Chapter 2:
La Évasion
~Connor~
Connor prays that his parents haven't called the police. Something about such a narrow escape puts him on edge. Sure, he and Risa escaped and are driving home- but Connor knows from experience that they are in no way safe. If they arrive back at his house and it's surrounded by police, that may just jeopardize them with even more attention.
They have to get far away from here, where the whole world won't know their location.
He voices his thoughts to Risa, and she leans her head against the window and thinks.
"How convenient that they came after us today," she says.
He gives her a funny look. "How?"
Risa sighs and Connor knows he's missed something obvious.
"Lassiter, were we not supposed to leave for France tomorrow?"
Connor smacks his head with his palm and almost laughs. He completely forgot in the chaos. It seems so strange now- a vacation after almost being murdered.
"I forgot."
Risa laughs, and it makes him laugh too. "Of course," she says, punching his arm playfully. "It's just like you to literally save my life just then by crawling through the ceiling, but completely forget we're leaving the country in the morning."
Connor snickers, knowing it's true. "But seriously Risa, do you think leaving Columbus... forever... might actually be what we have to do?"
"Where would we go?" she looks at him, meeting his eyes.
"We're already going somewhere," Connor says, just as they turn into his neighborhood.
It's in the early hours of the morning that Connor and Risa arrive back to find his parents and Lucas waiting on the couch. His dad flips between news channels and Connor can hear fragments of,
"...believed to be dead."
"The famous couple has not been seen since..."
"The 'Live with Patrick Deforest!' team has no idea..."
His mom grabs them the moment they walk through the door. "Oh my God, Connor-"
"We're fine, Mom." He decides that describing the details of what happened might totally overwhelm her. He looks at Risa, who nods. It's time to talk to his parents about what they plan to do.
Connor keeps it short, only voicing the gist of what happened because leaving forever requires at least some explanation. "Two men disguised as security guards tried to kill us after Patrick Deforest died, but... we escaped."
His parents stare, shocked, and wait for him to say more, which he does. Connor looks at Risa, taking her hand. "Risa and I decided that the two of us can't live here anymore. Whoever is after us knows where we are, and we put you guys in danger, so-" He takes a deep breath. "when we arrive in France, Risa and I are staying there."
With the tv on mute, the silence is deafening. "It's your choice- stay here or stay in France with us?"
His father stands. "We need to talk about it, Connor. Why don't you and Risa go to bed and get some rest." He looks at Connor's little brother. "You too Lucas."
III
Moonlight, filtering through blinds, casts shades of purple throughout Connor's room. Unable to fall asleep, he turns on his side as an attempt to find a more comfortable sleeping position.
Risa watches, her head resting on the pillow next to him. She touches his face. A gentle move that traces his jaw.
Slowly, Connor takes her hand and kisses her fingers. He wraps her arm across his waist, pulling Risa against him. She sighs, resting her cheek against his bare chest for a moment, enough to hear and feel his heartbeat. Steady beneath his skin.
"I'm coming with you," she says quietly. "Wherever you go."
Connor considers it for a moment, rubbing slow circles at the small of her back. "Good," he tells her. "Because I need you with me."
The night falls to the touch and the warmth and the everything of Risa- and Connor finds his restlessness at bay. That is, until hours later, when a knock wakes them both, and she rolls out of his embrace.
He sits up just as Risa opens the door. Connor's parents are there.
It must be the look on his face, because they immediately regard him with guilty expressions.
"Did we interrupt anything?"
Beginning to feel a blush before he can stop it, Connor shakes his head. "No... no."
"Okay, well," his mother folds her hands. "We've decided and... we're selling the house."
"What?"
His dad shrugs. "We won't need it if we're living in France."
Connor isn't sure whether to feel shocked or happy or even if its worth feeling either. "Alright," he says, offering a slim smile. "Now I won't even have to miss you."
III
Not the usual alarm clock, but Connor wakes up for the second time with pair of pants thrown on his face. "Wha- Risa?" He pulls the jeans from his face to see her standing above him with her arms crossed.
"You better put those on," she says, and for the first time he notices she's fully dressed and holding a suitcase. "We are leaving in half an hour, after all."
"What?!"
Risa then proceeds to smugly watch him race around the room and throw his own clothes and belongings into a suitcase.
After slamming it closed, Connor turns to her, breathless. "Why the hell did you wait so long to wake me up?"
Risa snickers. "The longer you sleep the less time there is for you to be up and stressing."
"Well, I'm stressing now!"
Another smile. "I would have just let you sleep- but, I did make a promise to stay by your side and that would mean I'd miss a trip to France."
As if on cue, Connor hears his parents calling them from downstairs. "I'm getting you back for this, Ris."
"Fair enough," she says, suitcase in one hand and Connor's arm in the other. "Now we have a plane to catch."