The Housewife and the Hitman

Chapter Three- Highway to Hell

“Get in the car, Gemma.” Conner spoke, his need to protect her having grown stronger than the realization that their kids would have watched them in however this moment would play out. But even with Conner’s commands, she remained still, allowing Shane to grab hold of her. 

“Is this the man you’ve been fuc-”

“That is no way to talk to your wife…” Conner commented, squaring up against his lover’s husband as they stood so opposite before each other. Conner was a more relaxed persona with an American-boy appearance whereas Shane was a more modern redneck with long hair, camouflage clothes, and a 1950s mentality of a woman being below him-in every sense of the word. That being said, Shane was quite easy on the eyes as he had features such as a charming light blue gaze that could be easily mistaken as being gray, and an impressive build-but none of these traits compared to how sweet, handsome, and protective Conner had been. 

“So you think because you made her come that you can tell me what to do?” Shane questioned him, c*****g his head to the side in intrigue before pulling up his emerald colored sleeves and preparing to bruise his knuckles in fighting if necessary. Conner, however, thought as a pacifist and tried to speak the situation through with him, but as he motioned clower- was met with a fist to his face. This would be the only hit, he would get in, however, as Conner made a single two-move maneuver that forced Shane into a headlock that made him struggle as Conner stood a few inches taller than him with a more impressive amount of strength-making incapacitating him rather easy. Having seen Shane’s eyes begin to flutter, Gemma fought for Conner to release him until he explained that he had simply forced him to take a nap. He also informed her that he would only awaken with a headache and the memory of what had happened. Before she could inquire further about her husband’s status when he would awaken, Conner pulled her close to him in such a way where it was firm, yet pleasant instead of painful. But the fashion in which he held her also told her that he was serious and focused on his purpose as well as his job.

“Get your children and take them to your friend. I am giving you five minutes or I’m coming in there.” He spoke with a hint of a threat before she ran her way inside, having quickly moved towards the house and entered to find her kids playing with dolls and toy figures on the floor. The baby was asleep in a crib set out in the living room during the day for the babysitter as she quickly filled the diaper bag with the child’s necessities and spoke to her other children of having a sleepover with aunt Tabby. With her kids and Gemma’s being nearly the same age, they got along quite well and saw Tabby as an aunt, which made telling them her plan to take them there rather easy instead of being difficult. 

About five minutes after entering the house, Gemma emerged with two children with backpacks and one in her arms, still asleep with a pacifier in her mouth. She realized that Conner must have moved Shane somewhere else as his nearly comatose body hadn’t been in the sight of the children. For this, she was thankful. 

 As she moved towards Conner’s car, she stalled for a moment as her son and daughter who stood looking at the mysterious car with wonder questioned who the man was in the front. She spoke of it being an “old friend of school” and the kids blindly trusted their mother while sliding into the back and Gemma holding baby Hope in her arms as it was only a few blocks to Tabby’s. Conner was given the address and drove there in record time before allowing Gemma enough time to say goodbye to them while he remained in the car. As Tabby moved out the front door and noticed how it wasn’t Shane in the driver’s seat, she peered further to notice the familiar man and making the connection to where she had seen him before as the kids ran inside. 

“Is everything okay?”

Gemma nodded, pulling her best job at being an actress off while Tabby grew curious to her words but told her she was always there for anything-knowing that Shane was horrible to her, but unaware just how deeply the abuse extended. 

“Give your mother a hug…” Tabby spoke while tearing her kids away from Gemma’s and allowing them a sweet moment. 

“I’ll be back in a few days, you have fun with Aunt Tabby and look out for each other.”

“Okay!” The kids spoke rolling their eyes before being forced into an intense bear hug and releasing them before Gemma then moved to baby Hope. Kissing her head, she saw her little girl look up to her with prominent blue eyes and a toothless smile, having made her begin to chuckle at the sight. 

“You would tell me if something was wrong...right?” Tabby asked as Gemma went to leave the property and get into the car with the man she knew little to nothing about. 

“Of course. Thank you for doing this…”

“I’m always here for you.” Tabby spoke while giving Gemma a hug and watching her move back towards the car and disappear down her familiar street and onto the interstate. Although the music set in the background of the car had been the soothing lyrics belted out by Ed Sheeran, Gemma couldn’t focus on anything but the man sitting beside her. He had somehow managed to make her feel both safe and frightened in a small fraction of time while also making her confused with the answers he had given her. They had made it out of the city of Franklin, Tennessee, before Gemma could no longer keep silent with the millions of questions that ran in a loop within her mind. 

“Why did you tell me the truth back there?” She asked with her gaze remaining on the road ahead, desperately hoping someone in a nearby car would see the desperation in her eyes and stop Conner from taking her another mile-yet she would learn that nobody cared of anyone else on the road-less of all, them. “I mean, certainly it would have been easier to just kill me…”

He paused for a moment, dumbfounded by her words before letting out a breath before answering. “It is never easy to kill someone. They always have family, a job...a place they call home. They always beg for their lives and see a moment of desperate humanity hidden behind a sinister set of eyes...but the eyes always remind you of who someone really is. I saw something in your eyes…” Her gaze then moved away from his, fearful that he would gain the insight that she thought of ditching the car at least half a million times since they had gotten on the interstate-only to fear her children being left in the custody of Shane if something were to happen to her. But he refrained from commenting if he was aware of this and kept to his answer, furthering his explanation. “Men like Shane deserve to suffer...but I was unaware of his...circumstances…”

“Why did you listen to my pleas, though? You could have shot me and been done with it.” His eyes narrowed at her. 

“You must see me as a monster….”

She remained quiet as he suddenly stepped hard upon the gas and averted from the interstate, making her heart begin to race at the thought of having angered him. “I need you to keep an eye on the black cadenza behind us...he has been following us for the last ten miles and keeps switching the same lanes.” Before she could fully turn to face the car supposedly following them, Conner had sped around one corner that nearly made her gain whiplash before finally gaining sight of the midnight colored luxurious car. She began to deliver the actions of the car while this allowed Conner to fully focus on the road ahead-leading them down a set of allies she had been unaware existed to the neighboring cities beside her hometown. He eventually snuck the car into a dead end as they both watched the car pass before them and moving to turn around. 

“Tighten your seatbelt…” He instructed before verifying such an action by setting his hand against the inside of the belt, unintentionally touching her bosom and sending chills down her body, before pressing hard on the gas. The car they had been located in, crashed against the other-having left smoke emerging from both engines. As they had taken precautions in knowing this being the extent before acting, they were able to remove themselves without harm from the car-with only the annoyance of the air bags having been in their way. 

“We can’t stay with this car...and we have to stay somewhere until our flight tomorrow..”

“Flight?!”

He nodded before bringing his phone from his pocket and quickly typing on the screen before pulling her across the alleyway and onto the street, forcing a grip on her wrist while she tried to break away. 

“What was that?” She asked, forcing herself to remain put although he attempted to keep forcing her forward. 

“I can tell you more when we get off the street-”

“I don’t even know why I’ve trusted you this long. I want you to take me back home-”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Right now, either. And also right now, I will force your ass over my shoulder if I have to as I won’t argue with something so trivial to you. Now get moving or I WILL force you to.” She glared before being forced forward once more until making it to a lavish hotel colored with gold and white in its interior and antique bell hops still working in freshly pressed uniforms and smiles on each and every face. He made it to the desk and charmed his way with a room-paying with a card that spoke of someone else’s name, before being handed a hotel key. Frustrated at him being able to run the show, Gemma moved to Conner’s side and looked to the young man behind the desk. 

“Please tell me that you have at least two rooms available…” Conner gripped hard onto her wrist before she yanked it back. “He thinks because he buys me a luxury suite and a spa treatment that I’ll forget the fact he was hitting on a girl at starbucks…” She scoffed. “It’s embarrassing enough to have you flirting...but with someone from…” She brought her hand to her lips, playing the part of a heartbroken wife or partner before the man looked to her with a crooked expression. 

“I’m sorry Miss Monroe...there is only the one suite…”

“Of course…” She let out a sigh and swiped the hotel room card from her “partner’s” hand before moving towards the elevator. The sudden kindness that was usually present on Conner’s face had altered to anger-but he kept his eyes straight, although his expression was clear upon the reflection of the all-metal interior of the elevator. 

“Are you angry-” Before she could finish her question, his fingers pulled the emergency break of the elevator before pushing her up against the nearby wall. From the view of the security cameras, it appeared to be a romantic moment or one done with in the heat of the moment-unaware of the tension and potential danger that was caught on camera. 

His body pushed hers up against the elevator as the clothes she had changed when packing up the kids for Aunt Tabby were taken beneath his touch. His fingers sat upon her waist, with one of his hands-his prominent right, having moved to her cheek and acting as if he would kiss her. Instead, he simply spoke in place for what could have been a stolen romantic moment.

“You are quite brave, I didn’t take you for it, but don’t pull a stunt like that again.”

“You don’t own me, Conner.”

He scoffed. “Right now, I do.” His words chilled her as she felt as though she had never left Shane-but somehow Conner was still better for her-better to her. Maybe that was due to the fact he had stood up for her or even because he cared in a way nobody else seemed to for her. But before she could favor this feeling, the sudden darker side of Conner came out-revealing he was anything but the squeaky clean man he pretended to be the night before.