Page 50 of Can't Stop Watching

"Fuck this."

I'm out of the vehicle before I can think twice, slamming the door behind me. My boots hit the pavement with military purpose. Twenty years ago, I couldn't save Gianna. I promised myself never to let anything like that happen again.

The doorman eyes me as I approach. I've got about three seconds to convince him I belong before?—

Sarah emerges from the building, head high, shoulders back. Relief hits me like a physical force. She's all right. She walks with purpose, the shy freshman act completely gone now.

I pivot, following at a distance as she makes her way down the block. She's checking her phone, smiling at something.

"Sarah," I call out when we're far enough from the building.

She freezes, then turns slowly. The transformation is remarkable—a complete identity shift from the hesitant girl at Luigi's. Her eyes narrow, taking my measure.

What am I doing? I'm blowing my cover.

"Do I know you?"

"No, but I know Brian Langford. He's no good." I close the distance between us, keeping my hands visible. "And I know what he does with girls like you."

I don'tknowit, and yet I do.

Her laugh is sharp, unexpected. "Girls like me? You don't know anything about me."

"I know enough. I know how it works. The internship offer, the special attention, the promises—it's a pattern. This thing is… I think he's capable of much more."

Something flickers across her face. Doubt? Fear? Then her features harden.

"You're following me. Who the hell are you, some kind of pervert?" She takes a step back. "You're the creep here, not Brian."

The irony would be amusing if it weren't so fucking tragic. "He's married, you know that?"

"Of course I know that." Her chin tilts up defiantly. "We have an arrangement."

Christ. She thinks she's special. They always do. "Let me guess… he's going to leave his wife. You're different from theothers."

"You don't know anything about our relationship."

That word—relationship. The hook is set deep.

"His wife hired me to investigate him. You're not the first, Sarah. Probably not even the first this year."

I'm certain of this. I've seen it enough times to be duped by any act, no matter how sleek.

Her eyes flash. Maybe I've gotten through.

She shakes her head. "You're lying. I don't need your warnings or your judgment. Brian and I understand each other."

That's when I see it—the shift in her posture, the calculating gleam. She's not being manipulated anymore, at least not in the way I thought. She believes she's got some sort of power now, maybe thinks Brian's in love with her or something.

So fucking naive. She thinks she's playing chess while Langford's playing a game without rules.

"You think you have power here? Girls smarter than you try to outsmart men like him. You know where they end up?"

"I can handle myself." She glances at her watch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have classes to attend."

She walks away, confident. Doomed, but confident.

"Hold up," I call after her, my voice cutting through the afternoon noise. She stops but doesn't turn around. Progress.