The Deadly Chase

“Follow that car!” Jennifer says, quickly slamming the door. If he doesn't notice us, I will pay you one hundred dollars extra. The driver of the Ford Escape vehicle put the pedal to the medal and followed behind a red Audi 2017. Jennifer stares at her phone to remind her of the reason she's following this man. She was willing to jeopardize her job, freedom, and sanity. He must pay for the things he did. The disloyal embarrassment. The constant betrayal, lies, and deceit. James Ferguson must pay!

"Do we have an exact destination, ma'am?" Still staring at the heartbreaking incriminating evidence on her phone, out of anger, Jennifer yells, "Just focus on the road and follow that damn car, Sir!" Swerving in and out of traffic, dodging the crowd on the busy city streets. Jerall Muhammad followed his orders carefully, making sure not to tailgate and be noticed by the car he followed, just three cars ahead of him.

Jennifer makes a phone call once the car stops at the stoplight. She waited eagerly for the person to pick up on the other end. Hello Jenny, What's up? James answered in an excited tone. I'm doing well, James; where are you? She questioned. I'm on my way to the office, baby; you know my hours changed due to the manager going on leave. James explained. Right, you did mention that. I always need to remember your hours since they change so frequently. Jennifer says in a sarcastic tone. I will see you when you come home. Okay, Jenny, I love you. James ends the call quickly while Jennifer sits in the back seat of the car while tears burn in her eyes.

After all these years, James couldn't be honest with his fiance. He was a promiscuous flirt with a passion for new women. James wanted to hang out with the boys and have multiple girls at his disposal while Jennifer was seven months pregnant, pretending to be the perfect housewife. She was waiting for the love of her life to finally "pop the question" and change his ways after twelve years. Jennifer was ready to be a wife, a mother, and anything needed to raise a healthy, loving, and functional family. She loved James madly, and he knew it. He found her love for him smothering, and the thought of a family didn't sit right with him; this is why he continued to string her along; he thought she would never leave. Jennifer continued to cry because she knew James would never change. 

Rubbing her protruding stomach, Jennifer continued to wonder how foolish she was not to see the constant patterns of her fiance's infidelity sooner. When the topic of marriage was mentioned, James would do anything to avoid it, saying he was confused and didn't know what to do regarding their future. Jennifer knew if James was still battling confusion after twelve years, he would never commit to her. With two children outside of their relationship, Jennifer knew she would never be his wife. She knew he wasn't going to the office because she had watched him leave minutes ago with a tall, beautiful Spanish woman who clung tightly to his arm. James had other motives, a different agenda than working overnight at the office. 

Jerall's taxi comes to a complete stop. When Jennifer looks up, the night a good still around her. She looks in front of her and sees an unfamiliar building, hands the driver a hundred-dollar bill, and tells him to wait there. Jennifer watched the love of her life and this mystery woman walk hand in hand to the building. She felt this was routine for them by how they looked in each other's eyes so passionately, how he touched the small of her back, leading her into the building, and how she handled him so softly with affection. It was obvious the mystery woman was James’s Mistress. While the couple entered the building, Jennifer walked slowly behind in all-black attire. She felt the kicks of motherhood in her womb but didn't get distracted from the mission at hand. 

She became more enraged with every step to the glass building, watching her fiance in utter disbelief. The couple enters the elevator laughing happily, enjoying each other’s company. Jennifer walks into the building and waits patiently in the lobby to see what floor the elevator stops on before giving James one last call. The phone rang four times before he answered. Yes, Jennifer,? Is everything okay? James asked annoyed. Jennifer hesitated to respond when she saw the elevator stop on the tenth floor. Yes, everything is fine, baby. I wanted to drop by the office. I have a surprise for you. Jennifer listened closely to his breathing, how many steps he took, and the next lie he would tell her. Baby, I’m in a meeting right now. I will see your surprise when I arrive home. Don’t wait up, okay? As she enters the elevator, Jennifer lets out a long sigh, pressing number ten on the control panel. Okay, James, no problem. I love you. 

James ends the call without another word, giggling uncontrollably with his mistress, firmly groping her ass and breast before reaching inside the apartment. Once inside, he slammed the door behind them, sure to put the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door. In the elevator, Jennifer reaches inside her bag and retrieves a Beretta 90 pistol with a silencer attached. Flashes of her fiance and this new girl flashed in her head. When the elevator doors swung open, she quickly got off and walked exactly ten steps. She placed her ear to the door that had the sign do not disturb on it and heard loud sexual activity coming from the other side of the door. With tears in her eyes, she bangs on the door three times; nobody answers, but the loud sounds suddenly fall quiet. Jennifer knocks again; seconds later, she can hear footsteps coming closer to the door.  

Raising her gun to the peephole, she waits for someone to respond on the other side of the door. “Who is it?” A Spanish woman’s voice quietly speaks through the crack of the door, and Jennifer pulls the trigger, blasting the woman's brains all over the walls behind her. Seconds later, a scream erupts from the other side of the door. In a panic, James trips and falls over his pants seeing the other woman lying dead on the floor with her eye missing. James paces back and forth with his phone in his hand. Jennifer shot the door knob off and kicked the door in. The first thing James can see is her tear-stained face and the gun barrel pointed to the middle of his forehead. Jennifer doesn’t give James a chance to speak; she pulls the trigger leaving brain fragments splattered on the wall like a collage. “Goodbye, James. I love you.” 

Jennifer turned fast on her heels and took the stairs down to the lobby of the building. She quickly jumped back in her taxi and commanded Jerall to drive. Now in the back seat, Jennifer sat quietly, thinking of what she just did, how she would raise a child without a father. How she just murdered two people in cold blood. Jarall interrupted her thoughts when he asked, “excuse me, miss, is everything okay? Do we follow any more cars tonight?” With a blank stare, Jennifer answered, no more chasing, no more following. Home is my last destination. She told him her address, gave him an extra hundred-dollar bill, and rode the rest of the way home in silence, thinking of the man she once loved and wanted to marry murdered by her hand from dishonesty and betrayal.