Page 46 of A Thousand Cuts

Despite the looming paranoia, he also conversely felt safer than he ever had. He didn’t have to fear curses when Fix would be there to break them within the hour. He went to bed with his head full of the other man and woke up to fading dreams of chased kisses and hands on his body.

It was dangerous to get used to.

Once they figured this mess out, Fix would be gone, and then where would he be? Still waiting by the window and hoping for a knock that would never come?

No. He needed to get a hold of himself.

And part of that was taking some control of his life and fixing the one niggling thorn in his brain that couldn’t be solved by a cursebreaker.

Cane.

Specifically, what Cane had dug up about him and his past and who he had told.

It wasn’t something he could leave in Fix’s hands. He was already risking enough by letting the cursebreaker dig around in his life to try and solve this case. If he turned over the wrong stone…

Liam couldn’t let it happen. Every time Fix gave him an update he feared what would come out of his mouth. He couldn’t go through life with this hanging over his head, waiting for it to drop like a guillotine.

He didn’t trust Cane.

Which brought him to staring at himself in the mirror at eleven o’clock at night, contemplating whether he could really do this. He’d dressed in a simple pair of black jeans and a black and white cropped shirt. It was nothing special and he’d never go to the ring in it normally, but he wasn’t planning on working. For once, he didn’t want to draw attention.

He pulled his long hair back into a low ponytail and shrugged on the beige corduroy puffer jacket that he’d thrifted. He’d been beyond ecstatic that day; the opposite of the dread he was feeling bubbling in his stomach now.

Sighing, he shoved his feet into his sneakers and grabbed his phone and keys.

King whined at his feet and Liam gave him a soft look, bending down to stroke his head. “I’ll be back soon, King. Don’t worry.”

King whined some more, icy blue eyes pleading with him.

“I know,” Liam whispered. “But I have to do this to keep us safe, okay?”

He left before he could talk himself out of it, locking the door behind him and beginning the familiar journey in the direction of the fight ring. He ran through what he wanted to say over and over as he walked to the nearest station and caught the train, rehearsing it so he wouldn’t get tongue tied. Cane was intimidating as hell, so he needed to get his point across quickly before he lost his nerve.

Anxiety made it hard to sit still and a sudden disruption on the line didn’t help matters. The lights in the train carriage flickered overhead and the few people around him grumbled and shifted. Someone reached into their bag and grabbed some ingredients, casting a light spell and holding it in their palm.

There wasn’t a lot of time to figure out what had happened as they were forced to disembark at the next station.

For once in his life, Liam hadn’t drawn the short straw as the station was his stop. He left the disgruntled passengers behind, making his way down the dark streets and alleys until a familiar warehouse loomed in front of him. Deep, booming base spilled out into the night, only faint light illuminating its facade.

He hated coming here. He always left feeling a little worse about himself. But fear was a powerful motivator.

He took a deep breath before approaching the entrance, recognizing the bulky shape of the guard on the door—tall and built, with braids in his hair and skin as dark as the night, covered head to toe in tattoos and piercings, Ares was sort of hard to miss.

Their eyes met and Ares gestured with his head for him to come closer. Liam held himself still for the cursory pat down, appreciating that Ares never lingered longer than he had to.

“Doesn’t look like you’re dressed for work,” he said.

“Maybe the client is into this.”

“Boring and basic is an interesting kink.”

Liam wanted to glare at the insult to his wardrobe, but instead he shifted on his feet. He knew what Ares was digging at and implying. Why was Liam here when he wasn’t playing arm candy? And was he about to stir up trouble?

“I need to talk to Cane,” he said, deciding to come right out with it.

Ares’s flat-eyed stare didn’t shift. “So do a lot of people.”

Liam bit his lip. “He owes me.”