Aztec Treasure Ch. 11-20

I reached out and held her hand. "It wasn't any better for us. Mom burned our home before we fled, and I never had a chance to say goodbye to either of them. Dad's body is gone, only his head turned up, and Mom? Mom's buried under a bombed-out home in Mexico. Maritza's whole family is gone, along with all of my aunts and uncles. I have no one else left, Eva. You were like Obi-Wan; you're my only hope."

"It won't be an exciting life, but we'll keep you safe here. Maritza is a cutie; she will fit right in."

We finished up, and Eva asked Carlos to pick up groceries while she planned to give the children their baths. I added a few things to the list for me and handed Carlos a hundred-dollar bill. "That's too much," he said as he pulled on a jacket.

"Two more mouths to feed, and I refuse to be a burden," I replied. "Please. Can you buy some steaks or ribs? I missed your barbecue."

"I suppose I could give the smoker a workout this weekend," he said with a smile. "I'll see what they have on sale." He drove away, and Eva and I worked together to get all three children clean. Maritza needed it after all the time in the car.

Eva had her girls down for the night, but Maritza was wide awake. The car ride had messed up our routine, and I hoped she'd sleep eventually. She was playing with the girl's toys when Carlos arrived home again. Eva got up to help bring in the bags, but I could see Carlos looked worried when he came back inside. "Maria, is there anyone who knows you were coming here? Or could you have been followed?"

My heart dropped into my stomach. "Why?"

He turned off the light in the living room and waved me over to the closed draperies. "Take a look down there, about five houses down, on the far side of the road." The suburban street had cars down both sides, with most of the older homes having single-car garages on narrow lots. The neighborhood was working-class, and the nearly-new SUV stood out among the older cars and minivans. If that wasn't enough, the engine was running with the lights out, and I could see two people inside in the dim light from the dashboard. "I spotted the car when I left, and when I looked in the mirror, I saw the men sit back up. They ducked down again when I passed them on the way home, but I spotted binoculars on the dashboard. They're staking us out."

"Shit," I said. "I have to go. I'm putting you in danger."

"Go pack, and I'll distract them while you get ready to leave." I was in the spare room, packing everything up again. The door was open, so I listened to Carlos talk to the 911 operator about a 'suspicious vehicle' in the neighborhood. He gave them the make, model, and license plate numbers of the parked car 'looking into windows with a large pair of binoculars.' I removed the tarp covering my car and then put my bags in the hatchback. I made another trip to get Maritza, bringing her out and securing her in the car seat behind me. I went back inside to get my cooler, which Eva had hurriedly packed with supplies. The suspicious car was still out there. "Don't leave just yet," Carlos said. "Get ready, but don't leave until we signal you by turning off the outside lights. We'll wait for the cops to show up so those guys can't follow you."

"Thank you," I told him as I gave him a quick hug.

"Don't come back or call us for at least a week," Carlos said. "If it's safe, I'll leave the garage light on."

"Stay safe," Eva said as she pulled me into a hug. She'd gotten Maritza into the car carrier and ready to go.

"I love you guys," I said, wiping a tear from my eye as I headed out the back. I ran back out to the car, practically tearing the door open, and that's when the smell hit me.

Werewolf. A powerful werewolf, probably an Alpha or Beta level from his size and smell. "Hello, Maria," the male voice said from the back seat.

I turned around to find an older man in a dark suit playing with Maritza. "Get the FUCK out of my car before I shoot you," I said as I reached for the gun in my purse.

"It's too later for that, Maria. Put your hands on the wheel." I looked down to see he already had a pistol out, pointed at my back. "I'm here to help you, and we both know you won't endanger Maritza and your friends. Don't think of running, either; I have three teams surrounding this house, and you won't get far." Maritza was giggling and playing with the keys on his keychain. "Drive, please. We need to talk."

I was cursing myself for not picking up on him before this; he must have come up from downwind and waited for the right time to jump into the back seat. He had all the advantages; I couldn't shift here, not with Maritza in the back seat with him and all the humans around. I backed into the driveway, then pulled out towards the road with my lights out. I could see Eva looking out the window, wondering what was going on. I waved at her and kept going; these people weren't about wiping out entire human families to keep their secrets.

"Turn left," he told me. I did, and I saw the stakeout car pull out behind us. I was screwed now; even if I managed to overcome an adult male werewolf, his Pack members would tear me apart.

"Don't hurt her," I told him as I drove through the dark, tree-lined streets.

"I don't hurt innocents, and there is nothing more innocent than a baby," he told me. "Turn right into the parking lot and park at the far end." I followed his directions; two cars pulled in behind me, while a third parked on the street. We were in a small city park, near the tennis and basketball courts. "Now turn off the car and hand me the keys."

My options were rapidly dwindling, but he had a gun, and I didn't. He who has the gun makes the rules, as my Dad taught me. I did what he said.

He shocked me by what he did next. He ejected his magazine from his Glock, then racked the slide and caught the cartridge as it flew out. Putting both in his pocket, he tossed his pistol into the front seat. "I'm sorry I frightened you, Maria, but you're in danger, and I need to speak to you."

"Why the hell should I listen to you? You threatened my daughter, you forced me to drive here at gunpoint, and you've got me surrounded with your Pack!"

He wasn't shocked by my outburst; he leaned back in the seat as he kept jiggling the keys for a fascinated Maritza. He turned the light on over himself. "Do you know who I am, Maria?"

I'd recognized him immediately; he and his mate were all over television. "Frank Grimes. Former Director of the Los Angeles DEA office. You led the initial raids on Sons of Tezcatlipoca clubhouses, then led the Sons Task Force until replaced by FBI Commander Lindstrom. You got suspended for not revealing Chase Nygaard was your source after he piggybacked on your raid to knock off a Sons money drop. You retired and ended up in Arrowhead, mating Chase's mother Colletta and becoming a werewolf. Colletta is now the Chairman of the Werewolf Council, and you are a part-time official with Homeland Security and the unofficial liaison between law enforcement and the Packs."

"You are well-informed," Frank replied. "The Packs reached an agreement with the President after we were exposed; a treaty between our kinds, if you will. It provides us a level of legal protection and autonomy, but not all are happy with that. Werecats are not part of the agreement, and that creates a problem for you and Maritza."

"No shit. The two of us are the last ones left now that Julio is gone."

"We have circumstantial evidence showing the CIA has Julio now, probably at a black site prison outside the United States. The Agency wasn't happy when werewolves refused to play on their side; our deal allows us only to serve domestically and in the military, and the Packs have veto power over assignments. I assume that the CIA plans to coerce Julio into their work, and lacking that, they will start a breeding program with him to raise werecats they can control."

I laughed. "Then the CIA people are idiots," I said.

"Why?"

"Julio is a biker; he hates the government for what they did to the Club, and he'd die before he helps them."

"What about using him to breed more werejaguars?"

"It doesn't work like that," I told him. "Males don't breed true because the blessing of Tezcatlipoca came through the Priestess, not the priest. Julio can father a hundred children, voluntarily or not, and they will all be just as human as his captors. Only a female werecat can have kittens, and that isn't easy. We have to be in heat, and the male has to stimulate ovulation during copulation."

He seemed shocked by this. "So you need a male cat and a female cat to reproduce?"

I nodded. "It's done in cat form during the heat, which only comes once a year. That's why we all intermarry; our leaders match girls reaching breeding age with genetically diverse males in marriage partnerships. It's the only way we can produce the next generation of werejaguars."

"Damn." He ran his hand through his short grey hair as he thought about it. "When the CIA figures this out, you'll be in more danger than ever. Without the two of you under their control, there is no chance of a successful breeding program." He looked out the window, then back to me. "Can you reproduce werejaguars with a human male?"

"No," I replied. "Human males can't stimulate ovulation. We're effectively sterile without a werejaguar to mate with."

"I guess that is good news for Julio," he said. "They will keep him alive in the hopes they get you and Maritza under their control."

Neither of us said anything for a moment until I asked the question that was bugging me. "I didn't use a phone or computer for months, I hardly left the cabin, and I avoided major roads and the Denver metro area. How the hell did you find me?"

"We hacked the FBI's Sons of Tezcatlipoca Task Force, Maria. We had to make sure they weren't screwing us, so we kept an eye on what they were doing. Their people figured out what Christian did to sell your Prius and buy you this car. It's too bad; if he'd just bought a new car for you with cash using your new name, they never would have figured it out. The title applications proved you were alive and in the Denver area, and he was supporting you. Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones watching. The CIA was getting inside information from the Task Force, putting you at risk. Commander Lindstrom sent a couple of her agents to Portman's office to offer you protection."

"The CIA killed Christian?"

He nodded. "The FBI and DEA agents arrived after he was dead, and two of them got shot in the shootout with what we believe was a CIA team."

"I didn't find out about it until I was on the road. A woman came to the cabin with a message from Christian that said to run. I didn't stop to ask why."

"It's good that you did. The FBI and CIA have the make, model, and license plate number of your car, Maria. They thought about putting out a material witness warrant for you and an All-Points-Bulletin, but we can't predict who would get you first. The CIA took Julio out of the Federal Prison System, so I didn't know another way to keep you safe. We talked the Task Force into letting the Werewolf Council find you. We can operate outside of the CIA and other agencies. My people tracked you through western Nebraska using license plate cameras. Once we knew which direction you headed, we used your social media history to find Eva. I had people following you, plus I had a team waiting for you."

I just shook my head. "I never had a chance, did I?"

"Witness protection isn't easy," he replied. "This whole mess between the Sons and the Steel Brotherhood began with an undercover agent getting his new identity blown, and the Sons leadership torturing and killing him. Is it possible for you and Maritza to go somewhere and be safe? Sure, it's possible, but it takes time and money. You have a new identity, but your title is in that name, so it's blown. Getting a new identity, finding a place to live, go to school, work, shop? Add in modern facial recognition technology, fingerprint records, and DNA? It's not cheap or something you can do alone."

"I planned this for a month, and I didn't last a day," I said, sad at how quickly my plans had fallen apart. Maritza was starting to fuss; Frank unbuckled her and handed her to me. I held her in my arms as she fought to stay awake.

"My people are good, Maria. It's not a reflection on you; once we had your name and license plate, it was a matter of time."

"So now what? I trade a cell with the CIA for a cell in your Pack House?"

"No, Maria. You were not part of our beef with the Sons of Tezcatlipoca leadership, and we will not make you do anything against your will. I'm here to give you your options, and I'm hoping you'll take the offer."

"What offer?"

"Sanctuary within the Pack. A safe place, outside the control of the Federal Government, where you and Maritza can live a life of freedom."

"We are cats. Wolves and cats don't mix."

He shook his head. "Your leaders forced that, not us. Werewolves faced extinction a few months ago and narrowly avoided it. You two are the last hope to keep the werejaguars going, and I don't want to see that opportunity lost or turned into a captive breeding program. I'd hope you'd trust me, trust US enough to let us help you."

It sounded good, but Dad said never to trust werewolves. "And if I don't want your help?"

He reached down onto the seat and grabbed a manila envelope. He tossed it onto the front seat. "That's ten grand cash, along with a new Minnesota driver's license and my business card. We started building a new identity for you as soon as I knew you were alive. Buy a new car with cash, and get the hell out of Nebraska. Walk away from this car, so you don't leave a trail. If you get in trouble and need help, give me a call. If we can get there in time, we'll help."

I opened the envelope. "Esmerelda Del Rio?"

"She died eighteen years ago shortly after childbirth. We're filling in her background now."

"So if I say no, I keep this, and you guys drive away?"

"Yes. If you'd rather face the power of the Federal government and the cartels on your own, this will give you a start. I, and our kind, owe you at least that much."

He sounded sincere. "And if I accept your proposal?"

"We move your things and Maritza to my car and head to the airport. One of my people will drive your car to Texas. He'll leave it near the border, so the Feds think you fled to Mexico. You two will fly back to Arrowhead Pack in my jet, where we'll sneak you onto the grounds and get you settled. You'll like it there; it's a great place to live, and there are other children her age."

I looked out at the empty park. I was at one of those crossroads moments in a person's life, where everything rode on if you take the left fork or the right. I looked at the envelope and the pistol underneath it. Could I trust Frank?

I made my choice.

Ch. 20

Maria (Meztli) Gonzales' POV
Grand Island, Nebraska

I looked at the man sitting in my backseat. I wanted to trust him, but he had blood on his hands. His actions set into motion events that killed my family and left me alone and hunted. "I appreciate the offer, Mr. Grimes. I wish I could accept it, but trust is in short supply for me right now. It didn't help when you and your men surrounded me and force me to drive away from my friends at gunpoint."

"I'm sorry I had to do that, Maria. We needed to get you clear so we could talk. You can trust me."

"The last man I could trust in this world is dead now, courtesy of the government you represent."

He didn't expect that answer, and his reply was reflexively defensive. "That wasn't on us, Maria. We were heading there to help you!"

"Actions and consequences, Frank. The Task Force went after me when I'd done NOTHING. Why were they spending so much time looking for Maritza and me if we weren't suspects? Why would they dig through my life until they found out what car I was driving? I was safe at our cabin. No one knew about me, Christian brought me supplies once a month or so, and we had mountains behind us to run in. I could have stayed there for YEARS, but it's all blown now. Tell me WHY! Why did your Task Force target me, Frank?"

He didn't have a good answer for me, and he knew it. "Once they figured out the Sons leadership were werejaguars, they couldn't stop themselves. It was the same way with our Pack when we first came onto the radar, and we had to stomp on them hard to get them to stop looking. Even then, we had to keep watching them and make sure they didn't try to screw us again."

"You don't trust them," I said evenly.

"Trust, but verify," Frank replied. "Some I trust more than others. Frank Donovan, one of the agents who went to talk to Christian, used to work for me. I trust him with my life, and I trusted him with yours. The Task Force is fatally compromised, and I've accepted that now. Some agencies like the FBI and Secret Service are working well with us. Other agencies are following their agendas, and the CIA seems to be working against us."

"This is another reason not to trust you, Frank. You think you can protect me from the Government that you can't trust yourself. Why would I believe you?"

He shook his head. "It's dangerous out there, Maria. If you can keep off their radar, you might be fine, but you'll slip up, or they'll get lucky. When that happens, and the wrong people find you, I won't be able to help you."

"At least you're honest about it. I'd be gone already if you tried blowing sunshine up my ass." He snorted at that. "What happens when I leave Arrowhead?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to live my life on house arrest, hiding indoors so that no one recognizes me. What happens to me off Pack territory when I'm at school, the shopping mall, or a movie theater? If you can't trust the Government, and I have no treaty protection, how exactly am I safe with you?"

I don't think he'd thought about that. "I guess we'd have to make you part of the Pack."

It was my turn to snort. "Me, in your Pack? Jaguars don't have Packs or Pack bonds, and I'm pretty sure I'd stick out in my animal form."

"Arrowhead has human Pack members, Maria. Our Beta's mate is human, as are Rori's mother and stepfather. None have the Pack link, but all are Pack, and the Council recognizes them as such."

I hadn't expected that, but it was encouraging. "You said you wanted me to go to Arrowhead. Why?"

"That's where Colletta and I are now, and Rori is close to your age, as are her babies. I think you'd fit in there. If you'd rather go to a different Pack, we could make that work, too. Chase's twin sister is Alpha of a Pack in western Canada. We could build a Canadian identity for you, and that gets you away from the US government."

"Except the CIA," I said.

"Yes."

"Arrowhead doesn't have good experiences with werejaguars, does it?"

"No, we haven't. The Sons attacked multiple times, some using humans in the gang, others in jaguar form. They all died, and so did some of our people. Chase and Rori are part of the Steel Brotherhood, and they've lost people to the Sons as well. You can't ignore that background, but we can't blame you for it either. If you don't seek vengeance for the deaths of your family, the Pack won't blame you for what your adult relatives did without your knowledge."

It wasn't perfect, but it was realistic. If I found it was hard to get past, I could leave again, right?

"There's more. Julio is family, the only family I have left. What happens with him? Are you going to help me get him back?"

Frank didn't know what to say. "Julio is still a Federal prisoner, Maria. Even if we get him back, he's spending the next twenty-to-life in a prison cell."

"He's also the only person I know who can keep my kind from extinction, Frank. How does saving the two of us prevent that if there isn't a Jaguar to mate with me and give me offspring?"