Page 66 of A Thousand Cuts

“Look, Fix,” Cyrus said with a heavy sigh that sounded exhausted. “We’re up to our eyeballs in cases right now and we only have so many resources. If I could put a full detail on or compile a full investigation for every civilian that called up, I fucking would, okay? But the fact is we don’t have the manpower. People are being murdered, we have rogue casters on the loose, we’re just about keeping our heads above water every day. So I’m sorry, I know you wish I could drop everythingevery time one of you calls me up and to look into whatever you want that day, but if it’s a choice between actually helping someone who needs me right now and chasing ghosts around Slatehollow hoping for a lead, you know what I have to choose.”

It was sobering. He knew Cyrus was constantly turning a blind eye to their team, pulling strings and covering for them. He was putting his ass on the line all the time, letting them bend and twist the rules.

Fix didn’t know what to say. But his desire to do everything for Liam to keep him safe was hard to suppress into sense.

“I need something more concrete to work from. Get me that and I can do more for you,” Cyrus said, before finishing with, “Oh, and one more thing. O’Malley did part of his stint in the clink with Cane. Just…interesting, you know. Wanted to make sure you had all the facts.”

The line disconnected and Fix smiled wryly.

He’d have to bake Cyrus a whole three-tier apology and thank-you cake.

He quickly texted Taylor to let her know he was going to be off the clock for a few hours while he worked on Liam’s case, then pulled up Cane’s number.

Fix:You holding office hours today?

Cane:Taking me up on my offer, big man?

Fix:I want everything you have on O’Malley.

There was a pause, but it was only brief.

Cane:Everything? The teeth will cost you extra. My knuckles worked hard for those.

Fix:I’m not playing around, Cane.

Cane:And I’m not your personal information dispensary because your doll likes to get in trouble. You got something to offer me for my time, we can talk.

Fix growled and put the truck in gear, lowering his foot on the gas. He had half a mind to call Hart, but he didn’t want to start causing waves in his brother’s relationship after everything he’d already been through.

If Cane needed his palm greased, fine. Fix would pay whatever it cost.

He pulled up outside the warehouse sometime later and hopped out of his truck, seeing Ares leaning against the wall like he was waiting for him. Without a word he gestured with his head to follow him.

Fix fell into step, shadowing him through the hallways.

As they broke into the main ring where a few people were cleaning and setting up for the coming night, his gaze naturally fell to the place where he had first met Liam.

Tearing his eyes away, he traversed the stairs and entered the door to Cane’s office. A cloud of smoke greeted him and he coughed slightly, waving it away to find Cane lounging shirtless in his desk chair. A lit cigarette was smoldering in the ashtray, simply propped there while Cane messed with the pieces of a gun in front of him.

He didn’t even look up.

“Took you long enough,” he drawled. “Woulda thought it was more urgent. The doll not mean that much to you after all?”

Fix glared a hole straight through him, fists tightening. Hart would kill him, but he wanted to pound Cane’s head in sometimes. “What do you want?”

Cane snorted, reclipping the slide of the gun over the barrel with practiced hands. “Straight to the point, huh?”

“I don’t want to play games with you.”

“Not games. Negotiations.” Cane slid the magazine in next with a satisfying click. “It’s half the point.”

“How?”

Cane set the gun aside and grabbed his burned-down cigarette, taking a drag and leaning back in his chair as he finally met Fix’s eyes. “Because you can tell everything about a person by how far they’re willing to go for what they want.”

Fix flexed his jaw, heart pounding in the shape of Liam’s name. “Name it and I’ll pay it.”

Cane sucked his teeth in disappointment, eyes sharp. “You’re still not getting it. If I just name an asking price and you meet it, how am I supposed to know if that’s really what I could have gotten out of you?”