Royce came awake slowly, aware that he was in some sort of hospital, probably still at the embassy in Mongolia given the news station flashing on the TV in the corner of the room. Everything hurt like hell. Tubes were in his nose, and an IV bag hung on a pole nearby. His right hand was taped, keeping the IV needle in.

"Fuck," he groaned, his head falling back onto the pillow. Then he noticed a shape in a chair beside his hospital bed. Kenzie. She was curled up on the chair, ...