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"He saved my life."
"Yeah? Well, if it hadn't been for him, your life wouldn't have needed saving. And I'm sure you didn't need rescuing anyway. You'd have been fine. The only reason he jumped in there to 'save' you was so he could hold a marker over you--" He stopped, jaw setting. "That better not be why he's calling."
I took the paper from Jeremy's hand. "I'll know in a few minutes."
"Hey, Elena!" the voice crackled across a weak cellular line. "Remember me?"
"Uh-huh."
I settled onto the sofa and pulled my legs up under me. Clay sat on the other end, leaning my way, making no effort to look like he wasn't eavesdropping. I didn't care. If I did, I wouldn't have let him in the room in the first place.
"Uh-huh?" Xavier said. "That's all I get after three years? We spent a harrowing week together, locked in an underground prison, fighting for survival--"
"I was fighting for survival. You were drawing a paycheck."
"Hey now, in my own way, I was just as much of a prisoner as you."
I snorted. "A prisoner of your own greed."
"Trapped by my shortcomings. It's tragic really."
"Know what'd be even more tragic? If you teleported into the middle of a wall and got trapped by your shortcomings there. Does that ever happen?"
"My momma taught me to always look where I'm going."
"Damn."
"Ouch. What did I ever do to you--er, better not answer that."
I glanced over at Clay, who motioned for me to hang up.
"What do you want, Xavier? I was just about to head out for ice cream."
"And that's more important than talking to me? No, wait, don't answer that either. Since you're obviously not going to play nice, I'll cut to the point. You owe me a favor."
"No, you said I owed you. I never agreed. As I recall, you offered the trade in return for giving me two pieces of advice about the compound, but you hightailed it out of there yourself before telling me the second."
"It was dogs. They had trained bloodhounds and attack dogs."
"Really? Oh, right, that's what attacked me and nearly ripped my throat out. Left a nice scar on my shoulder, too. Thanks for the warning."
"Okay, so you only owe me half a favor. And you could argue that one, too. I'm really only using that as an opener for a fresh deal. The beginning of what I hope will be a long and mutually profitable relationship. I'm a useful guy, Elena. I could really help you out."
"Uh-huh. So who's chasing you?"
"No one. Let me finish. Last year I started thinking about this. That I should get in touch with you and renew our acquaintance."
"Uh-huh. And who was chasing you then?"
"A Cabal, but that's not the point."
"I'm not a bodyguard for hire, Xavier."
"And that isn't what I have in mind. This particular proposal has zero violence potential. It involves another of your...specific skills. In return, I can tell you where you'll find that rogue wolf you've been hunting."
I glanced over at Clay. "What rogue--?"
"David Hargrave. Killed three women in Tennessee. Your Pack has been hunting for him for a couple of months now."
