"Now Lupita...you should put that gun down." Vincent McDaniels said in the most soothing voice he could muster. If he was honest with himself, he knew that he wasn't afraid. His books would live beyond him so he wasn't afraid of dying. Immortality was already in his grasp.

"Be quiet!" Lupita yelled. He could see that her hands were shaking. Vincent wanted to laugh. He knew firsthand the courage it took to kill someone for the first time. If you didn't have courage...you at least needed the desire. Lupita was a woman that could constantly be found at the church. She wouldn't kill him even if she desired it.

"Lupita, killing someone would mean breaking a commandment." Vincent smiled. "Why don't you just put the gun down and tell me what's wrong."

"You ruined my life," Lupita's hands were shaking even more. Vincent remained calm as he waited for a moment to take the gun from her.

"How did I ruin your life?"

"Don't play stupid. Alejandro died because of you!" Vincent smiled. Alejandro Torres was Lupita's deceased husband. As far as the police were concerned he had died in a car accident. Vincent knew better. Alejandro Torres had been a police officer. He was married to Lupita and they had a young daughter named Nessa. Vincent had asked Alejandro to help give him expert information for a book he was writing. Alejandro was a kind man that was always willing to help others so he agreed.

Alejandro had invited Vincent over to his home. At the time Vincent was married to his second wife. When they arrived at Alejandro's home, Lupita was there. It was the first time Vincent had felt like he had been poleaxed. She was a slight woman with beautiful dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was always smiling. She had a dusting of flour on her cheek. Vincent remembered she had cooked them homemade tortillas and enchiladas with red rice and a side of frijoles. To Vincent, she was amazing. And he wanted her.

Vincent found himself going over to Alejandro's house more often than not. Lupita was always kind and smiling. At least she was smiling until the one afternoon that Vincent stepped out of bounds. Alejandro wasn't home but had been expected to arrive later that day. Lupita had greeted Vincent and allowed him in to wait for her husband. She was cooking in the kitchen, when Vincent decided to join her.

"Sentarse Vincent. Sit down." She gave him a cupcake that she had just baked and motioned for Vincent to sit while she began washing some pans that she had just used.

Vincent didn't sit but stood next to her, watching her. "So you and Alejandro have been married a long time?"

"Yes. We were high school sweethearts." Lupita smiled at him.

Vincent took a step closer and noticed that she took a step further away from him. She clearly didn't feel comfortable with him so close. Vincent stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What are you doing?" she asked in Spanish then English as she pushed him away.

"I'm sorry. I thought you wanted this. Why else would you let me in your house when your husband isn't home?" Vincent asked as he took another step forward.

"Get away!" she cried. Vincent had grabbed her wrists and tried to kiss her.

"Mama?" a small voice asked from the kitchen entryway. It was Nessa, her four year old daughter.

Vincent didn't let her hands go. He laughed, "You think she'll stop me?"

Lupita pushed him away and shouted, "Get out of my house!"

Hearing her mother scream was enough to scare Nessa. She began crying.

Vincent straightened his shirt and smiled, "I was just kidding Lupita."

A few days later, Alejandro died in a car accident. His brakes went out. This left Lupita vulnerable and easy prey as far as Vincent was concerned.

"Are you listening to me?" Lupita asked as she held her gun to him.

Vincent laughed, this wasn't like her. Not one bit.

"Lupita. You can't kill me. Alejandro died in a car accident. Are you blaming that on me? Are you suggested that I somehow tampered with his brakes while he was at work?" Vincent asked.

"I said be quiet. Because of you...he was upset. I told him what happened the day you tried to kiss me. He was so upset that he drove to find you. That's when he got into his accident!" Vincent could see Lupita's eyes become watery.

"So you're blaming me for his death?"

"Who else can I blame?"

"Yourself. You shouldn't have told him what happened Lupita."

Vincent could see her body slightly slump as the guilt of what he just stated renewed within her. He quickly lunged forward and wrestled the gun away from her.

Lupita started to scream, only to have him cover her mouth with one of his hands.

"Oh Lupita, you shouldn't have brought a gun. What were you thinking?" Vincent asked her as he held it to her head. "I could kill you right now, you know."

Lupita stared up at him. He was above her holding her down with his weight. Her thin wrists fit into his left hand while he held the gun with his right.

"Did you know I always thought you were beautiful Lupita? That night when you stood outside with all those other whores...it was finally my chance. " Vincent kissed Lupita's forehead. "I've always wanted to keep you Lupita. When I found out you were pregnant with our child...I was so happy. I was still married so I couldn't go to you. Forgive me for that."

Lupita felt sick. Vincent McDaniels had her pinned down and a gun was being held to her. This was punishment for trying to kill him in the first place. As Vincent reminisced about their past, nausea started to flood her body.

Lupita remembered feeling overcome with grief after her husband Alejandro had died. She had a small child to take care of and she had no education past high school. Nobody wanted to hire her. Lupita tried to block out the horrible memories of being kicked out of their rented home, not having any food, and not having any family to turn to. Lupita ended up going to a women's shelter and spending the night there. One of the women, a lady named Wanda, had told her an easy way to make money would be to sell herself.

At first Lupita was shocked by the idea. As things got worse, the idea of becoming a lady of the night seemed less and less appalling. Finally, one night, she decided to do it. She left Nessa with another mother at the shelter and followed Wanda to the dark side of town.

Wanda was going to show her the ropes, "Don't tell them your real name. You're Hispanic so we'll call you...Dulce. That means candy, right?"

"This is Dulce," Wanda had introduced her to the other girls.

Lupita was scared and not sure what to expect.

"Don't worry. I know a guy that'll be perfect for you. He'll treat you right and pay you a lot of money. Who knows, you may become his regular." Wanda cackled.

Lupita cringed.

A dark car with tinted windows pulled up. Wanda nudged Lupita, "This is yours. I want you to treat him right. I already told him about you the other night."

Lupita nodded.

The window rolled down and Wanda said, "This is Dulce. She's the one. Don't forget to pay her extra since it's her first time."

The man laughed and Lupita found herself in a car with a complete stranger. She didn't talk and neither did he. He drove her to a Motel 6. "Let's go," he said.

Lupita followed him. He got a key and handed it to her. "Room 32."

"Aren't you coming too?" Lupita asked.

"You go on ahead."

Lupita unlocked the door to room 32. It was pitch dark inside. The light of the moon shone through the window. She could see a dark figure sitting on the bed.

"Who's there?" she asked.

He didn't respond. She struggled to feel for the light switch and quickly turned it on.

Sitting on the bed was Vincent McDaniels.

"What are you doing here?" Lupita started to feel the hair on the back of her neck rise.

"What do you think I'm doing here?"

Lupita immediately turned around and tried to walk out the door. The man that had picked her up was waiting on the other side with a gun. "Turn around and close the door," he threatened. Lupita was frozen with fear. It was as if she walked into a trap.

She felt arms grab her from behind.

That was the night that she was sexually assaulted. It was also the night Jacob was conceived.

"What's the matter my love?" Vincent asked as he held a gun to her.

Suddenly, a Ramon Ayala song began playing from her bag. Vincent looked at Lupita, "I'm going to get up but remember I still have a gun so don't do anything funny."

He slowly stood up and leaned over to pull her phone out of her purse.

2 missed calls from Jacob

"Our son is calling you," Vincent smiled. He read a text message from him, "Mom where are you? I'm getting worried."

Lupita sat up from the floor, "He'll worry about me if I don't get home soon."

"He's a good boy, our son." Vincent looked at Lupita and passed her the phone, "Tell him you're on your way home. I don't want him to worry."

Lupita was surprised that he was even remotely concerned about Jacob.

"Lupita," Vincent said as she was about to walk out the door, "Next time you won't be so lucky."

Lupita shuddered and quickly walked out of the hotel room. As she walked to her car she thought of how she would stop Jacob from finding out the truth about Vincent McDaniels. To her knowledge, Vincent McDaniels gave birth to murderers. He had bad genes. Evil genes. The last thing she wanted was for her son Jacob to turn out like his father.