me about anything.”

Liam shifted on his feet. “Let’s sit.”

He urged Fix into the armchair, nudging King aside gently. “Do you need anything, Daddy? A snack? A drink?”

“Just one thing.”

“What?” Liam asked, frenetic energy making him want to sprint into action.

Fix grasped his wrist and guided Liam into his lap. He met Fix’s pleased gaze with his own wide-eyed one.

“Perfect,” Fix said.

“You’re smoother than you look, you know.”

Fix chuckled and brushed a hand over Liam’s hip. “This old man has a few tricks up his sleeve.”

Liam tried not to get distracted.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Fix asked, taking Liam’s hand and lavishing kisses along the inside of his wrist.

“Well I was talking to Morgan…” Liam started, fingers twitching when Fix hummed against his skin to show he was listening. “About my case.”

“I asked him on his way out. He hasn’t found anything yet but he’ll keep working on it.”

“I know. But he won’t find anything.”

“Cyrus and Nexus are both involved, and I even roped Cane in. You don’t have to worry.” Fix was quick to raise his head and reassure him, like he was worried Liam was about to spiral again.

“They won’t find anything either,” Liam said. “I think we both know we’ve hit a wall and there’s nowhere else to go.”

“Honey, I’m not giving up.”

“I know,” Liam said again. He really did. “But just…hear me out. I was talking to Morgan.”

Fix tilted his head in question.

“We were talking about the night the stalker chased me,” Liam said slowly.

Fix’s grip on him tightened. “Hard to forget that.”

Liam nodded. “It was the only time we’ve ever seen them though.”

Fix thought for a moment. “I suppose that’s true, but I couldn’t find any leads. Cyrus was even able to pull the camera footage from the surrounding area and train station but aside from height and build and the strong suspicion that it’s a male, there’s no identifying features visible.”

Fix still wasn’t getting it.

“It’s the only time we’ve everseenthem,” Liam stressed. “When I was out. Alone.”

Fix stilled for a moment before definitively saying, “No.”