Page 25 of Rough Choice

“When an MC President…”

“Or Vice President,” Grier added quickly.

“Or a Vice President,” Kye agreed and continued his explanation, “leaves a club, especially a notorious one like the Screaming Demons, there is a level of risk that can befall them.”

“How so?” Eliana questioned.

“Kye was an influential person, not just in the Demons,” Grier said. “He’s been involved in years of overseas operations and exchanges. There are a lot of smaller clubs that patched over to the Screaming Demons simply to avoid takeovers. Others, some regional clubs, lost a lot of profit because the Demons held a monopoly on gun trade in the northeast.”

“Guns and drugs,” Kye said, looking at Eliana with a steady gaze. She knew he was doing his best to be fully transparent with her. Though she didn’t like hearing it, she appreciated that he was no longer hiding things from her.

“So… what? They’re angry with you? They want to kill you or something?”

“Some, possibly,” Kye answered, “what’s likely happening, according to chatter, is that Grier and I have become what is known as an I.T.”

“Let me guess, that doesn’t mean ‘information technology.”

“Initiation Target,” Grier replied.

“Or an Incentive Target,” Kye added. “As former Demon officers, we have inside information that could either be seen as detrimental or incredibly helpful to other clubs. Especially those inside clubs that are looking to gain notoriety or status.”

“Take out a former legend, become a legend yourself,” Eliana concluded, and both men nodded. She buried her face in her hands for a moment then looked up at Grier, fearing the answer she may find in Kye’s eyes. “Does it ever end? Are we going to be running forever?”

They were all quiet for a moment, and Kye reached over the table to take one of her hands in both of his. “No,” Grier said, “not forever.”

“You wouldn’t lie to me,” she said in a slightly warning tone, and he grinned.

“Dick Grayson doesn’t lie,” he teased, and she smiled. “It may be a few years, we’ll need to stay low and keep quiet, but inevitably, eventually, the world will move on. Others will rise to power, make a name for themselves, and we’ll be forgotten.”

“You say that as though you’re disappointed,” she said as she’d noticed the forlorn tone and expression overtake his face.

“As much as I don’t want to be assassinated, I don’t like the idea of being forgotten,” he replied, and Eliana felt she could empathize with that.

“Those that matter will always know who you are and that you matter,” Eliana said gently. She reached her free hand out to lay on top of Grier’s folded hands that rested on the table. The three of them sat like that for a long moment. Kye holding Eliana’s hand, and Eliana holding both of Grier’s. Their bond as a fast-formed family was sealed, and though in the last two months their entire world had been upheaved, they held a comradery that was unwavering.

“Now boarding the three o’clock bus to Monterrey. Please have your passports ready for the border crossing.”

“Ready, Nancy?” Kye asked, standing and holding a hand out to her.

“I’m ready, Kyle,” she answered back. Rounding the table, she took his hand and laced her fingers with his. She looked back over her shoulder at Grier who was still sitting at the table staring at something out the window. “Coming Grier?”

“Huh?” he asked, looking up. Shaking his head from his thoughts and glancing back at the figure he’d seen in the shadows, or at least one he thought he’d seen, and seeing there wasn’t anyone there, he stood. “Yeah, I’m coming... I’m coming.”

* * *

“Eli, wake up,” Kye whispered as he gently shook her shoulder. Rolling her head away from the window of the bus it had been resting on, she could barely make out Kye’s face in the darkness.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking around. They’d been on the bus for over seven hours now. The border crossing had been nerve-wracking, but not a single guard had asked any questions about them or their passports. Grier had done an excellent job forging them. After darkness had fallen, Eliana had been unable to keep her eyes open as the bus hummed along on the two-lane highway and had fallen asleep. Now, it seemed much later in the night, the bus was at a complete standstill.

“Bus broke down,” Kye said shortly, but there was something in his voice that made her nervous, and her senses perk up. “Grier went to talk to the driver; we’ve been sitting here for over an hour.”

“Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” she asked, sitting up fully and noticing Kye had draped his jacket over her.

“There wasn’t any reason to do that. It seemed like it was just a flat tire.”

“But now?”

“They’ve swapped the tire out, but we’re still not moving.”