Escape
Chapter 3
Not having a clue as to what to do next, Justin opted for evasive maneuvers. "Who's 'Papillon'?"
Brian gave the blond a critical glance. "Steven McQueen, Dustin Hoffman…" When Justin continued to give him a blank stare, Brian quoted, "The greatest adventure of escape ever filmed."
"Oh, I get it." Justin replied, then gave the man a sly grin. "Wasn't that from back in the seventies or something? How old are you anyway?"
Ignoring the question, Brian returned to his original query. "You do have a plan, don't you?"
Justin grimaced, realizing that his tactic hadn't worked. "Well, I got us this far. I'd say the next part is up to you. You didn't think I brought you along just for your good looks and pleasant company, did you?"
"Do you at least know where we are?" Brian asked, wondering if he might not have been better off staying in his room. Scratch that; hungry, lost, almost broke and in a stolen car with a not-so-bad-looking blond was still preferable to the drug induced hell he'd endured for the past several months.
Well, glad he could at least answer one question with confidence. "And here's an exit with food," he added, pulling off the interstate. Brian groaned aloud as Justin pulled the car into a convenience store and turned the motor off. "You can't be serious," he complained. "The stuff in this place has like a thousand calories and probably tastes like cardboard."
"I'll get a large bottle of ketchup." Justin promised with a grin. "In case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly dressed for fine dining this morning. I'm not even sure that these things qualify as shoes." He added, holding his foot up to display the thin slipper he was wearing. "Besides, we need gas."
Brian glanced around, noting the gaze of the man standing at the pump in front of them. The beginnings of an idea began to take shape. "I'll get the food, Sunshine. I don't think we're going to need any gas. Park the car over there and wait."
Before Justin could ask any questions, Brian was out and walking inside the shop. Hoping his companion actually had a plan, Justin pulled to the side and waited. The thought that Brian might try to hold the place up crossed his mind and he wondered if he should keep the engine running. After about ten minutes, Justin was tired of waiting and almost ready to go looking for the brunet when Brian finally made a reappearance. As the man casually walked up to driver's side of the car, Justin rolled the window down.
"Keep driving and follow me." Brian said and continued to walk over to the black SUV parked by the gas pumps. As Justin watched the tall man walk away, it registered that Brian was now wearing jeans and regular shoes. As he tried to figure out how the man had obtained those items in a convenience store, Brian pulled off in the SUV and Justin was forced to follow, questions tumbling through his mind. The two men drove their separate vehicles back onto the interstate, getting off once again at the next exit. Justin was thoroughly puzzled when Brian pulled into a Big Q parking lot and parked as far away from the building as possible.
"What are we doing here?" Justin asked as he climbed out of the Honda, totally at a loss as to what was going through the other man's mind. Brian smirked at his younger companion, feeling in control of the situation for the first time. "You need some decent clothes." He stated, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. "Or, as decent as we can get here." He added with a depreciative snort. "What size do you wear?" As Justin told him the sizes he'd need, Brian began going through the trunk of the SUV. Finding what he needed, he turned and handed the blond a screw driver. "Think you can switch the license plates while I'm shopping?"
Justin nodded, confused. "Yeah, but why?"
"Well, whoever is looking for us is searching for a red Honda with Georgia tags or a black Subaru with SC tags. No one is going to be looking for a black Subaru with Georgia tags. And who knows how long it will take anyone to notice the Honda here."
Justin gaped at the man's back as Brian walked off. He still had a ton of question, but they could wait until he and the tall brunet were back on the road again. As Justin worked on switching the plates, he smiled to himself. Brian was definitely holding up his end of their escape.
When Brian returned, Justin was lying on the passenger side of the SUV, asleep. Brian put the packages in the back seat then walked behind the vehicles to examine the blond's handiwork. Satisfied that everything was in place, he climbed back in the driver's side and started the vehicle.
"So, how did you get those jeans?" Justin asked, having woken when the engine turned over. Brian looked over at the teen who was stretching like a cat. "This guy took them off in the restroom and I decided to borrow them."
Justin gazed at the man critically. "And why would someone take their pants off in a public restroom?"
"It's easier to fuck that way." Brian replied, glancing at the blond to gauge his response. Justin's mouth fell open in surprise, then he started to laugh.
"Let me get this straight," he managed to gasp out. "You fucked some guy in the restroom then stole his clothes?"
"Trust me; he got the better end of the deal." Brian replied with a tongue in cheek grin.
"And this is probably his SUV too," Justin added, ignoring the man's arrogant response.
"That's what insurance is for." Brian stated. Then pulling a wallet out of his pocket, he tossed it to the blond. "There's about a hundred bucks in here. Your clothes and some food are in the back." Justin congratulated himself on his good fortune in rescuing Brian as he made his escape. For the first time since making his break from Greenhills, he thought he might actually have a chance of keeping his freedom.
At the mention of food, Justin's stomach started rumbling, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in quite a while. Clothes could wait, but food was a definite priority. "Have you eaten anything?" Justin asked as he pulled the bag up front and began rummaging through it.
"Just some coffee," Brian replied, motioning towards a cup in the drink holder next to him. Justin pulled out a couple of granola bars, opened one and handed it to Brian. "You need to keep your strength up." He said. "And trust me, a few extra calories aren't going to hurt you. Unless you like the sickly, malnourished look."
Brian took the bar without comment, realizing the blond was right. He had lost a bit of weight while being held in that 'prison'.
"So where are we going?" Justin asked between mouthfuls. "I wasn't really paying attention when we left. I just got on the closest interstate and kept going."
Brian glanced over at the young man and chuckled a bit. "Not a clue, Sunshine. Looks like we're heading towards the beach though."
"Little chilly for the beach, don't you think?"
Brian shrugged. "Shouldn't be too crowded and we need someplace to hold up and regroup." Justin nodded, seeing the logic in that. They definitely couldn't contact friends or family. That would be the first place they'd be looked for. Finishing up his granola bar, Justin felt sated and decided to try on the clothes Brian had bought. When the young blond started to undress in the seat next to him, it was all Brian could do to keep his eyes on the road. He licked his dry lips as Justin pulled off all the Greenhills clothes and tossed them into the back, leaving only his briefs on. Brian noted with interest that the blond filled the briefs out rather well in the front. Then, as the blond rolled over and climbed halfway between the seats to reach the bag with the clothing in it, Brian was treated to a very nice, up-close view of the boy's backside, which was even better. Forcing his eyes back onto the road, Brian stifled a groan and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. The map had shown the beach to be about a three hour drive. Glancing back over at the blond who was now pulling his pants on, Brian reminded himself that they needed a place to stop and figure out their next move first, then he could think about exploring the lithe, young body next to him. Three hours was entirely too long…