Page 57 of Pretty Cruel Love

I go silent.

“Thanks for confirming there’s another missing segment, though… You didn’t let her stitch you up with her mind, did you?”

“Correct. She did it telepathically. I’m considering hiring her as a mentalist when she’s released.”

“Ifshe’s released,” Robin fires back. “And you know what I mean.”

“I really don’t.”

“Don’t make me say it, Dr. Weiss.”

“You’ve never questioned any other surveillance lapses.”

“Because there haven’t been any,” she says. “And because you’ve never looked at any other patient the way you look at Sadie Pretty.”

“Come again?”

“You’reattractedto her. Deeply.”

“Robin—”

“It’s the only reason you took this case when everyone else warned you against it. You saw her face in the papers, lusted after her like every other man who’s caught a glimpse of her eyes, and now you think you can fix her.”

“Who said she was broken?”

Silence.

I should deny it more forcefully, tell her she’s out of line for evensuggestingthat I’m attracted to a patient, but I can’t…

“When you return to being the Dr. Weiss I actually respect,” she says, “send me her latest ‘then’ assignment, your session notes, and talk to me about our next move.”

“I don’t appreciate your fucking tone.”

“And I don’t appreciate wondering why the most meticulous man I know is two days late on reports and hasn’t mentioned a thing about missing footage.”

“Robin, if you don’t apologize for implying?—”

She ends the call before I can finish my sentence, leaving me alone with her undeniable suspicions.

Shit…

25

SADIE

Day Fourteen

Day Nine

(I still can’t believe the warden agreed to be fair—and actually give me the full term.)

I’m sitting across from Ethan at our chessboard, watching him stare intently at the game.

He could’ve pushed me into a corner this morning, left me on the verge of a humbling loss, but he didn’t. Instead, he let me live a little while longer, and now he’s the one fighting for survival.

“I’d be open to a ‘draw’ if you say the word, Dr. Weiss.” I smile. “We could start a new game with a timer—force ourselves to finish it.”

“Why would I ever agree to a draw when you’re the one who’s about to lose?” He smirks. “I’m just debating how to make it as painless as possible for you.”

---