"Right now I'm more worried about Savannah getting herself out. If I didn't lock her in, she'd be down here in two minutes flat, trying to help us. We don't need that kind of help." She glanced at the broken glass. "She's helped quite enough already."
"If Savannah made the glass fly, it wasn't intentional."
Leah shrugged. "You're probably right. Anyway, it's not her fault. What can you expect, with a mother like Eve."
"You think that's it? Just because her mother was into black magic doesn't necessarily mean--"
"Eve wasn't just a witch, Elena. Her father was a demon, meaning she was a half-demon/witch hybrid. A brutal combination. Now, I'm pretty laid-back. I don't scare easily. But Eve scared the crap out of me. Sondra, remember when she first got here--"
Bauer whirled to face us. "Who the fuck cares, Leah?! We have God knows how many armed guards pounding at the exit door and you're discussing Savannah's genealogy!"
"Chill out, Sondra. Elena and I have every thing under control. We're used to this kind of stuff. All I'm saying, Elena, is to be careful around Savannah. Remember, she's a preteen girl, hormones kicking in and all that shit. It only makes things worse. Who knows--"
"Goddamn it!" Bauer shouted. "They're breaking down the fucking door!"
"You think they'll get in?" Leah asked me calmly, as if Bauer were some lunatic screaming inside a padded room.
"Eventually," I said.
She sighed. "Okay, then. Time to prepare the welcoming party."
When we'd finished planning, we turned off the light. With our night vision, Bauer and I would be fine, and Leah had decided that the overall advantages of darkness outweighed the personal disadvantage of limited vision.
We slipped into the hall, staying behind the corner in case the guards broke through, guns blazing.
"Hello!" Leah shouted. "We're trapped in here! Some of us are hurt! What's going on out there? Can you hear us?"
No one replied. As Bauer had warned, the door was soundproof. Leah tried a few more times, then I motioned her to silence and listened. I could hear only snatches of muffled voices.
"--when's that--getting here?"
"--other door--power out--"
"--radio--again--"
"--off-duty guys?--Matasumi, Winsloe?"
Leah leaned against my shoulder. "Can you tell how many there are?"
I shook my head. "Three, maybe four voices, plus those who aren't talking. Wait, I hear something else."
A loud hissing sounded from the other side of the exit. As I tried to identify the noise, it suddenly rose to a grating whir, loud enough even for a non-werewolf to hear.
"Blowtorch," Leah said. "That'll work. We'd better get ready."
We neve
r got a chance to put our plan into motion. As I swung into the empty cell, the exit door suddenly opened. The guards' shouts of surprise broke into a barrage of commands. Leah darted into the first cell with me. As I wheeled to close the door, I realized Bauer wasn't with us.
"She bolted," Leah said.
"Shit!"
I threw open the door. Bauer was running down the hall.
"Sondra!" I shouted.
She stopped. Instead of turning around, though, she started pounding on the cell door to her right.