Page 43 of Prey

"What happens now?" he asks.

"Now," I say, "you go back to your desk. You answer work emails. You ignore anything that smells like gossip. If someone tries to talk to you about the incident, you send them to me. If HR wants a conversation, they get it with both of us present."

"Both," he repeats. "You’re going to sit in a room with HR while they tell you your secretary is a danger to you?"

"I’m going to sit in a room with HR while they try to build a case with whatever narrative they have," I correct him. I think of the original footage. The parts Rose cut out. Me in the stairwell, hand on my belt, listening to him say my name. Me texting Leo to get the cleaners in early. Me labeling audio file Prey.

He hesitates. "What about the board?"

"The board will get their own show," I say.

He laughs weakly. "You sound very sure."

"It’s my building," I remind him. "She stole my cameras."

He looks at me for a long moment. Then nods.

"Okay," he says. "I’ll try to believe you."

"You don’t have to believe me." I let my fingers slip away from his chin. "You just have to stay where I put you until this is over."

He stands. His legs are steadier now.

"You’re putting me back on the floor," he says. "Where everyone saw me."

"Yes."

"That’s cruel," he says quietly.

"Grey," I say again. "If you run now, you stay their monster forever. If you keep walking, they have to decide whether they’re brave enough to keep looking you in the eye."

He thinks about that. I see it. The small, sharp calculus behind his eyes.

"Okay," he says finally. "I can do that."

"Good." I open the door.

Outside, screens glow. People pretend to work. They’re waiting to see what happens next.

I stand in my doorway watching him go back to his desk and let them see exactly where my eyes go when he sits.

Chapter 22

Grey

I don't sleep.

Cain is beside me, breathing slow and even. He doesn't know I'm awake. He doesn't know I've been staring at the ceiling for hours, replaying the video on loop in my head. The way my hand moved down my stomach. The way my mouth formed his name. The way the caption made it look like I was a threat, not a man who was desperate and alone and in love with someone who didn't even know I existed.

The notification comes at 6:47 AM.

I reach for my phone before Cain can wake. The screen is too bright. The subject line is a blade:

HR: Mandatory Meeting - 8:00 AM - Conference Room C

Employee: Grey

Attendance Required. Legal Counsel Present.