#adiosnachito & bulldoged.

[adiosnachito]

⠀⠀he eyes the cash that is now sitting upon the table,⠀it looks about right.⠀not that lalo was particularly worried about that,⠀he was sure these people knew their place.⠀though he couldn't say he'd seen many like her in the business.⠀in his head,⠀all lalo could think about was how she could ever push cocaine when she looked like she should be pushing girl scout cookies instead.⠀but,⠀to underestimate is a dangerous game,⠀and not one that lalo was often willing to play.⠀he takes the wad and brushes his index finger across the top,⠀each note slapping against the last.

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THAT SOUND? lalo is laughing now,⠀the kind of random jovial laugh that doesn't let you know whether you are coming or going.

⠀⠀the young woman blunders her way through her sentences,⠀but lalo doesn't react unfavourably.⠀it is the⠀⠀SALAMANCA EFFECT, and only if she were to remain steady would he be concerned.⠀he stands,⠀tosses the cash back into a container & turns again to face her, ‘don't worry about it, eh?⠀you did good.⠀who am i to waltz in here from méxico and tell you how to do your job, right?’⠀lalo seems sincere here,⠀warm and welcoming.⠀UNDERSTANDING.⠀his face is nothing but smiles.⠀he then points a finger towards her,⠀eyes wide as if the best idea has struck him from the sky above,⠀‘you drink?’

there’s  no  hiding  it.  her  expression  and  demeanor  are  nothing  short  of  a  deer  in  headlights.  she  knows  she  has  to  learn  how  to  hide  it.  nacho  understanding  just  how  vulnerable  she  is  might  be  one  thing,  but  something  tells  her  that  information  is  nowhere  near  as  safe  with  the  man  who  takes  a  seat  across  from  her.  wide  brown  eyes  stare  back  at  him  for  what  jade  feels  is  an  eternity,  and  she  desperately  wants  to  shred  herself  away  from  his  gaze.  but  she  keeps  her  eyes  level  with  his.  when  he  finally  does  something,  the  action  is  so  abrupt  it  makes  her  jump  in  her  seat.  

she  reaches  out  and  shakes  his  hand  with  an  embarrassingly  light  grip.  ‘lalo  salamanca’.  she  thinks  maybe  she’s  heard  his  name  before,  let  out  by  nacho  in  a  conversation  she  probably  wasn’t  supposed  to  be  listening  to  so  intently.  in  any  case,  the  name  salamanca  evokes  just  the  reaction  lalo  is  looking  for.  her  brows  raise,  lips  parting  slightly.  she  may  be  fresh,  even  a  little  naive,  but  she’s  been  in  it  long  enough  to  understand  what  that  means.  this  is  no  time  to  mess  around.  so,  when  he  asks  for  his  money,  she  doesn’t  hesitate.  she  removes  her  hand  from  her  pocket,  revealing  the  wad  of  cash  and  placing  it  on  the  table  between  them.  

“  s’all  there.  ”  should  she  have  said  that?  she  shakes  her  head  lightly,  don’t  overthink  it.  “  there’s  no  reason  to  think  it’s  not  all  there  –  i’m  just  saying,  you  can  trust  me.  i’m  a  good  earner  and  everything.  and  honest,  too.  ”

[adiosnachito]

⠀⠀back when lalo was in albuquerque,⠀and it had been years,⠀el michoacáno wasn't a thing. not for the salamancas. but there was something about the place that lalo had immediately liked,⠀so much so that he would often kick out the owner to run the place himself. lalo came a lot⠀⠀[⠀silently,⠀unannounced,⠀not to temper but to instil fear,⠀remind the troops of who they called boss⠀]⠀⠀and enjoyed a taco & a modelo. today was no different,⠀except he'd never seen ⠀HER⠀ before. domingo and nacho he saw often,⠀their ratty men in and out of here daily,⠀but not her. ⠀time to introduce himself.

ARE YOU FILLING IN, OR?⠀⠀lalo leans back into the chair,⠀his face alight with amusement. ‘eh,⠀something like that’ he responds,⠀his eyes not letting up on hers⠀—⠀not even for a second.

⠀⠀silence continues to sit between the two of them,⠀thick and visible,⠀until finally broken up by a sharp drumming of the table with his hands. ‘lalo’ he smiles,⠀outstretching a hand,⠀‘lalo salamanca.’ the surname drips from his tongue like honey,⠀his favourite word to say just for the reaction. he can thank his tio for that. ‘you got some money for me?’ lalo rubs his hands together,⠀looking expectantly at the woman.

she knows this routine well enough to understand that all she has to do is sit and wait. el michoacano, like the other times, is empty save for the owner in the back. her grip on the side of her chair is so tight that it turns her knuckles white, the other hand tightened around a wad of cash in the pocket of her hoodie. her leg bounces at a rapid pace, until she hears the familiar sound of the entrance cracking open behind her. jade’s head whips around, and once her eyes focus on the stranger, confusion sets in. this wasn’t nacho — though at least it’s not tuco. this was someone new, and he was alone. had leadership traded hands that fast? a swell of nerves comes on so fast and she becomes nauseous, but does her best to greet him with a blank face. this is the drug business, she tells herself, changes happen all the time, i’m sure.

@adiosnachito “do you mind if i sit?”

she shakes her head, bottom lip curling upward to form a frown. “ i’ve um… ” she clears her throat, sitting up a little straighter, “ i’ve never seen you before. are you filling in, or ? ”