Page 7 of Rough Choice

“Right now,” Grier said, stomping out his cigarette, “we’re just going. We’re getting far away. That was the plan. We’ve made it far enough to put space between us and Max, but that’s about it.”

“So we find somewhere to hole up and wait for Kye. He said he was right behind us. He promised.”

“That was twelve hours ago,” Grier said, pinching the bridge of his nose. For the first time, she could see the tiredness on his otherwise handsome face. “We’re not stopping anywhere.”

“We’re just going to drive then? Fine, where are we driving to?”

“Far away.”

“How far?”

“Very far.”

“Is there some magical reason you're not telling me where we’re going?”

“Several, but the first of which is that you don’t need to know,” Grier answered harshly. “I’m going; you can either come with willingly or unwillingly.”

“Unwillingly?”

“I promised Kye I’d get you there,” Grier said, standing directly in front of her. “It might well be the last thing I promised him. I won’t be made a liar of.”

“Fine, but you can’t drive the whole way. You said it's far, and you look like you’re going to pass out you’re so tired; at least let me drive some.”

“No way in hell that’s happening.”

“I really, really don’t like you,” Eliana said with hands on her hips.

“That’s good,” Grier said, mimicking her posture. “The less you like me, the less you’ll talk. Now, get back in the vehicle.” She stared hard at him for a long moment wishing she could slap him. Instead, she resigned herself to shoot every ounce of anger and hatred into his damned green eyes that she could.

If... When Kye caught up to them, she’d be sure to tell him just how much she hated his best friend.

* * *

It was nearing dark before Grier pulled the car off the highway. The day had passed in a silent blur of road signs and roadkill. Now, as the SUV pulled into a truck stop for refueling, even the bright floodlights couldn’t bring any clarity to her thoughts. There were only two trucks in the station, and they were both parked for the night. A small diner was attached to the gas station, but it was clearly closed already.

“Stay,” Grier barked shortly before exiting the car. His voice was hoarse and gravelly. Though she was fuming at him, she sympathized with how tired he must have been. Now that it was dark, he’d been driving for twenty-four hours straight. Eliana had tried her best to track their movements, but as soon as she figured out where they were, they seemed to double back and take a different route.

As every hour passed, Grier’s phone that had sat resting on the charger on the dashboard had remained quiet. There was no word from Kye whatsoever. Holding on to the slim hope that things were still going to plan was harder with each passing hour.

Fresh tears obscured her view of Grier as he finished fueling and made his way to the convenience store that was lit by neon lights. Her hand twitched toward the door handle, and she opened it. Stepping out into the night, her legs nearly buckled from lack of use. The air was thick and humid. Surely, they were farther south than she thought for the night to be this hot. She felt sweat mixing with her tears, and the salt made her suddenly thirsty.

Staring at the sparse cars that zipped by on the highway, she had a fleeting thought of stealing a car and making her way back to Pine Hill for Kye. But to what end? If Kye hadn’t made it out, he was likely dead now, and she’d be signing her own death certificate by walking back into Max’s domain. If Kye was alive, then he was on the road trying to catch them, or meet them, or whatever the hell the plan was. With a hand pressed to her throat and the other over her stomach, Eliana stifled her panic. She was so fed up with feeling trapped.

Pacing like a caged lion, even her feet couldn’t figure out where they wanted to go. First toward the convenience store, then back to the SUV, then in no particular direction; she was wandering the parking lot that smelled of gasoline and burning rubber. Squeezing her eyes shut, her mind conjured images of Kye. How desperate he’d looked when he buckled her into the vehicle. Sent her away. Again.

Her enraged cry tore open the night, and she fell to her knees. Screaming a second time, anger seeped out of her like sweat. How could he do this her? The worst night of her life had been the first time he’d sent her away, and now he’d done it again. She felt like the body of a yo-yo, always being tugged and flung in whatever direction the wielder chose. Always dangling by a thread. Never having any say in where she went.

Not this time.

“Hey!” she called to a trucker sitting in his cab. He was reading a newspaper and drinking something out of a Styrofoam cup. He looked up when she approached his vehicle. In his late forties to early fifties, he had a full beard and a round belly he kept his hands propped on. “Can I get a ride?”

“Where to?” he asked, sitting a little straighter.

“Anywhere,” she replied with wide eyes.

“I’m headed to Wisconsin before the morning.”

“That’s fine, drop me anywhere; I just need to get out of here,” she said hurriedly.