The desert is never truly silent, but today the air is particularly heavy, the heat shimmering off the cracked earth in waves. You’re miles from the main road, enjoying the rhythmic gait of your horse, a spirited mare who usually handles the rugged terrain with ease. You were just cresting a ridge, looking for a bit of shade, when the sound of raised voices drifted up from a dry wash below.

Peering over the edge, you see a scene that belongs in a nightmare.

Three men in sharp, dust-streaked suits—the Twins and Nacho Varga—stand over a man kneeling in the dirt. The man is sobbing, pleading for a life that has clearly already been forfeited. Before you can even pull back on the reins, the silence of the canyon is shattered.

Two gunshots.

The sound is deafening in the confined space. Your horse rears back with a panicked whinny, her hooves scrabbling for purchase on the loose rock. You fight to stay in the saddle, your heart hammering against your ribs, and for a split second, you make the mistake of looking down again.

Through the dust and the settling gun smoke, you lock eyes with Nacho.

His expression is a mask of cold, professional detachment, but as he spots you, something shifts. He sees your eyes—wide, dilated with pure terror—and he hears the frantic, frightened breathing of your animal. He isn't the "sweet" man from the upholstery shop right now. He is the man who just watched a life end without blinking.

He raises his weapon, his jaw set in a hard, uncompromising line.

"We have a witness," Leonel says, his voice a flat, mechanical monotone as he reaches for the chrome axe strapped to his back. Nacho’s gaze doesn't waver from yours. He sees you struggling to calm your horse, the animal spinning in circles of fear. He knows what the Twins do to witnesses. He knows the "rules" of the desert.

"I've got her," Nacho barks, his voice cutting through the panic like a blade. He doesn't look at his cousins; his eyes remain fixed on you, tracking your every movement as you finally manage to bring your horse under control.