Leo was a lot happier to see his old cellmate, "Dale, long time no see!"

The recent parolee was still blond, his hair thinner now, his beard almost copper-red. Slimy and ignored to grow in its own tentacles, just like Lizzie remembered it.

On the other side of Trey's beaten down old truck, its owner had aged twenty years. Oh, no, wait, it was Tommy, his father. Trey had a kid now, reducing Dale to hanging out with the old drunk. Who looked like he needed that truck just to keep himself standing. He leaned in its door, unsure what was happening. Neither he nor her ex expected her to have company.

"What... are you doing here?" Dale's voice trembled. Many men made him afraid, so it was nothing new to her.

"The Ramiros sent me," Leo said, confirming her suspicion that Dale finally found a big enough fish to get himself swallowed. "Apparently the money you bragged about in Radford, and was then forced to promise to Johnny in exchange for 'protection' failed to make its way into their pockets, even weeks after your release. So they are concerned."

Despite herself, Lizzie laughed at Cartel Guy's words. He did not sound like a cartel guy. His cold, equal tone was a lot more effective on Dale. Pizzie had grossly underestimated the danger of last night's encounter.

"Well you can get the hell off my property, 'cause I ain't giving you shit!" With that, Tommy cocked his shotgun, unused for far too long.

"You signed away your land to him, as warranty. Just in case you... pulled something like this and didn't pay up. So unless you wanna be the guy who gets the police on Ramiro property I suggest you put that away."

Dale could make a body disappear, but he wasn't a potential killer by premeditation - he preferred to fly into sudden rages when convenient. When the victim was small and unprotected. There was simply too much work in killing someone for a purpose, he often said. Police might get you. That's why he would do it only without any reason at all. Police would never solve the case.

One of his favorite jokes, still making her skin crawl.

"Besides, me and Lizzie here have a good thing going," Leo winked with insinuation.

Seeing Dale so shocked by his ex cell mate's words made Lizzie aware that she should be at least half as shocked. It wasn't true and she knew it, her face displayed no emotion. Let them figure out who's more manly.

"You came for my woman," Dale was still disgusting. She would never be rid of him. "Come on, we were buddies. Why would the Ramiros send you?" he returned to his more important problem.

"Yes Dale," Leo finally sounded like a cartel guy, right down to the blood-freezing anger. "Why would they send me?" he emphasized every word in the question. "I have nothing to do with Johnny Ramiro. Managed to go all three years of my sentence without stepping on their toes. Yet here I am, looking for you."

"Got pulled out of the auto shop I barely got a job at," he casually showed his gun, putting it back in his pocket as if saying that there was no point in pretending they were going to kill each other. "By two thugs. Who will visit me again if I don't get them you and the money you owe them."

Seeing as the shit Dale was in was deeper than a few beers could cover, Tommy threw his gun in the back of his truck. He was there for the welcome party, not to get involved with prison gangs.

"I'mma go now," he noped out.

"Come on Tom," Dale looked like he wanted to leave too. "We can't let him steal my land!"

"I live here now," Leo said, and Tommy started the car as if agreeing. Over the old truck's departing cough fit, he continued, "Ever since I got out, keeping an eye on the place for them."

"This is what you do?" Dale settled on Lizzie. "Shack up with a new man?"

He failed to sound tough so she didn't answer, her dusty flats becoming much more interesting to her, all of a sudden, especially since it was the first time she realized how unkempt they looked, their velvet shining in patches.

The silence led New Boyfriend to answer for her, "She didn't really have a choice, seeing how I was very interested in verifying your wild stories. It's kinda your fault."

Who knew what Dale told him.

"Or..." Leo got to his ultimate goal. "You give me the money... and I leave you two to work it out. You don't wanna come with me, try to make amends? That's fine. Let the Ramiros hunt you down. I'll just do my job and bring them the thirty thousand."

Lizzie signaled with her eyebrows, happy the visitor's back was turned to her, "Dale, if you know anything at all about that money, just tell him already."