Jacob stumbled home and unlocked the door. He called out into the darkness, “Mom!” He needed to talk to her. He wanted to clear the air. Fighting with his mother wasn’t something he had ever done before so an uncomfortable feeling had lodged itself in his chest. He knew he had overreacted the last time the two of them had spoken.

“Mom,” Jacob walked to her bedroom and opened the door after lightly knocking.

She wasn’t there.

“Where is she?”

He walked to his bedroom and sat on his bed. He needed to make up with his mother but it looked like she was out. It was really late so he didn’t know where she would be. He texted her.

“Where are you?”

He didn’t get a response. Jacob emptied his pockets and saw the napkin he had gotten earlier from Edward. He smiled and placed it on his dresser. He once read a quote that life is a series of hellos and goodbyes. He thought of Joelynn saying goodbye and now here he was saying hello to Edward. People come and go in our lives. Jacob sighed. He didn’t want anyone to leave his life…for any reason.

He checked his phone again. Still no messages. He called his mother but she didn’t pick up. Now he was worried. It was almost midnight and his mother wasn’t home. Where could she be at?

In the Lobby of a Days Inn

Lupita Torres waited for him. She held her purse tightly against her body. Her right hand was hidden in her purse, clutching a small Smith and Wesson.

“Have you waited long Dulce?” a voice she recognized asked.

“Don’t call me that!” she hissed. She stared at Vincent McDaniels. He was wearing a baby blue dress shirt with black slacks and loafers.

He simply laughed, “Why not? You used to love that nickname.”

“I don’t remember that you evil man.”

“Fine…Lupita. Could you please stop with the dramatics? I’m glad you wanted to meet. We need to talk.” He led her from the lobby to the room that he had rented. “So…what did you want to talk about?”

He tossed his keycard onto the nightstand and began unbuttoning his dress shirt.

Lupita stared at the man that didn’t seem to age. His dark hair, blue eyes, square jaw, and cleft in his chin made him incredibly handsome. Any other woman would probably be excited to be alone with him. Lupita was not. She knew him for what he really was…evil.

“What are you doing?” Lupita asked as he took off his dress shirt. He had been wearing a white tank underneath.

“I’m getting comfortable. “ Vincent answered. He smirked at her discomfort. “Why are you acting so shy Lupita? It’s not as if you haven’t seen me naked before.”

She gasped, “As if I had a choice!”

He kicked off his shoes and asked again, “What did you want to discuss? Or did you want to do something else other than talk?”

His eyes roved up and down her figure like a starved animal looking at a delicious piece of meat. Lupita felt uncomfortable and her grip tightened around the small gun in her purse.

“You still haven’t change. You look the same as you did over twenty years ago.”

Lupita’s eyes narrowed, “How could you remember? You were always high or drunk back then.”

“Oh I remember Lupita. I remember everything about you.”

“I want you to stay away from my son.”

Vincent smiled, “Your son? Don’t you mean our son?”                                                                              

“You were never a father to him! You should be in jail for what you did!”

Vincent hooked his hands in his belt loops. “And what have I done to deserve to be in jail?”

“You know what you did!”

He took a step towards her, “No, I don’t.”

“Stay back!” she yelled.

“Lupita, did you honestly think I was going to away?”

“No. No I didn’t.”

“See? You expected me to get close to you but you came to meet me anyway. Do you know what that tells me Lupita?”

She didn’t answer.

“It tells me that you want me to get closer to you Lupita. Tell me the truth. You still think of me, right?” He took another step forward.

“I’m warning you! Stay back.”

“Make me,” Vincent teased as he took another step forward.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Lupita pulled out her gun and pointed it at Vincent.

He stopped dead in his tracks. The right side of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. “Can I be honest Lupita? I’m even more attracted to you right now.”

“I’ll be honest too. I didn’t come here to talk estúpido.”

Vincent had his hands raised to his shoulders, “Then why did you come?”

Lupita gave an evil smile. It was something Vincent had never seen her do. He asked again, “Tell me Lupita. Why did you meet me tonight?”

“I thought it was obvious. I came here to kill you.”

At the Corner Shop

Joelynn was struggling with swastika man who was trying to hold her down. The Hispanic man was still screaming about his eye. “You’re gonna wish you never did that you stupid puta!” he shouted.

“That’s right,” swastika man laughed, “Keep screaming.”

Joelynn could see him struggling to hold her down while trying to pull down his zipper.

“Oh God please help me. Stop! Don’t do this,” she was screaming as she fought him with all of her strength.

“Jose help me hold her down!” swastika man yelled.

A gunshot followed by the sound of glass shattering filled the air.

“What the F…” the Hispanic ran behind the counter while swastika man rolled over and jumped up. Joelynn held her ripped dress together, tears staining her face, and she quickly stood up. She looked up to see that someone had shot the door’s glass several times and was now kicking the door open and shouting, "Police!"

“Joelynn!” a male voice shouted.

“I’m here!” Joelynn cried. The door finally kicked open and Joelynn was surprised to see Officer Evan Dempsey.

“The police are on their way. Show me your hands assholes! Joelynn get beside me.” Joelynn limped to his side as they waited for the police. When they arrived, they came to take the two men away. Joelynn refused to get in the ambulance. She stayed with Officer Dempsey who had given her his jacket. They had gone to the police station where she pressed charges and had been given police sweats to wear. Officer Dempsey had stayed with her the entire time.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” he asked.                         

Joelynn wiped her face with the back of her hands and shook her head, “No. I just want to go home.”

Officer Dempsey helped her into his car and asked, “Do you have anyone you can stay with tonight?”

Joelynn thought of Jacob. This is exactly why he didn’t want her to do this. “No. I have no one.”

Evan Dempsey cursed, “I’m trying my best not to yell at you right now. Promise me you won’t do something so stupid again.”

“How did you know?” Joelynn asked. She turned her head and looked at him suspiciously. “I didn’t tell you I was going to do this.”

Evan Demsey didn’t answer her. He just looked straight ahead. “Why did you do it?”

“You answer me first!”

He looked at her with disbelief, “Are you serious right now? I just saved your damned life and you’re acting like I’m some kind of bad guy.”

“Well thank you for saving my damned life. Now tell me how you knew I was there!”

“Candy called me.”

“Candy? Candy the hooker?” Joelynn was confused.

“Yeah. Candy the hooker.”

“You buy hookers? Won’t you get fired?”

“Are you always this dumb?” Evan cursed again. He was being insensitive to a woman that was almost sexually assaulted. “I’m sorry Joelynn. I was just really worried about you. Candy isn’t a hooker. She was undercover tonight. She called me as soon as you showed up tonight. She recognized you from all the times you came to the station to talk to me. I came over as soon as I found out what you were doing. Thank God she asked one of the other girls where you were going. I almost had a heart attack when I heard you screaming.”

Joelynn started to remember what had happened and the tears began to fall again.

“I’m sorry Joelynn,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to make you cry again…but can you at least explain what you were doing acting like a prostitute? Is this some kind of lifestyle change you’re going through?”

“I was trying to find out information about Eva.”

“Eva? Your cousin Eva? How is pretending to be a hooker going to help?”

“The last person she was supposed to meet was a hooker,” Joelynn whispered.

Officer Evan Dempsey gripped his steering wheel in anger. “I asked you last time if you knew who her source was and you lied to me?”

“I didn’t lie to you. When you asked, I hadn’t known. It wasn’t until I met Trixie. She’s the one that told me Eva was going to meet her prostitute friend named Roxy.”

“So why didn’t you tell me?”

That was something Joelynn couldn’t explain to him right now. “I don’t know.”

“I want you to understand how dangerous it is to try and find Eva on your own. Look…I know you’re probably upset that it’s taking so long to find Eva…but taking things into your own hands isn’t a solution. It’s reckless.”

Joelynn thought of Jacob’s earlier warning. She should’ve listened to him.

As they drove up to her apartment, she could feel herself shaking.

“Joelynn? Are you okay?”

She gave him a fake smile. She was a wreck.

“Do you want me to find someone to stay with you tonight?” he asked.

“No. I need to be alone right now,” Joelynn thanked Officer Dempsey.

He walked her insider her apartment and checked to make sure it was safe. As he was leaving, he left her his card and said, “Call me if you need me.”

With her arms wrapped around herself, Joelynn nodded.

As soon as he left, she stripped herself of her police sweats and got into the shower. She let the hot water scald her skin until it was red. She wanted to wash away the tainted feeling that was devouring her.

Wrapped in a towel, she walked to her bedroom and looked at a picture of Eva. She held the picture and began to weep. As bad as she felt about what happened to her, she knew Eva was probably going through something much worse. Joelynn felt like her mind and her spirit had been though enough. “Eva. Please be alive. I need you and I'm not sure how much more I can take. Please come back to me. Please Eva.”

6:30 AM the Next Day

“Are you still asleep?”

Eva grimaced. Why wouldn’t he just let her sleep?

“I’ve been thinking.”

Eva looked at her abductor with sleepy eyes. While she had been sleeping, he brought her a thick mattress. Her eyes widened in surprise but she didn’t say anything. There were also sheets and a pillow.

“I didn’t bring these here for you! I brought them for the baby.”

Eva didn’t respond. She didn’t want to make him think she was happy about not sleeping on the cold floor anymore.

“I still don’t know why you won’t be honest about who the father of your child is…but I think he belongs to the Demon King. I can’t risk him dying so I’ve decided to stop hurting you.”

A single tear escaped Eva’s right eye.

“Crying in happiness?” he sneered.

Eva shook her head.

“That’s right. Don’t get too happy just yet. I need someone to take your punishments for you…and I picked the perfect person.”

Eva dreaded what he was about to say.

“If I can’t hurt you,” he laughed, “I guess I’ll just have to get someone to take your place.”

“Who?” Eva whispered.

“Your cousin of course. Joelynn Lewis.”