Page 12 of Prey

He’s still sitting at his desk. Still watching me.

"You look tired," he says. "Get some coffee. You have a long day ahead."

How do you know I have a long day ahead? You don’t control my schedule. Except he does. He’s my boss. He controls everything. Where I sit. What I do. How long I stay in his orbit.

"Thank you, sir. I will."

Chapter 7

Grey

At 1 PM, my phone buzzes.

Cain: My office, now.

Not an email, not an intercom request. A text to my personal phone. I never gave him the number. He must have gotten it from HR. That’s normal. Should be normal. My heart doesn’t think it’s normal.

"Come in."

He’s standing by the window. Back to me, hands in his pockets.

"Close the door." He doesn’t turn around. "I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday. About William. About his pattern of poor judgment."

"Yes, sir."

"You were right." He turns and faces me. "He’s lying. I confronted him again. He folded in ten minutes."

You confronted him? Without me? Without the file I prepared?

"I’m glad it worked out, sir."

"It worked out because of you." He walks toward me. Slowly. Each step deliberate. "You saw something I didn’t see. You found something I didn’t find."

Because I’m obsessed with you. Because I spend my nights digging through the lives of everyone who gets close to you. Because I can’t stand the idea of anyone else having you. But I just say, "Thank you, sir."

"You’re valuable, Grey." He’s close now. I can smell his cologne. The word lands heavier than it should. Valuable means useful. Useful means kept. I can live with that. Loved is dangerous. Loved is temporary. Loved is how you get abandoned. After all, my mother said she loved me and she left anyway.

"I appreciate that, sir."

He tilts his head.

"You’re blushing."

"The office is warm," I say.

"The office is sixty-eight degrees," he says. He knows the temperature. Of course he does.

"You’re an interesting man, Grey." His voice is softer now. "I’ve been watching you for a while, trying to figure you out. You’re good at your job, better than anyone I’ve had. But you’re also...something else."

Something dangerous, something people leave when they finally see it.

"What do you mean, sir?

He smiles. A smile that says I know something you don’t.

"I mean," he says, "that you’re not just efficient. You’re invested. There’s a difference."

He absolutely knows.