Amazing work and Rios' daughter's name is Nala.

I see its technically not listed as an one shot. Any chance of making this am actual story?

This. Amazing. I'm with you on the dog fights thing, though nothing tragic ever happened to my dog like yours - it does make me sad since I absolutely love dogs. This piece of work was very interesting, and well written, I love it.

Rios' daughter is Nayla. It is mentioned in Dirty Money.
I really enjoyed your story. You touch on a great many important points as to why Salem slipped into such a dark place. The writers just handled it so very badly and that poor writing cheapened the psychological strengths of destroying a characters being. i like how you fleshed out Salem's family life. I always felt that he was pretty much alone in the world.
You also bring up Salem's drug situation and that is a very valid point. His burns would have been incredibly painful. Bautista would have had leverage on that ground alone to garner Salem's support.
The mask exchange is a beautiful touch. I think that Rios probably over the course of their relationship struggled to get to truly touch Salem in a gentle loving way. Yes he was supportive, yes he saved his life yes they were close but what I think Rios had, with his wife and daughter and possibly his family was a love that went beyond some of the love the pair shared, Salem I think would have held that door shut. He wanted it, he wanted it with Alice but for reasons (well in South of the Border he says the trio agreed not to see one another) unknown he never in nearly twenty years goes for it. I don't think he knows how. So for Rios to finally eek his way in with the mask is a clever and powerful story moment. I have an original character I write that is always taking clothes or tools from his father and his best friend in order to keep them near him.
All in all Salem was a troubled man for him, although it is painful for us as readers to experience, to suffer a psychotic break as he does was for shadowed. Anyway I could discuss this all day...Good story I wish more folks wrote this fandom, Thanks for sharing it!