Still shaken to the core, Kim trembled as she checked through the peephole to confirm Lalo had indeed entered the elevator. She then rushed to the window and watched his car drive away before finally letting out a sigh of relief. Jimmy picked up the phone he’d hidden in the fruit basket, desperate to find out what was really going on. But Mike on the other end refused to say more and hung up hastily. Having tracked Lalo all the way, Mike confirmed he’d returned to Mexico. However, contrary to expectations, Nacho had been taken to Lalo’s hacienda too.
In the parking lot of the burned-down fried chicken restaurant, Gustavo listened to Mike’s report with a dark scowl. Lalo hadn’t taken Nacho because he suspected anything—instead, he was likely planning to promote Nacho to run his U.S. operations. Gustavo thought to himself: he’d already hired a team of hitmen in Mexico. Now he could use Nacho to launch a coordinated attack from inside and out, massacring everyone at Lalo’s hacienda.
Back at the hotel, Jimmy finally confessed to Kim what had happened in the desert. Shocked that her husband had endured such a nightmare, Kim comforted him gently. But their home was no longer safe—they’d booked a hotel room overnight and moved their luggage there. Kim remained much calmer; after washing up, she got into bed and fell asleep. Jimmy, however, lay awake all night, tormented by the fear that he’d dragged his wife into danger. When dawn finally broke, Jimmy tried every excuse to get Kim to stay at the hotel, but she insisted on going to court to provide legal services for the poor.
Seeing his wife’s unwavering resolve, Jimmy decided to take a risk. He went to Mike’s house and banged frantically on the door, demanding answers. Mike, who’d been up all night, had just pulled into his driveway when he saw the frantic Jimmy shouting. He quickly opened the door and dragged him inside. Mike couldn’t reveal Gustavo’s entire plan, but he understood Jimmy’s fears. All he could tell Jimmy was: “Lalo won’t live through tonight.” Jimmy’s emotions were mixed—he didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. Perhaps after tonight, there would be nothing left to worry about.
On the remote outskirts of Mexico, a large gate stood open, welcoming its master Lalo home. Nacho followed Lalo out of the car and looked around, realizing the several-acre hacienda was like a fortress. The reinforced concrete walls were three meters tall, topped with barbed wire. The solid steel gate alone could withstand any assault. Dozens of guards armed with AK-47s patrolled inside and outside the compound—making it virtually impenetrable.
Though Mike had said nothing, Nacho knew Gustavo would make a move. The hacienda was so remote there was no cell phone signal—only landlines worked. Nacho tried to contact Mike but couldn’t get through. Lalo chatted about taking him to meet the cartel boss Eladio, and Nacho replied distractedly, growing increasingly anxious. Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket—someone had set up a temporary cell tower nearby. Nacho excused himself to use the bathroom, found a secluded spot, and called back. A unfamiliar voice ordered him to open the hacienda’s back gate and escape at three o’clock that morning. The call ended abruptly, and the signal vanished.
Now that he knew Gustavo’s plan, Nacho felt calm and composed when he met Eladio. Eladio was complaining to Juan in his mansion about Gustavo sending less money lately, but when Lalo presented him with a luxury car stuffed with cash in the trunk, Eladio was overjoyed. Lalo seized the opportunity to introduce Nacho to the boss, laying the groundwork for future business.
Perhaps out of fondness for Lalo, Eladio took a liking to Nacho. But as night fell, Nacho grew restless. Once everyone was asleep, he used a trick he’d learned on the streets to cut two small pieces of tin from a soda can and slipped them into his pocket. But when he reached the backyard, he found Lalo sitting in a recliner under a tree. Lalo was a night owl who only slept an hour or two a night—using the quiet hours to think. Daring not to act, Nacho pretended he couldn’t sleep, struck up a conversation with Lalo, and suggested having a shot of strong liquor. The idea appealed to Lalo. While fetching the drinks from the bar, Nacho turned on the stove and heated a pot of oil. Back in the backyard, they’d barely taken two sips when thick smoke began billowing from the kitchen. Enraged, Lalo assumed some kid had forgotten to turn off the stove and stormed toward the kitchen. Nacho wasted no time—he pulled out the tin pieces, jammed them into the back gate’s bolt, and pulled open the heavy steel door. Several armed men were already waiting outside. Nacho said nothing; once they entered the hacienda, he fled into the dark night.
Lalo never expected an attack on his own property, but Gustavo and Mike had seriously underestimated him. Lalo first splashed the boiling oil from the kitchen onto the hitmen, killing two of them. He then ducked into a hidden tunnel under the bathtub—intentionally leaving the entrance open. After the hitmen massacred everyone else in the hacienda, they discovered the waist-high tunnel under the tub and hurried down to chase him. They never anticipated the cunning Lalo would double back. Having escaped the hacienda, Lalo reentered through the back gate and caught the hitmen off guard from behind. The narrow tunnel made it impossible for them to turn around, and they were seriously wounded by bullets fired from behind. Lalo searched one of them and found a satellite phone, ordering the injured hitman to report that the mission had been successful. He wanted Gustavo to let his guard down before unleashing his own ruthless revenge.