Instead of taking the drinks and heading back to Vanessa like he initially planned, Liam paused for a moment. His grip on the glasses loosened slightly as he lowered them back onto the bar's polished marble surface with a soft clink. His eyes didn't leave the bartender.
With a relaxed, almost lazy tilt of his head, Liam leaned forward, placing one hand casually on the bar. His voice was calm, light, curious, laced with an innocent tone behind the silver-accented mask covering his face.
"You alright, man?" Liam asked.
The bartender furrowed his brows slightly, caught off guard. "Uh… yeah, why?"
Liam's hand subtly lifted and pointed at the man's neck. "That mark there," he said softly. "Looks like you took one hell of a hit recently."
The bartender's face twitched just slightly, barely noticeable to the average eye. But Liam caught it. That brief flash of fear. The memory. The stiffness in his spine.
He remembered.He remembered exactly what Liam was talking about.
