Page 44 of Hide or Die

I wasn’t sure if there was anything to be read into that or not. On the one hand, I’d noted the man’s almost paternal relationship with his underlings shortly after they’d first been assigned to us. It was natural that he’d be worried about Jax, but would a normal team leader really stay with his injured man 24/7? There was the sample of the chemical weapon to worry about, for one thing... though once he’d handed it over to a government lab, it would probably have fallen under someone else’s jurisdiction.

Beckett’s only official mission had been to keep Kam and me safe at the summit. With his other alphas guarding us, he legitimately might not have much else to do except paperwork and reports for his superiors in the security division.

Eventually, we reentered Bucharest. The city looked as stately and peaceful as ever, which felt wrong somehow. My world had shifted seismically. It seemed unfair that the fresh chaos shouldn’t be reflected externally in the city around me.

The private clinic didn’t look like much from the outside, though it did have a guarded gate at the entrance. The sentry spoke rapidly to Alex in Romanian. I had no idea if she spoke the language or not, but she handed over a pass. The man examined it and waved us through a moment later as the gate arm rose. The parking lot was small, with only a few other vehicles in it. Alex parked the Range Rover next to a gray Audi sedan, and we got out. Entering the building required another flash of the pass. The inside of the clinic was decidedly nicer than the outside, with soothing, neutral paint colors and tasteful decorating.

I got the distinct impression that the UFNA government would be paying handsomely for Jax’s stay here. Alex stopped at the reception window and requested Beckett. Again, she showed the pass, and the woman behind the glass nodded in acknowledgement.

A minute or so later, the door to the waiting room opened, and Beckett stepped through. He ran his pale gaze over us and nodded in satisfaction.

“Oh, good,” he said. “Come on back. He’s awake.”

We followed, though Kam and I hung back at the door to the private suite while Flynn and Alex hurried to their packmate’s bedside. Even from across the room, I could see that Jax looked terrible. His complexion was pasty gray, and he had dark circles under his bloodshot blue eyes. His arms rested across his chest, one of them heavily bandaged. His hands twitched and jerked continuously.

Nerve agent, I thought. Uncontrollable muscle contractions would be one of the side effects.

Flynn leaned on the side rail of the hospital bed and stared down. “Wow. You look like hell, asshole.”

One corner of Jax’s lips twitched. “Good to know I look better than I feel, then. Next time, don’t be so late.” His deep velvet voice emerged as an exhausted rasp.

Flynn grunted in irritation. “Next time, get kidnapped and held captive somewhere that’s easier to find. YouknowI fuckin’ hate caves.”

“Not a big fan myself, after this,” Jax agreed. One of his legs jerked beneath the hospital blanket, and he gritted his teeth.

Alex reached down and clasped his bicep. “We’re glad to see you awake,alef. Everyone is safe. You did well.”

Jax snorted, and immediately winced. “You mean I nearly got everyone killed. What a goddamned shitshow.”

Beckett, who’d been standing off to one side with his arms crossed, spoke up. “You did everything you could. The fault lies with the lack of intelligence regarding the attack on the motorcade. It’s a mess, true—but as long as everyone’s alive, messes can be cleaned up afterward.”

“We’d both be dead if it weren’t for the four of you,” Kam said quietly.

“Dead... or worse,” I agreed, not even trying to ignore the omega-shaped elephant in the room.

Jax’s eyes tracked to us, and I wondered if he’d even registered our presence before now. “Madam Ambassador. I’m just glad they didn’t manage to pump this stuff into you. Thank the others, not me.”

“Call me Leona, please,” I said. “And you’re stuck with our thanks as well—sorry.”

“Is it safe to talk in here?” Flynn asked.

“That’s part of what we’re paying for in this place,” Beckett said. He met my eyes, and I noticed that the livid cut on his face from the car crash seemed to be healing well. “Come inside properly and close the door, please.”

Distantly, I wondered if this was it—the moment when he’d make some demand in exchange for his unexpected leniency with us. I followed Kam the rest of the way inside and shut the door behind us.

Don’t let other people control the conversation. It was Diplomacy 101. Listening was important—but framing the flow of the conversation in the way most beneficial to you was vital.

“Mr. Beckett,” I began, “you and your team have gone above and beyond the call of duty. You’ve been nothing but professional in your dealings with us. And yet, we both know you’re off-script. You now possess information about the two of us that would be catastrophic to our lives should it reach the wrong ears.”

“She still thinks you’re going to turn around and arrest them,” Flynn muttered.

I forged ahead. “It seems prudent to point out that we also have information about the status of your team that could be damaging to you. Your alphas shouldn’t have been in a position to help me with my...situation. And yet, they were.”

Flynn’s eyebrows shot up, and I could have sworn his scent sharpened with interest. I willed my cheeks not to heat.

“Oooh,” he said, with evident relish. “Blackmail.Ice cold, Leona. I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Of all possible reactions, I hadn’t quite expected that one. Beside me, Kam seemed to be biting his tongue to keep from jumping in with some attempt to defuse the tense situation—omega peacekeeping instincts still on edge after the past few days. Alex appeared utterly impassive. Jax looked like he had a splitting headache—which, to be fair, he probably did.

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