Demon King Series Books II & III

Chapter 24

Joelynn and Jacob were having a movie marathon but Jacob was worried. He had called his mother earlier but she hadn't picked up the phone.

"Jacob. Chill out. She's probably asleep."

"You're right. I'm sorry." He put his phone down but couldn't stop thinking that something was wrong.

Meanwhile

Lupita was sitting at the kitchen table with the woman she hated most. It was her fault that she had been assaulted by Vincent McDaniels those many years ago.

"What do you want Wanda? How did you know how to find me?" Lupita asked.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend? I told you...I'm here to talk to you about your son Jacob. As for finding you...that was easy. My brother keeps your information on his phone. You know how much he cares about you. So when he went to take a shower, I just borrowed his cell for a little bit."

"How would you know anything about my son?"

"Well I know my brother is his father...and my brother wants to have a role in his son's life. Especially since all his other kids are dead now."

Lupita scoffed at Wanda's statement. "Jacob is already a young man. He doesn't need a father."

"Everyone needs a father Lupita. It's selfish of you to say otherwise."

Lupita's eyes became thin slits as she stared at Wanda in anger, "Selfish? Me? I'm selfish. Get out of my house Wanda! It was a mistake to let you in."

"That's true. You were always too naïve." Wanda stood up as if she were getting up to go, "I'm serious about Vincent and Jacob. He wants to have his son back and he'll do anything to make it happen. I see you're worried. You should be. Two of his sons were killers. What makes you think Jacob won't turn out the same way?"

"That's enough! Jacob is nothing like Vincent McDaniels."

"Not yet...but he will be Lupita. Once Vincent gets ahold of him...he will be. It's like that story about the spider and the fly."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want the last thing you think of before you die to be depressing."

"What?"

"Did you know that as a professional woman I have to keep all kinds of Johns from hurting me? One time a man attacked me and I ended up pregnant. I guess it was karma for leading you to Vincent. We both suffered the same fate Lupita. You gave your son a fake last name and so did I. I wasn't a good mother to my son...but I learned something from that day forward. I was never going to let another man hurt me like that again. Don't you think it's strange that both of our lives were ruined by Vincent?"

"Wanda, I think you should leave now."

"I'm not going to lie Lupita...I've hurt men who tried to hurt me after that day. It really is a kill or be killed kind of world. When I hook, I don't carry a knife or a gun...that's too messy. One of the girls taught me that poison is the best way to stop a John from getting too rough. It's fast and painless and it's something I always carry with me...just in case. If I were brave enough, I'd use it on Vincent. The thing about Vincent is that I'm not sure poison would kill him."

"Wanda...I'll call the police." Lupita was circling the table trying to get away from Wanda who had a wild look in her eyes.

"The police?" Wanda laughed, "What can they do? They can't even stop Vincent! Vincent is my brother but he's evil Lupita. I mean...really evil."

"Wanda..."

"Did you know...when I was younger, I thought he didn't have a heart because he never cared about anyone. Then I learned humans have to have hearts to survive. But I was still so sure of it...so sure that Vincent didn't have one. One day I found him sleeping on the sofa and I walked up to him very quietly...I mean so quiet even I couldn't hear myself. I pressed my ear against his chest to see if I could hear his heart beating but then he woke up. He pulled my hair and asked me, 'You want to die?' He's evil Lupita."