Page 5 of A Thousand Cuts

He bit his lip, remembering the way Wren had reacted. The mystery between the two of them that neither of them had spoken a word about. Fix had his suspicions, of course, and he worried. Cursebreaker relationships were one of the hardest lines Nexus took. If you got caught…

“Wren,” Fix called after him and Wren turned around, freezing as his eyes fell on the envelope.

He dashed over and snatched it from Fix’s fingers, holding it like it was both precious and hated—grip so tight it could strangle, but cupping it in both hands like he was protecting it.

“It’s still sealed,” Fix said.

Wren tucked it into his pocket again before turning his back to Fix.

“I can’t…” he said. “Not yet.”

He was gone before Fix could say another word, but something inside his chest ached at the tremble in Wren’s voice.

Wren was always the most fragile out of all of them. Not weak or defenseless, just…fragile. He felt deeply. And when you allowed yourself to feel so deep, you left yourself exposed to a world of hurt.

Fix wanted to shield him from everything and everyone. He felt that way about all of his brothers. That burning desire to be the wall between them and anything that could harm any of them. The instinct to wrap Wren in Bubble Wrap and shield him from the cruel world was one of the strongest Fix felt. But he also knew how self-sufficient and fiercely independent Wren fought to be, how far he had come to achieve that and how much pride he took in only needing someone occasionally.

Fix knew he had to respect that.

He sank back into his chair with a loud sigh, leaning his head against the rest and closing his eyes.

When he opened them again, they landed on the mystery man’s file. He stared a hole through it for a few moments, knowing he should get started on something else. He had a mountain of paperwork, and he didn’t get quiet days like this often…

He couldn’t get the guy out of his head.

He knew Wren was right. He was all out of options and the whole thing was making him spiral.

Fix knew he had to find him.

Make sure he was safe.

Make sure he hadn’t put the man in danger by being dismissive and rude to him. He didn’t think he’d be able to live with it if he caused someone like that harm.

Running a hand over his face, he picked up his phone.

“My favorite cursebreaker.” Cane’s sardonic voice rang through the phone over a background of heavy music and Fix grimaced. “Well, other than the one I’m sleeping with, obviously.”

“I do not want to know,” Fix said.

Cane chuckled. “To what do I owe the pleasure? Finally ready to take me up on my offer? Knock a guy out cleanly and there’s big bucks in it for you.”

“The answer is still no.”

“You’re missing a trick, Fix. A guy like you was built to smash people’s heads around.”

Fix rolled his eyes, wanting to get to the point. “Remember the man you offered to look into for me?”

“I sure do,” Cane said lazily. “You change your mind about being all noble?”

“Apparently,” Fix said. “Can you do it?”

“Can I do it? The fuck you take me for?” Cane huffed. “I’m sending you all the info I have on him. It’s not much—little fucker is slippery—but I have his name and address.”

“You already looked?”

“Hart said you’d call. And he said that once you set your mind to something, waiting for results made you antsy. It’s best to be prepared, Fix. Information is power. Even if you didn’t end up asking for it, it’s good to have.”

“You didn’t scare him, did you?” Fix demanded.