Now, he murmured something under his breath and on the computer board, the letters shifted to make home. "What next, Ellie?" It was clear he wasn't talking about the game.
She tapped her fingers on her thigh. "I need to talk to Sara."
"You're under blackout orders."
"Then you talk to her-tell her she's in danger. Everyone knows she's the one person certain to know my location." And it wasn't Dmitri she was worried about.
Vivek used a vocal command to open the door through which she'd entered. "Go. I'll make the call then let you back in."
She wasn't in the mood for his childishness. "I'm not going to steal your damn codes!"
"Go or I don't move."
Shoving away from the computer console, she strode out. "Hurry up." The door snapped shut behind her.
Sliding down to sit with her back against it, she didn't stop to consider that Ransom might also be in danger. She wasn't used to thinking of him as vulnerable. She wouldn't have worried so much about Sara either, before the baby. Not only could Sara take care of herself, but her husband, Deacon, was a lethal son of a bitch. But God, Zoe was so little.
The door slid open behind her. "Sara wants to talk to you." Vivek sounded peevish.
She walked in to find him sulking in the blackout booth, which meant Sara didn't want him listening in. Elena winced. When Vivek sulked, life in the Cellars got very uncomfortable-bone-melting temperature changes, odd smells in the air, food that tasted like sawdust. Once, she'd had to spend a whole torturous month down here after Vivek had had a fight with Sara. Talk about a shit storm. But Vivek's moods were nothing, not when Sara's life was on the line.
Elena picked up the old-fashioned phone. It was so old it was hackerproof. "Sara, you need to get down here with your family."
"The Guild Director doesn't turn tail and hide." Sara's tone was hard, revealing the steel backbone that had given her the strength to hold her position in a profession overrun with testosterone.
"Don't be an idiot!" Elena clenched her hand hard enough that her nails left half-moon crescents on her palms. "Dmitri isn't some baby vamp. He's Raphael's head of security!"
"And that's something else we need to discuss-just how big a 'disagreement' did you and Raphael have?"
Her soul chilled. "Why?"
"Because I came back to my office to find a new message waiting-he's looking for you, Ellie."
"I'll talk-"
"You're going nowhere near him," Sara snapped. "You didn't hear the message. If a na**d blade could speak, that's what it would sound like."
Elena cursed under her breath. What the hell had happened between her leaving the Tower and the message? He'd let her go without a fight. So why was he hunting her now? "Are you sure he's that angry?"
"Angry isn't the word I'd use. Lethal would fit better." There was real concern in Sara's voice. "What did you do to piss off an archangel?"
Loyalty warred with the inexplicable need she had to keep what had happened in the office, private. "I hit him."
A long, indrawn breath. "You hit an archangel?"
She recalled the sense of danger that had blasted off him like heat radiation. "It was his own fault, so if he stops to think about it, he'll calm down."
"Archangels aren't exactly good at saying sorry." Sarcasm dripped from every syllable. "It doesn't matter what he did, you'll have to grovel or he'll grind you to dust."
"I won't grovel." Not for anyone. "You know that."
"Of course I know that, you moron. I was making a point."
"The point being that I'm dead meat." Because she wouldn't apologize to that bastard. Not even to save her own life.
"Pretty much."
"That proves my point."
"Which is?"
"That you need to get Zoe and Deacon to a safe house. If Raphael's gunning for me, he'll come after you and yours to get my location." She paused, swallowed bile. Her life was one thing, but . . . "I won't let my pride put your family in danger. I'll call him and-"
"Shut up." Quiet words. Furious words. "I'll get Zoe out of the city. Deacon and I can look after ourselves."
"Sara, I'm sorry."
"You really f**king think I'd let you barter your soul so easily?" She hung up.
Elena felt like shit, but knew her best friend would forgive her. And Sara angry meant Sara in action. About to return the receiver to the cradle, she hesitated. A swift glance showed that Vivek had pointedly turned his back to her. Taking the chance, she pressed the cutoff button, then quickly dialed an outside line. "Hurry up," she muttered under her breath as the phone rang and rang on the other end.
"Beth Deveraux-Ling speaking."
At the sound of that familiar voice, moisture threatened to film Elena's vision. She cut it off with the ruthless ease of practice. "Beth, it's Elena."
"Why do you keep using that name?" Beth asked and Elena could almost see her frown. "You know Daddy prefers you use your full name, or Nell if you must shorten it."
"Beth, I don't have time for this. Is Harrison there?"
"Harry doesn't like talking to you." Her voice lowered. "I don't even know why I do-you turned my husband over to an angel."
"You know why," Elena reminded her. "If I hadn't brought him in, the next hunter would've had orders to execute him. Angels don't like losing their property."
"He's not property!" Beth sounded close to tears.
Elena rubbed at her temples with her fingers. "Please, Bethie, get Harrison. This is important." Her sister was high-strung at the best of times, and quite incredibly spoiled to boot. "He'll want to know."
A stubborn pause before Beth finally folded. Elena waited for several seconds, eyes trained on Vivek's back. He'd know she'd made an outside call the second he exited the cubicle but she had to do this. And there was no danger to the Guild-even if someone traced the call, it was set up to come back to a dummy account.
"Elena?"
She snapped to attention. "Harry, look, I need-"
"You need to listen," Harry interrupted.
"I don't have time for your-"
"I'm trying to help you." It was a sharp reproof. "I don't know why-maybe I don't want to be known as the brother-in-law of the hunter who was found spitted on a stick in Times Square! I can't believe you managed to insult someone of Dmitri's stature."
Elena froze. "You know?"