Aztec Treasure Ch. 21-30

"Will do. I haven't seen any tails, Frank. Maybe I'm paranoid."

"The people we are dealing with have satellites, drones, and tracking devices. Paranoid is a good thing."

He was right; all it cost us was some time and gas. "Five miles."

"We'll be ready."

I briefed Maria on the plan. "What about the car seat?"

"You'll be in the back, I doubt there will be anywhere to place it, and we don't have time. Use the sling. I don't want you visible for more than five seconds. The awning over the gas pumps will hide us from surveillance, but not from someone in a car."

The swap went like clockwork. I pulled into the gas station and saw them on the inside of the last row of pumps. I pulled in behind the van, turning off the ignition but leaving the keys in place. "You guys ready?"

"Go." I got out and walked behind my car, stopping at the gas pump. While Frank and I blocked the view, Maria got out with Maritza in her sling and her hijab on. She climbed into the cargo van as Brent and Laura bailed out the back doors with canvas range bags. The two warriors got into my car, Laura riding shotgun, while I swiped my credit card in to pay for the gas. Laura picked up the hijab I'd been wearing and pulled it over her head to mask her identity. Frank walked into the gas station as the van drove off. "Nice job, Meghan. Take your time, do the windshield, and use the bathroom. We want them to get a good head start on us."

I finished filling up my tank, then went inside and used the bathroom. I picked up a Mountain Dew and a pack of Twinkies, then walked back outside to my car. I got in and started it up as Frank opened the door and climbed into the rear passenger seat. "Let's go," he said.

I got back out on the freeway, watching for tails and not finding any. Once we were at speed with no cars around, the weapons came out. I had my Glock 22 on my right hip, and I was sure everyone else had a pistol or two, but they came prepared. Laura brought a Benelli M3 semi-automatic 12-gauge combat shotgun. In the back, both Frank and Brent had chosen carbine-length AR-15's with 30-round magazines. "Where is mine?"

"Here," Frank said as he passed forward another AR-15. Laura held them between their legs as I drove.

"Why did you come along on this, Frank?"

"I'm the only one with a badge if this goes bad," he replied. Brent laid down in the back cargo area while Frank laid on the back seat. Laura and I watched for hostiles over the next ninety minutes as we passed through Duluth and headed up the North Shore on Highway 61.

Laura was the first to pick up on the threat as we drove past Knife River. "Two black Suburbans just pulled onto the road behind us after another pulled ahead of us," she said. The big SUVs had tinted windows, and the two behind us were driving side-by-side now. The one in front was going just below the speed limit, so we were catching up to him. If we didn't do anything in the next minute, they'd have us boxed in on the four-lane divided highway.

Frank was sitting up just enough to see where we were as he dialed 911. "This is Supervisory Special Agent Frank Grimes of Homeland Security. Officer needs assistance, possible kidnapping attempt in progress. Suspects are driving three black late-model Chevy Suburbans." He gave them the license plate numbers and our location, plus the details on our SUV.

"Boss, they are closing in," I warned him. We were almost on top of the lead SUV, and the trail ones were only a hundred feet behind us.

"Wait until the last second, then turn right onto Salakka Road. If they follow, they are hostile." I watched as the intersection approached, then locked the brakes up and turned a hundred and twenty degrees right onto the road. The Suburban behind me had to swerve to avoid me, and both of them overshot the road. They didn't care about traffic; I could see them backing up to make the turn while I was a few hundred feet ahead of them.

I braked and turned into a driveway, following it behind the house to park behind a pole barn. The guys were bailing out before I stopped. I was out and had my AR-15 pointed over the hood seconds later. Laura moved to the near corner of the pole barn, hiding in the bushes while aiming her shotgun back down the driveway. Frank went to the other end of the pole barn and took cover while Brent set up behind a car parked by the house.

Frank was still talking to the 911 operator, and I could hear sirens in the distance as the first SUV came into the driveway. "Open fire at the first hostile act," Frank told us.

It didn't take long. The first two vehicles parked about twenty yards away, turning to block our escape. The last Suburban stopped at the end of the driveway. What they didn't know is that we didn't want to escape. Six men exited the vehicle, all carrying pistols or shotguns. "YOU ARE SURROUNDED! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP, MARIA!" He pointed his Mossberg Tactical in my direction, and all hell broke loose.

The four of us opened fire on the men in the closest SUVs. They only expected me to be armed, and all their focus was on me. They didn't expect to fire from three additional locations on each side, and they didn't live long enough to regret their poor situational awareness. Anyone who stuck his head out got it shot off, and those that didn't found out what deer slugs could do to an unarmored vehicle.

The guys at the end of the driveway said "fuck it" and took off, but it was too late. Frank shot out the driver's side window, killing the driver. As the Suburban crashed into a tree, Frank and Brent were already closing in on the survivors.

The police started to arrive, blocking any escape. In the end, there were eight men dead, one critically injured, and three captured. None of them were in the system, and every one of them wanted their lawyer.

The four of us ended up back in Duluth at the FBI office, where we suffered through hours of interviews before being let go. Frank's presence saved us; since we were acting under his direction, we were effectively his deputies. The 911 call recorded the kidnapper's words, and everyone knew about the bounty on Maria.

Frank laid down the law. "Maria Meztli is under the protection of the Arrowhead Pack," he told the FBI and the Federal Agencies on the line. "Figure out who is trying to get her and stop them. The Packs have no problem with stacking bodies until they give up."

Ch. 27

Maria Meztli's POV

Interstate 35, Minnesota

I climbed into the delivery van, closing the door behind me. These werewolves had their shit together; the whole evolution from pulling to a stop to moving again took maybe fifteen seconds.

"Sit down and stay out of sight," a man said from the driver's seat. He looked to be in his twenties, with a cheesy mustache and a mullet. He was good-looking, and I could tell he had broad shoulders and worked out. The mullet wasn't the Joe Dirt mess; it was a flat-top with shaved sides from the front, but the back was hanging down past his shoulders. I wondered if he rode. "A mullet? In THIS century?"

"Hockey hair has a long and storied history up here, don't you know. I couldn't commit fully to the buzz cut when I was doing warrior training. My stylist calls this the Skin Fade Mullet. I like the feel of it trailing behind me when I ride." The van's rear held a love seat against the far wall, with pillows and a blanket on the floor behind the passenger seat. I sat down and set Maritza next to me. I waited until we were on the freeway, then I grabbed the beddings and tried to make a nest for her next to the arm. "I'm Lance, by the way. Welcome to Arrowhead."

"I'm Maria, and this handful is Maritza. Thanks for bringing me in." He seemed nice, and I was happy to be around someone who knew motorcycles again, even if they had been our enemies. "What do you ride?"

"I got a 2020 CVO Street Glide when I transferred here from the Monongahela Pack in West Virginia. How about you?"

"I used to have a Heritage Softail Low-Rider." Emphasis on 'used to,' as Mom burned it with the rest of our house.

"The Pack has loaners at the main garage you can sign out. We had regular Pack runs before all the security problems started."

I missed the runs; when the Sons were on the road, we owned it. "That would be cool. There's nothing like it."

"Many of us ride, and with our Alphas part of the Steel Brotherhood, we get a lot of visitors. Hell, I've been out a few times already this year when we've had warmer days. I never get tired of riding along the lake, even if it freezes my balls off."

I was trying to get Maritza to sit still, and she was fighting me, then she started to cry. "Dammit!" The emotion of the day was catching up to me, and the tears leaked out as I leaned back.

"She won't settle down?"

"No. Maritza doesn't like being stuck in her seat for long road trips, and we haven't stopped yet. It doesn't help that she hasn't shifted for a week." He looked in the mirror, confused. "Werecats can shift shortly after birth."

"That's cool. I didn't know that, but there's probably a lot about you jaguars I don't know. It's the first time I've seen a live one." I didn't say anything about that; I knew some of my relatives had attacked Arrowhead, and he must have seen the bodies. "I wish my first shift had happened when I couldn't remember it instead of at fifteen. It sucked ass. I've never felt such pain before or since."

"I wish I could shift more often, but it's too dangerous after the reveal."

He didn't even turn back. "We've got an hour before we hit Duluth, so if you want to shift and stretch out for a bit, go for it. No one will be able to see you if you pull the curtain."

It was a great idea. "Thanks," I said. I pulled the curtain across behind the seats and console, then took off Maritza's clothes and diaper. I pulled my clothes off quickly, piling everything behind the bucket seat. I went to all fours, closed my eyes, and shifted into my cat. I was stretching out as Maritza changed to match me.

I laid down on the carpeting and watched her as she explored. She was fun to watch, with her oversized paws and insatiable curiosity. Once done sniffing, she started to play-fight with me. We played for a good twenty minutes before she climbed off me and onto the couch and promptly fell asleep.

I waited until her breathing evened out, then soundlessly got to my feet and crept forward. I got my nose under the curtain and pushed my nose through, letting out a cough-like sound to get the driver's attention. "Hey there," Lance said as he reached back with his right hand. I sniffed him, then licked his hand with my tongue. "Wow, that's different. It's like sandpaper compared to a wolf tongue." I stretched my head out, letting him scratch me around the ears. "You better change back, though. We're getting more traffic now."

I went back to the couch, shifted, and dressed. "Thanks, Lance. We needed that."

"It sounded like she had fun. She's going to LOVE the pool." I'd seen some video of it when Chase allowed a camera team on Pack lands for a documentary. It was an impressive facility, part of an even bigger Pack House complex.

"I don't know if I'll be able to get her out. Jaguars LOVE to swim." We talked as he drove north, and he filled me in on all the facilities and activities. It sounded more like a resort than a Pack.

Lance had transferred in shortly after Rori opened the Pack up to new members. "The Monongahela Pack had issues," he told me. "Until recently, there were few opportunities to move between Packs unless you were a female going to your mate's Pack. My Alphas cared little about those under them, and I had few opportunities to advance. They kept the leadership positions to those related by blood to them and enriched themselves on our labor."

"Why didn't you leave?"

"It's not that easy. You need to apply for the transfer, and both Alphas have to approve it. What is the upside for my Alpha to let me go? He loses my labor, and it isn't an overall neutral like it would be with the female mates moving. Also, just applying for the transfer was enough to brand you as disloyal. He didn't hesitate to retaliate."

It was foreign to me; there were so many of them, and mates blew my mind. How could you know that person was yours forever with just a sniff? An arranged marriage, like the one intended for me, made more sense than that. "What changed?"

He told me about Rori shaming the Council into allowing immigration to grow her fledgling Pack. "I didn't know much about Chase and Rori, but they were young and took chances. I wanted a fresh start, and they gave it to me."

By the Goddess, I could use a fresh start. I wasn't sure I would find it here, though. "Do you think we can be happy there? I mean, there's a lot of history. Will people be able to look beyond it and accept me?"

He thought about it for a moment before answering. "Arrowhead isn't like any Pack out there, Maria. Rori is the only remaining member of the original Pack at the hands of other werewolves. The first members of the Pack came out of abusive situations, if not outright slavery. Arrowhead has more human members than the rest of the Packs combined, not to mention the Brotherhood friendships we have. There are two things all Arrowhead members understand; bad things happen to good people, and forgiveness is the way forward. As long as you treat people with respect, you'll get that back."

I hoped so. Hiding away from people for these past months had been difficult; I missed the Clubhouse, school, and friends.

I could see the Duluth skyline through the partially-open curtain as we crested the hill and headed down towards the lake. A ship was moving in the harbor, and Lake Superior stretched beyond the horizon. Lance pointed at the temperature display on the radio. "Even in the middle of summer, Lake Superior doesn't warm that much. The temperature dropped fifteen degrees in less than a mile. Weather can change drastically when the wind shifts."

The pines and hills were familiar, but we didn't have anything like this lake back home. "It's beautiful."

"Wait until you ride along the North Shore," he told me. "There's nothing like it."

We turned off Highway 61 at Two Harbors and went inland towards the Pack. Thanks to the Pack link, the guys at the gate had it open as we approached. I woke Maritza and commanded her to shift. She did, and I dressed her. The van drove to the back of the Pack House, backing into the loading dock. "You ready for this?"

"I guess."

He got out and came around to the rear doors while I put a sleepy Maritza on my shoulder. When the doors opened, I could see we were under an overhang, and the building surrounded us on three sides. "No one can see you. Come on." He offered a hand as I got out, the dock making it an easy transition. He opened the door for me, which led to storerooms and the kitchen. We walked through the kitchen, the staff waving and smiling as they saw me. We entered the main dining hall through swinging doors as the room got quiet. "Arrowhead Pack, allow me to introduce our guests, Maria Meztli and her daughter Maritza."

A big rust-colored female wolf, obviously pregnant, trotted over and sniffed my hand before licking it as everyone watched. Behind her was a tall, powerfully-built male holding his twin son and daughter. "On behalf of Arrowhead Pack, welcome to our home. I'm Alpha Chase, and Alpha Rori already greeted you."

"Thank you, Alphas."

"You must be hungry. Sit with us, please. Arrowhead Pack, please don't crowd them, but introduce yourselves when you can." I looked around the room as he led us to the main table. Four dozen people went back to eating, more men than women, and a dozen or so couples. My stomach growled as I smelled the food, and I was shocked to find a high chair and two plates of food when I got to the place Chase indicated.

"This looks so good," I said as I looked down at the food. I put Maritza into the high chair and fastened the bib around her neck. The kitchen had left a kid's plate with steak pieces, French fries, and applesauce.

"I can help her with her dinner if you want," the petite Asian woman on the other side said. I took a sniff; she was human and pregnant. "I'm Spider Monkey."

"The hacker?"

"That's me." She caught Maritza's attention and started feeding her applesauce while I dug in.

"You're catching the end of the dinner service, but they wanted to stick around and see you when you arrived," Chase said. "Take your time and eat." I didn't say a lot as I ate the best meal I'd had in months. Maritza finished up before me, and Spider Monkey cleaned her up and sat her on her lap while I finished.

"That was amazing," I said as I put my fork down.

"I hope you saved room for dessert," Chase said. The lights dimmed, and my jaw dropped as two of the chefs walked out with a big sheet cake. I started to cry as I saw the eighteen candles and "Happy Birthday Maria" on it. "Happy birthday."

I'd completely forgotten about what day it was. I was an adult now, starting a new life, and I had hope.

Ch. 28

Maria Meztli's POV

Arrowhead Pack, Northern Minnesota

I woke to the smell of pancakes and bacon. For a moment, I closed my eyes and let myself imagine I was at home, my mother cooking breakfast while my father got ready for another day of Club business. I'd come down the stairs, rubbing my eyes, and Mom would hand me a plate with a smile on her face.

It wasn't going to happen, and I knew it. I had to make a new life for myself. I opened my eyes to the guest bedroom. It was nicer than any hotel, tastefully furnished with a full bathroom attached. The windows looked out at the Alpha's home at the end of the Point, but you could see Lake Arrowhead to the left and the Pack House complex up the hill to the right. Spider Monkey, the pregnant human and mate of Beta Vic, had taken me under her wing. It wasn't something I sought out, but Spider is something of a force of nature. Even the wolves deferred to her.

Looking at the clock-radio on the bedside table, it was eight in the morning. I got out of bed, stretching out and checking on Maritza before I went into the bathroom. When I came out, Spider was knocking on the door. "Your luggage arrived late last night, Maria. Tom made a loop into central Wisconsin before coming up here to make sure no one followed him."

"Thank the Goddess for fresh underwear," I said as Vic set the bags on my dresser and the chair in the room. "And her diaper bag! Thank you." I grabbed what I needed for Maritza as she woke up. "Did you and Meghan get back safely? I didn't see you at the party last night."

"There were problems, and we didn't want to ruin your party," Spider Monkey told me.

"It's why I didn't get back until late last night, Maria. It was a good thing we switched cars and snuck you in. A dozen men, we believe from a CIA team, went after Meghan's car using three SUVs. The four of us took cover in a rural driveway north of Duluth. The team blocked our exit and demanded you give yourself up. We opened fire on them, and they are now dead or in Federal custody. None of our people were seriously hurt. Meghan's car got shot up, and the car and the contents are all part of a crime scene. We had to have people pick us up after talking to the police because the car isn't driveable now."

I stared at them, my jaw open. "It sounds like it was more than you're admitting to, Vic. What is this 'not seriously hurt' stuff? Who got hurt?"

"Frank got grazed with a bullet, but it's only a few stitches and some new clothes."

"A few inches left, and the Council would be declaring war on the CIA for killing Colletta's mate," Spider Monkey said. She wasn't happy Frank was in the field and got hurt. A few inches to the left, and it would have been a different story.