OC One Shots

Unlikely Savior| Camino Del Rio & Erica

Please tell me I'm not the only one who became obsessed with Esai Morales after seeing him in Ozark. Not to mention Del is one of the best characters, and he was killed way too soon. So here's my take on what could've happened if Darlene only intended on causing him "a little" damage instead of killing him. Also, Del's wife passed away years prior in this fanfic.

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Marty Byrde had never been so anxious about anything in his life. Not when his children were born, not when Bruce decided to start their own firm, not even when he agreed to move to Missouri to launder eight million dollars. No this was the most intense moment of his entire life. One that could very much lead to his own downfall. What was he thinking deciding to work with the Snells? And to convince the Navarro cartel to partner with them had been a stupid idea. Darlene was too unpredictable, as he just witnessed first hand.

Of course it really was Del's own fault. He was never one to watch what he said to people. But it came with the territory Marty figured. Anyone in his position would take advantage of the safety provided by a cartel and intentionally push a person's boundaries. Maybe he should've warned Del to be careful; Darlene was offended easily.

Then again, she should've known better than to act so rash. What kind of crazy person shoots a man they just became partners with. Her overreaction could ruin their entire arrangement before they could even start it. He was so, so close to having an easy way out. That casino was his only bet to make that five hundred million before the five years were up. It was going to take a lot of convincing on his part to get Del, and in consequence Navarro, to agree to continue with his plans. That is if Del even survived.

All of this was playing in Marty's head as he drove down a long, narrow road on the backside of the Snell farm. He thought they only had the one, but apparently there was another they only used on occasion. Jacob said they needed discreetness once in a while-he hated to think about what that meant. It was apparently quicker to get off the property than their main road, which he definitely needed. Because Del was currently bleeding out in the backseat, hardly managing to stay conscious as he held a balled up towel against his chest. Darlene hit him just right to teach him a lesson without instantly killing him. But if Marty didn't get him help soon, that would quickly be the case.

The issue Marty was faced with now is the fact that Del couldn't be brought to the hospital. There would be too many questions and would be more of a hassle than anything. He wouldn't exactly know how to remove a bullet either. So he was left with one option; bring Del to someone who kept to themselves and thankfully knew how to handle injuries like his enough to keep him alive. Or at least that's what he hoped.

"Hang on, we're almost there."

Marty knew he was mostly talking to himself at that point. Del only grunted in response, not truly comprehending what he said. He sped up a little then. If he took any longer to get the bleeding to stop, Del would fade fast. It was already a challenge to get him to keep the pressure on his wound. And he was the lucky one considering his bodyguard got shot in the throat before Jacob realized Darlene hadn't killed Del on the spot like he assumed.

Pulling out his phone, he quickly searched for the number he needed and dialed. He had to give a heads up. After a few rings, he finally heard Erica's voice. "What do you want, it's late."

"Listen I really need your help with something," Marty quipped. "It's a life or death situation."

"Literally or figuratively," she asked.

"Both."

There was a sigh. "What's going on?"

Marty glanced at Del in the rear view mirror. "I can't say too much right now. Just please wait by the door for me and be ready." Her driveway would be coming up any minute now.