"They weren't kidding about you, were they?" "Yee-hoo-hoo." "Hey, we coulda used that." "That was really, really something." "You'll have to pardon me if I got a little carried away back there." "It's a bit like Christmas in July." "Uh, again?" "I guess that's why they call you a Sex Machine." "Baby, we haven't even got to the money shot yet." "You said you were going to lead us to the blood." "So?" " What's taking so long, Professor?" "Hmm?" " I'm stuck." "You mean your cock's stuck inside this woman." "Come on, man." "You gotta let me slide on this one." "It's new." "New?" "When I was kid..." "I lost my junk." "It was a smelting accident." "Why the hell you think I wore that derringer down there all those years?" "I mean, think about it." "Who calls himself Sex Machine?" "I was overcompensating." "When I became a Culebro..." "it grew back!" "You blame me?" "I gave her my venom, homey." "OK, look, OK, the bottom line is:" "we know that there's four bonds missing." "And..." "I thought I could solve it." "Without 'em." "But I can't." "I need those missing pages." "Then I guess I'd better find 'em." "No." "Listen!" "Hold on..." "Aw, man, what'd you do that for?" "Focus, Professor." "Our future..." "your future depends on it." "I heard all the stories." "The Rangers made a bad name for themselves back then." "That's why they call it the bad old days." "Sometimes... even the worst kind of brutality has its place." "What place is that?" "Place of dead roads." "Last stop before hell." "Ranger Gonzalez, we have examined all five bodies you found at the mass grave." "We confirmed that all their knees were broken with the same blunt instrument." "And the depth of indentations on their foreheads suggest the markings were made with a human fingernail." "There was another mass grave found in eighty-seven." "Same knee-capped migrants, symbols, the whole thing." " Anyone put up a fight?" " They did." "Our vic has some of the killer's blood underneath his fingernails." "Can you give us a second?" "I'd like some time with the victim." "Right." "You don't have to do this." "Scott went on a rampage just to prove himself to these people." "And I would like to know how to fight them." "What are those?" "Bearer bonds." "Stolen by the Geckos at the culebras' request." "Seth tried to give them to his ex-wife, but I intercepted 'em." "Them vipers got the rest." "How do you know?" "Your brother showed 'em to me." "When we traded blood." "Culebras think they're key to some ancient blood source." "Somehow, they're related to this serial killer." "OK, that seems like a long shot." "Yeah, maybe." "But my mentor used to say..." "'A Ranger's job is to look unspeakable evil in the eye... and spit.'" "And who was that?" "Earl McGraw." "A legend." "Well, I doubt Earl McGraw ever had to look a culebra in the eye." "I..." "I don't think that's gonna work with a dead guy." "Not his blood I'm interested in." "The killer left behind some of his." "Ranger Gonzalez?" "!" "Freddie!" "Freddie!" "Freddie!" "Freddie, can you hear me?" "Can you hear me?" "I saw 'em die," "I saw 'em all die." "You can sit this one out." "Really." "You should get some rest." "I don't need rest, Richard." "This is gonna be good for you." "Why did you even tell Uncle Eddie?" "We could've figured out some other play on our own, and then I would've been done with my brother" " and all of his bullshit for good." " You don't want to be done with him." "And he's onto something, Seth, OK?" "If we just get a piece of this cartel stash," " then we are set." " Listen, listen to me." " This is what you fail to understand, OK?" " What?" "My brother is not mixed up with a cartel." "They are... much worse." "These people are animals." "That's who you're all worked up about?" "I mean, she can't be that bad, right?" "Just wait." "Evening guys, welcome to Char." "I'm Todd." "Uh, any questions on the menu so far?" "Nope." "I'm gonna have the ribeye." "Medium rare." "Beefsteak tomato and onion to start." "Garlic mash on the side." "She's gonna have the petit filet with the pear and manchego salad." " Make it skippy." " I don't eat meat." " What?" " Yeah, I don't eat meat." "Uh, can I please have the salad." "And asparagus on the side." "Steamed." "No butter, please." "Um, what for you guys?" "We'll split the Porterhouse." "Rare." "And, uh..." "Lyonnaise potatoes." " Salad with that?" " Wine." " Your oldest red." " Right on." "I will be back with you in a second." "OK." "Let's get down to it." "Jacknife Jed's." "It's a truck stop." "It is also a front for a very large, very old outfit run by Amancio Malvado, who is, for lack of a better word, the mark." "Why are we all here talking about it?" "Because if we want to use Uncle Eddie's intel, we need to work together." "It's the Gecko Brothers and him, or it's nobody." "We still have plenty of recon to do, but it's a safe bet that Malvado's got his loot underground, in some sort of ancient stash." "Ancient?" "It's just a figure of a speech." "This is pointless." "Why are we even discussing this with them?" "Because Eddie said we had to eat about it, all right?" "It's a thing he picked up, back in the day, when he was a roadie with Los Lobos." "Any time the band would get stuck on a song, couldn't write a hook, or figure out a lyric, they'd have a meal." "They'd figure it out." "We used to do the same before every job." "It works." "Not this time." "That's two different jobs." "You wanna kill the boss." "We just wanna rob him, if we're even interested." "Come on." "A hit and a heist." " Plays like a two-fer." " Yeah." "Makes sense to me." "It's a nice place." "Very uptown, huh?" "Switch your napkins out and everything, huh?" "You see, sweetheart, this is the kinda place you bring someone when you want to impress 'em." "Make 'em think you can run the game, when, in fact, the only score you've ever made has been a lay-up." "You've been wearing Converse All-Stars your whole life and you're gonna lace up the Jordans now?" "It's a Kentucky quinella." "We've done it before." "Yeah, and it was a shitty split." "There is no split." "You can have it all." "This isn't about the money for us." "OK." "It's really not that hard, you know." " What's that?" " Riding shotgun." "I've been doin' it my whole life, brother." "You see, Seth drives the really fast cars." "I do all the real work." "OK, look, why don't we all just count to ten," " and... try and help each other out." " I don't need your help." "As a matter of fact, I don't need anyone's help." "Really?" "Remind me what happens" " when you get hungry." " What is that supposed to mean?" " You know what it means." " If you got something to say to her," " you can say it to me." " I don't wanna get bit in the middle of a job." "Get bit?" "What are you talkin' about, 'get bit'?" " Hmm?" " It's nothing." " Yeah, it's just a figure of speech." " It's fear." "It's really funny how you all run around like little monkeys." "I'm not afraid of Malvado." "I know where he is." "I just need to get there and kill him." "We can't just walk in." "We need a play." "We don't need your brother and his little sucia girlfriend..." " Sucia?" "Who you calling sucia, bitch?" " Hey, watch your mouth." " Look, they could be a good distraction." " Ah." "So that's what we are." "A distraction." "What did I tell you, Sonja." "Animals." "We don't want to be in business with these people." "Because we do whatever it takes to survive?" "Isn't that what animals do, Seth?" "All right, well, this animal's thirsty." "I'm going to go to the bar." "That was trippy." "Yeah." "You kept rambling about how you saw them all die." "A thousand people." "Buried alive." "Tossed into a pit by one of the Nine Lords." " You mean one of the bosses?" " Yeah." "Didn't you see one of them when you..." "did the same thing with Scott?" "No, that was Malvado." "Different guy." " Oh." " This one..." "I couldn't see him." "But I could feel him." "This is crazy." "No, I... think we just left Crazy Town and went into Batshit City." "You're never gonna believe who the Ranger was on this case." "He found a mass grave in '87, and he started to investigate the local migrants." "OK, right here it says that Earl McGraw went to a home improvement warehouse on the east side of town," " and..." " And?" "Nothing." "He didn't find anything." "No witness statements?" "He would have filed those." "It's like he just stopped." " Why would he stop?" " I'm sure he had his reasons." "Afternoon, Captain." "D.P.S. says Tony Mendoza hasn't reported for duty in three days." "His wife can't find him." "His brothers ain't seen hide nor hair." "G.P.S. on his Ranger vehicle?" "It's not registering." "Hmm." "That doesn't make any sense." "I never put much trust in that technobabble anyhow." "Wasn't he working' on a case with you?" "Not anymore." "Ma'am." " What was that?" " Nothing." "Something happened to that cop." "He wasn't just a cop." "He was Billy's godfather." "Sex Machine killed him." "It doesn't matter right now." "It doesn't matter?" "They're up to something, Kate." "The more time we waste, the closer they are to figuring it out." "OK, that's just mean." "Welcome home." "You know, you and I have something in common." "What's that?" "I'm the only other vato who ever beat the Labyrinth." "Well, doesn't that make you special." "Maybe." "No such thing as special." "What am I going to do with you, Carlitos?" "Shot of Patrón." "Añejo." " That kind of night, huh?" " Oh, you have no idea, my friend." " We'll get ya squared away right quick." " OK, thank you." "Relax." "I told you I would call you when I could, OK?" "I just got here." "OK." "I couldn't stand it, either." "Calling someone?" "Thank you." "You got something you want to say to me?" "Well, I am the one that talked Seth into coming here, and as far as I can tell, we're not going to be here for very long." "So, the less I have to talk to you, the better." "Goddammit." "Shit." "Dammit." " Let me help you." " No." "Please, thank you." " Here's those files, Ranger Gonzalez." " Thank you." "This is everything they cleaned out of Earl's office." "We might be able to find something in his old notebooks." "Oh, my God." "Is that you?" "Yeah, that's me." "He was like a father to you, wasn't he?" "Not like a father." "OK, here's something." "Earl found a migrant worker by the name of Gabriel Cruz." "He had a bandaged forehead and a partial wound..." "A victim who got away." "He told Earl he got attacked after he got hired by a guy in a pickup truck with this symbol on it." "The notes say it belongs to an oil company." "Oil company?" "Yeah, but he ain't follow up." "Well, then I guess we'll have to." "So I visited the Professor." "He has hit the wall trying to decipher the rest of the map." "There are four bonds missing." "Do you know where they are?" "Come on, let's stop fucking around, Carlitos." "Let's take our natural places on this stage." "Me, the businessman." "You, the impresario." "Oh, we can make a deal that's beneficial for both of us." "Huh?" "I give you the map." "What do I get in return?" "The Twister?" "Run it however you wish." "You're good at it, Carlitos, huh?" "Clearly, I'm not." "You're good at stealing." "Narciso Menendez." "_" "_" "_" "And now what?" "You're going to allow me to be your employee?" "Mm-mm." "Partners, cabrón." "You should just tell me where the rest of the map is, we can find this blood source, and then..." "we'll share the reward." "I don't believe you." "We're not animals, Carlitos." "We live by a code." "Don't we?" "Now, my driver is waiting for me outside." "I need an answer." "What are you doin', little boy?" "Just chillin'." "What are you doin'?" "The answer, Carlitos." " Almost ready to go." " Yes." "Yes, you are." "I see you found your ocean to cross." "Good." "What did you learn?" "I learned I don't like the ocean." "Relax." "We live by a code." "You were right, Kate." "This is an oil company." "This mansion's built like a fortress." "They're definitely hiding something." "Doesn't look like anybody's home." "Company's on the title." "Owner's name's not listed." "Well, then, we should be ready to meet him." "I've been thinking, Kate." "About what?" "About the next time you see Scott." " And what about that?" " What happens then?" "Whatever has to happen." "OK." "It's still cold, Freddie." "Freddie, look out!" "Kate!" "You're a strong one." "He'll be pleased to see you." " Very pleased." " Who?" "You're not wearing your star." "Hands in the air." "Who are you?" "You want the real answer or the cryptic one?" " I'm really good at both." " Your name." "Celestino Oculto." "I know, I know." "A little much." "When we arrived here, it was a very, very big show." "Arrived here?" "To this realm." " Get up." " What are you going to do?" "Take me downtown and ask me some questions?" "I said get up." "Save yourself the trouble." "Kate, we found our serial killer." "Had the same M.O. for a thousand years." "Serial killer?" "But I'm so much more interesting than that." "I'm done waiting'." " Ah, yes, sir." "What can I get for you?" " He needs Tabasco." "I knew it." "I could feel it." "So, which of the Nine Lords are you?" "The coolest one." "You're out here in the middle of nowhere." "Where's your operation?" "How do you feed?" "Who needs it, when I have tasty morsels like you coming to my door?" "Señorita, where are you manners?" "I know you think you're all high and mighty, last time I checked, there's only one Lord on this planet." "You're adorable." "Just so you know," "I'm not the only killer in this room." "Ask the Ranger here what happened to his first partner." "Tony was already dead." "I didn't kill him." "One of you killed him." "Had to fake his death to cover it up." "To maintain the balance between our world, and yours." "Between dusk and dawn." "Well, you're not the first one to learn that lesson..." "Frederico." "What are you talkin' about?" "Fantasy gives us a means to deal with the horrors of the real world, to take the things that scare us and fashion them into a mythosthatwe canlivewith ." "Fantasy allows us to confront, and defeat, unspeakable evil." "I can think of some other ways." "Six of 'em, actually." "Let's talk about these migrants your boy picked up here." "And then let's talk about how they ended up dead in a ditch" " with their knees smashed in." " Happy to." "First, I'd like you to take a look at one of my newest stories." "Just published." "Tomás here did most of the research." "Looks like a bunch of bullshit to me." "Stories have been a passion of mine for a very long time, Ranger." "I am fascinated by characters." "I like to get under their skin and see what gets their blood pumping." "If you'd like me to make your daughter into one of my enduring passions, please, feel free to pursue your line of questioning." "Your mentor knew when to look the other way." "So should you." "Now, please, sit down." "Quinella, huh?" "Yeah." "So what do you say?" "I say... it's a nice place." "Where the hell are they, anyway?" "You can tell Seth I'm fine." "Don't need you to check in on me." "Oh, I know, I know." "You can take care of yourself just fine." "I know things about people, Sonja." "I can sense them." "That's great." "I'm happy for you." "I sense something in you." "You're about to sense my fist in your face." "Who did you make a deal with?" "Tell me." "Who." "Hey!" "Get away from her, you freak!" "She's fucking crazy." "Wait a second..." "She's hiding something." "I'm gonna go finish my steak." "Who the hell am I kiddin'?" "I ain't cut out for this." "Nobody's beggin' you to be a Ranger." "But you ain't gonna quit." "Why?" "'Cause you got the soul of a Ranger." "You know that you're part of somethin' bigger." "You're part of the last line of defense between chaos and order." "Found this in his truck." "Earl McGraw knew the score." "When the sun goes down, the world turns upside down, a fella needs a map to find the way." "I created these bonds as a guide." " In case something ever happens to me." " A guide to what?" "You were right, Kate." "I do need to feed." "But what was I gonna do, be a tired old vampire from the pulps?" "Leaping on innocent souls in dark rooms and biting them in a vaguely sexual way?" "Who has time for that?" "I had a better idea." "Tomás." "Lárgate." "Kate..." "The Nine Lords." "My brothers and sisters." "They each built an illicit operation to keep themselves fed." "Amancio Malvado, the oldest, naturally had to have the flashiest one." "The 'Titty Twister.'" "Well, it works pretty well." "For him." "Me?" "I like a good story." "So let me lay one on you." "Once upon a time, there were people who yearned to rid themselves of the culebra scourge." "I sold them a brilliant idea." "Offer a thousand souls to the gods, and it will end the curse of the serpent men." "So you buried an entire village alive." "You tricked them into mass suicide." "I know, right?" "That's why their souls became the Barolo of Sangre." "All that agony and pain buried underground concentrated in one sip." "Blood of kings." "The king of blood." "Powerful stuff." "Hmm?" "One poor soul found it once." "A prospector." "Back in the Spindletop days." "Let's just say it was a gusher." "You created the oil company." "To hide it." "To disguise it, like a well." "Like a bloodwell." "Hey, I like the sound of that!" "I'm gonna use it." "Peacekeeper, your job, among many others, is to make sure that that never opens." "If that blood is to fall into the... wrong fangs, ah..." "I don't want to write the end of that story." "You buried bodies in '87, you did it again a few months ago." "Why do you keep killing?" "The weapon demands it." "This is the key to everything." "And it stays here with me." "And I remain anonymous." "You want me to look away." "Like Earl." "He knew the score." "So did your father." "You don't remember the day you met Earl McGraw." "You assumed that he was always around..." "I found the killer." "But I don't know if I can ever bring him down." "Oculto will live forever and he will find me." "Which is why I cannot stay here." "I need you to watch over my son." " I can't accept that responsibility." " Please." "His mother will raise him, but you?" "You have to make sure Federico becomes a man." "Now you remember." "It's a fantastic yarn." "Crusty old Ranger takes on an eager young sidekick who, one day, will fill his shoes." "Ah, Ranger Rogelio, the white hat..." "of the Rio Grande!" "Let's say I even consider walking." "What happens next?" "What if the visions don't stop?" "I can't do that to my family." "Visions?" "You had a vision of the bloodwell before you touched my blood?" "Nah." "That's not possible." "Unless..." " Unless what?" " Someone put those visions in his head..." "Go!" "Take that and go to the cellar." "And lock the door from inside." " Who's here?" " Go, Rinche!" "You're too important." "That's him." "That's Malvado." "Ah, Huevón!" "You're too late." "He's gone." "You put that idea in his head, then you follow him here." "You knew that he would find me." "Like his teacher before him." "Hmm, El Regulador." "I'm honored." "You should be." "Finally." "The key." "Why do you even care, brother?" "Your 'Santanico Pandemonium' should keep you fed." "Pretty soon I'll have her, too." "I'd forgotten how it feels." "It's useless without the map." "Let me worry about that." "Stop!" "We can't beat him." "He's too strong." "Trust me, I know." "Time to leave this realm, mi hermano." "Time to leave it for good." "Let's go." "You see?" "Scott learned his lesson." "This reminds me of something I learned from my first commander." "Sometimes... you have to burn your ships." "I made you a good offer, homey." "Yeah?" "You're a businessman." "Let me offer you the same transaction you offered me." "Lick my boot, and I will set you free." "If you do this, you will be breaking everything we stand for, everything we live by." "See, Narciso, that's always been your problem." "You think there are rules." "But everyone knows what rules were made for." "Put it in the car." "It was a myth." "Cortez didn't burn his ships." "He ran them aground." "That doesn't sound sexy, does it?" "When he came to this place, they mistook my commander for a god." "They had the wrong man."