He raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
"Really," I said, the irritation in my voice not in the least bit faked. "Look, if you don't want to help, fine. Just tell me where another phone booth is, and I'll be on my way."
"There are some houses one street over, or Scienceworks is a block away to the right."
"Thanks for nothing, bud," I muttered and turned away. So much for doing things the easy way.
"Wait," he said, just as I ducked under the door.
I turned, bending back under the door and, in the process, flashing a good bit of breast. It might not help, but it couldn't hurt, either. "What?"
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a cell phone. "Use this," he said, "but make it quick. I'm expecting a call."
"You're a doll." I flashed him a big smile and sauntered over, throwing in plenty of saucy hip action. His gaze slipped down, and though the scent of desire touched the air, a sense of watchfulness remained. Not one to be easily distracted by a wanton woman, obviously.
He offered me the cell, and I took it without attempting to catch his hand. I stepped away, dialed home, and asked a nonexistent boyfriend to come rescue me. Then I hung up and flashed the guard another smile.
"Thanks for that."
I held out the phone. As he reached for it, I dropped it, then wrapped my hand around his and yanked him forward. Hard. But even unbalanced, he reacted, his free hand moving so fast it was almost a blur as he raised the gun. I clenched my fist and punched him in the neck. The gunshot zinged past my earlobe, and warmth spurted down my neck. I cursed silently and grabbed his leg, yanking his feet out from underneath him. He landed with a thump on his butt, his face at eye level and perfectly positioned for a punch.
I hit him again, feeling skin mash and bone shatter under the force of the blow. As he went down, I grabbed the gun, leapt up onto the platform, and ran into the hall. Over my shoulder, I said, "Azriel, hide the body in one of the rooms."
I didn't wait to see if he would do as I asked. The other guard would have heard the shot, but he hadn't come running. Which meant he was either taking care of Tao or lying low. If it was the former then I had to get there fast. And if it was the latter …
I didn't want to think about the latter. Not when there was already blood running down the side of my neck.
The end of the hall came into sight. It was a T-intersection, and shadows haunted both the left and right corridors. I slowed and flared my nostrils, searching through the scents in the air in an attempt to pinpoint the guard's location. I couldn't smell him, but Tao was located to the right, which meant the guard probably would be as well.