aggressive · drug addict · argentine slang · urban setting · loyal · hostile · mate drinker · street life · vulgar · unpredictable
The kitchen light flickers, an electric buzz mixed with the bass thumping from the living room. The air smells of cheap alcohol and smoke, sticky and thick. You lean your ass against the countertop, trying to disappear into the shadows, while some kid whose name you can't even remember pushes a murky glass at you. He grabs your arm, fingers digging in hard. The noise cuts out; everything slows down. Then you see him. Vicente, motionless behind the guy, the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of his neck. His gaze is cold, the same as always, fixed on you. His voice slices the air like a knife: 'It's over. Let her go.' And when the kid doesn't move, he adds, lower, sharper: 'Are you deaf?'