Page 26 of Rough Choice

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” he said, trailing off as Grier made his way down the center aisle of the charter bus. “What did you find out?”

“The driver says its engine trouble. He called over the radio for another bus to come to pick us up, but he doesn’t know how long that will take,” Grier answered in a lowered tone of voice. Most of the passengers on the bus were asleep, and as the occupancy was almost at max capacity, it was better if it stayed quiet so the three of them could discuss their options.

“How far are we from Monterrey?” Eliana asked, sipping her bottled water. With the bus turned off, there was no air conditioning, and she quickly noticed how stuffy it was.

“He doesn’t know. We’re outside Santa Catarina that’s for sure, but construction put us on a side highway.”

“I don’t like this,” Kye said lowly as he watched the driver. The older man had shifty eyes, and he kept checking his phone and glancing back at them.

“Can we walk?” Eliana suggested, and they both looked at her. Kye and Grier had been thinking it but were unsure if she would be up for it.

“It’s our best shot, but I don’t want the driver knowing we’ve left until we’re long gone. If he’s helping someone track us, they’ll be waiting in Monterrey at the bus station,” Kye replied.

“Grab your stuff,” Grier stated. He moved quickly down the aisle to the back of the bus and pushed on the bar to the emergency exit. An alarm blared loudly, and all the lights shot up.

“Que esta pasando?” someone yelled, and passengers began standing. Their panic was palpable and as they flooded the aisle, the driver began yelling instructions for them to remain seated.

“Come on,” Kye said, taking her hand. They were ducked low and crawled out the side exit and ran across the road to the darkened side away from the lights of the bus. Grier caught up with them as they headed west and before long the bus was out of sight entirely.

“Are we sure that was a good idea?” he asked, and though he tried to keep it discreet, Eliana was positive she saw Grier hand Kye a pistol which he tucked in his belt under his shirt.

“Decision was made. Let’s just get to Monterrey. We’ll have to find another way into Belize, off of buses,” Kye stated.

“Can’t drive, can’t ride the bus; we’re running out of modes of transportation,” Grier said, shouldering his backpack.

“If anyone can figure it out, it’s you, Dick Grayson.”

They’d been walking for close to three hours. According to Kye’s watch, it would be dawn soon, and he’d hoped they’d reach a city before then. It would be easier to stay concealed at night, but luck wasn’t on their side. Fortunately, the side roads they’d stuck to were mostly paved and easy to follow, especially with Eliana using the flashlight on her phone to lead the way.

He couldn’t help but feel impressed with her. The Eliana who trekked five steps in front of them was not the fragile and vulnerable girl he’d met in high school and was definitely not the angry and frightened woman he’d kidnapped from her father’s funeral all those weeks ago. Though still sparkling with that aura of beauty and radiance, she now had a fierceness she’d earned after weeks of surviving, seeing men die, and living on the run.

It was hot, even for being night. Temperatures were likely nearing the mid-nineties, and it would only get hotter when the sun rose, but she hadn’t uttered a single complaint. The Eliana he’d known had always had a slight hesitation when it came to life and truly living. Though she’d never admitted it even to herself, she found comfort and safety in logic and in books. Maybe that was why she’d been drawn to the law; it was black and white and could easily be navigated to her. What she’d been living since he’d come back in her life could hardly fit that category.

Eliana had to learn about gray. There were crimes that were justified, like illegally crossing the border, and acts of virtue that had to be withheld, like turning criminals over to the police. Good guys didn’t always do the right thing, and bad guys didn’t always do the wrong. You couldn’t always take life on its own terms; sometimes you had to live outside of the normal parameters to survive and to find yourself. These were all things Kye had discovered in his years with the MC, and he knew those lessons didn’t come easily. He’d been afraid that as Eliana learned them, she’d lose herself.

Yet, here she was, leading them on their expedition on the deserted roads of Mexico toward freedom. Not only that, he could see the slight bounce in her step and the way she eagerly navigated them using the old fold-out map she’d taken from the bus depot before they left. She wasn’t just participating in their adventure; she was enjoying herself.

“She’s different,” Kye said, feeling Grier walking next to him. In the dark, they couldn’t make much out, but the two men stood close together for security.

“That’s putting it mildly,” Grier replied, and Kye could hear the smile in his voice. “She did well when you were gone. A royal pain in the ass half the time, never shutting up, but she did good. Followed instructions, for the most part, and had a good instinct about her. She’d have made a good ol’ lady had things turned out differently.”

“Yeah, she would have,” Kye agreed. “Would you have stuck around the Demons had they not been trafficking girls?” he asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

“If you’d been in charge, you bet your ass I would have. Most of those guys, they were good, and the ride was a rush. I’m going to miss it, but I can tell you this, I won’t miss Max or the politics. Things were getting scary during the last few years. People going missing. More Wall Kats showing up with bruises and brands. When I first joined, the club was about freedom. You could make something of yourself by doing your job and keeping your head down. Success was rewarded, and you could learn from the best. These last few years, though…”

“Go on,” Kye encouraged.

“Things were different, man.” Grier raked a hand through his hair. “It became less about the club and more about Max and his need for control. There was always this constant threat and fear riding under the surface. You never knew if you went out on a run if the guy at your side was going to be the one to put a knife in your back.”

“It wasn’t that way when we rode together. I always trusted you to have my back,” Kye said.

“I always did have your back, and I knew you had mine; that’s the club I was loyal to. That’s what I’m going to miss. The rest of it can fuck off and die in my opinion.” The two chuckled, and Eliana glanced over her shoulder at them. Kye tossed her a wink, and she was grateful it was dark enough he didn’t see her blush. How the man could simply look at her and her knees went weak was completely unfair.

“I have a bad feeling about Monterrey,” Kye said quietly and walked just a little slower to put some more room between them and Eliana.

“Yeah?”