Page 114 of A Thousand Cuts

The messages came through in a drop-down at the top of his phone in quick succession.

“You helped him do this?” Fix growled, because this mystery asshole could clearly hear him. “And Cyrus knows about this?”

Unknown:He wasn’t in on it until I sent it to him. I told him not to say anything to anyone in case something like what just happened, happened and it put Liam in more danger

“HE WAS IN DANGER AS SOON AS YOU LET HIM RISK HIS LIFE!” he bellowed, finding it hard to concentrate on the road at all, dark spots crawling across his vision and making everything tilt on its axis.

Unknown:I just gave him a better option, asshole. He was doing it on his own before I stepped in, okay?

Fix shuddered out a breath.

Had Liam truly felt so alone and cornered that he’d risked everything like this?

Unknown:I assume from the direction you know where you’re going already. At least you aren’t completely stupid

Unknown:You need to hurry

It was the last message they sent as Fix tore through a red light, horns blaring and tires screeching in his wake.

The area was swarming with people when he pulled up, and all of them had their phones out with Liam’s dead stream pulled up.

He jumped out of his truck and abandoned it where it was, pushing through the cacophony of noise and crowds bodily to reach the cordon PUMA and the local police had set up. He attempted to blast right through, only to be held back by multiple sets of hands on his shoulders, arms, and chest.

“Sir, step back! This is a police-controlled area, you can’t enter!”

“Get the fuck off of me,” Fix growled while shoving at them.

“Threatening a police officer can get you arrested. I won’t give you another warning, sir!”

Fix wouldn’t either as he prepared himself to tackle this motherfucker.

“Let him go, you imbecile, he’s a cursebreaker!” a voice interrupted them.

Hands dropped like he was toxic, like he had curses writhing all over his skin. Fix had never been so happy about their prejudices.

He shouldered past them and toward a harried-looking Cyrus, who was coordinating with someone else, a team of strapped-up PUMA officers in leather tactical gear and helmets readying themselves to go in behind them.

He stepped forward to meet Fix. “Hey—”

“Before you say anything, you aren’t stopping me from going in there.”

Cyrus held eye contact for a suspended moment.

“Well if he’s as curse happy as you say he is then I’m sure we’ll need someone to break whatever he’s going to throw at us,” Cyrus drawled, finally looking away. “It’ll look good on the paperwork.”

“Are we going in now?”

“We were coming up with breach options and coordinating hitting the other entrances and exits when the stream went live to the fucking world. As soon as everyone is in position we can move. We don’t want this bastard slipping away with Liam as soon as he hears us coming.”

Logically it made sense. Deep down Fix knew that.

He wasn’t thinking logically right now.

“We can’t wait for that! Anything could be happening to him in there, we need to go now!”

“Look, Fix, this isn’t our first rodeo. Let us do our jobs—”

“HEY, YOU! Hold it right there!” someone shouted behind them.