Aztec Treasure

Maria Meztli’s POV

Arrowhead Pack Pool

“Oh, yeah, that feels fantastic,” I said to Spider Monkey as I lowered myself into the hot tub. I moved until one of the powerful jets was right on my lower back, wiggling around to loosen my sore muscles.

“It feels good on my ankles and feet,” Spider Monkey agreed. She’d been a big help since I got back, helping me with my treatments and getting me moving again. “I can’t believe you made our sex-filled honeymoon weekend look like amateur hour in comparison. I wear Vic out all the time, but I’ve never worn him down until he needed medical attention.”

“I didn’t realize how bad it was until it was over. When you’re in the middle of it, your mind is in a haze. You don’t pay attention to anything except sex.”

“I guess so. Look who’s here.”

I looked back to the entrance to see Lance walking in. He was walking stiffly, his package still red and irritated, but he smiled when he saw me. He made his way over to me, and all I could think about was how strong and dominant his wolf was and how loving and tender he was in between sessions. “Good afternoon, Lance,” I said with a shy smile.

“Room for one more?”

“Of course.” He slid in next to me, letting out a grunt as he sank into the water. “I know Doc said to ice my junk, but my whole body aches.”

“Me too. Every time I woke up, I felt like I’d taken a beating.” His hand dropped into the water, taking hold of mine where no one could see. I squeezed his hand, moving his hand onto my lap. My cat felt better when we were in physical contact, and I liked it too.

I heard a shout, then an order to turn the television up. It wasn’t crowded here in mid-afternoon, but there were still a few dozen wolves around. The Omega running the snack bar grabbed the remote and turned the volume up. ‘MANHUNT FOR JULIO SALAZAR’ was the crawl on the news channel.

“Law enforcement sources are confirming that Julio Salazar, suspect in the brazen attack on Air Force One, was spotted on the Pennsylvania Turnpike an hour ago. Officers stopped the recreational vehicle driven by his associate after a brief chase. Unconfirmed reports are that this associate, yet unnamed, was killed in a shootout. Julio Salazar escaped into the woods along the Turnpike. The State Police and FBI are confident they have Julio contained and are bringing in more resources by the minute to deal with this dangerous criminal.”

“Holy shit,” I said. The coverage shifted to show a news helicopter circling the area.

“Alpha is talking with the Monongahela Pack and the FBI right now,” Lance told me. “He told them to bottle Julio up and let the wolves surround him. Otherwise, people will get hurt.”

“We don’t need a bunch of officers dying like the First Husband,” I agreed. “Julio is smart. He might find a way out.”

“He'd have to do it soon. Once the sun goes down, they’ll bring out the National Guard helicopters with infrared cameras. Those guys will blast the shit out of him.”

We got out and had some pizza while watching the coverage. “I can’t see Julio getting out of this alive,” Lance said. “How do you feel about that?”

“He was family, but that didn’t mean much. Dad didn’t want me anywhere near him, and Dad didn’t fear anyone. I’ll be sad because it will only be Maritza and I left. On the other hand, I didn’t want him forcing me to bear his children.”

“I would never let that happen,” Lance promised.

“I know. I guess I’m hoping things will get back to normal? I love it here, but I’d like to go back to school, go to the mall, or go riding. It seems like it’s been one thing after another without a chance to catch my breath.”

We talked, swam, and soaked until the news confirmed that FBI agents shot Julio Salazar dead when he tried to attack them. “It’s over.” The pent-up emotion started to come out, and I began to cry.

“Come here.” He pulled me into his lap as I cried onto his chest. I finally stopped crying ten minutes later, but I didn’t move off of his chest, and he didn’t take his strong arms from around me. Lance suddenly stood up, setting me on my feet on the pool deck. “The Alphas want to talk to you,” he told me.

I showered and dressed in the locker room, meeting Lance on the other side. He held his hand out for me, and I smiled and took it. Alpha Chase noticed it when we walked in, and Rori had the ‘tilted head’ thing going. The Arrowhead Pack leadership was all present, and Chase gestured for us to sit at the opposite end of the table from where he and Rori sat in chairs. I sat in Lance's lap so I could see better. “Thank you for coming,” Chase said. “I know you’ve been watching the coverage, so you know about Julio.”

“Yes, Alpha,” I said. “You’ve confirmed he is dead?”

“I spoke to Alpha Carlson a few minutes ago. He verified it personally.”

That was good. “As Julio’s only living relative, I’d like to handle his funeral arrangements.”

“I’ll make the call. It may be a week or two until the authorities release the body.”

“Thank you.” I looked around the room, and the group didn’t look happy. “Now that Julio is gone, I was hoping my security restrictions would change. I plan to buy a Harley and go riding again.”

“That is why you are here, Maria. The Pack will no longer be under lockdown, as the threat from Julio is gone. Everyone will be able to move about outside, and our security posture will go back to normal.”

He wasn’t saying something. “What about me?”

Vic was the one who answered. “Julio wanted the Alpha and his family dead, but he wanted to keep you alive. He wasn’t the only one who wanted you.”

“The CIA prison is gone, and everyone involved is dead,” I said.

“Maybe,” Chase said. “The FBI is digging into the CIA operations around you, but we don’t know if they still have a program to try and use jaguars as covert operatives. Julio was older and set in his ways; we believe the multiple attempts to get you and Maritza were attempts to get a werejaguar they could train and mold. They also had no leverage on him.”

“I’d never work with them,” I said.

“You say that now, but what if they hurt Maritza if you refused?” I looked down, knowing he was right. “I have to make sure you are safe, and that means taking precautions.”

Here it came. “Like what?”

“I don’t want you alone on Pack land outside the Pack House and associated homes,” Chase said. “When you leave the Pack grounds, you’ll need at least two guards, four if Maritza is along.”

I wasn’t getting rid of minders. “What about school?”

“There are only a few months left in this school year, so I’d prefer you did it online. When you start college in the fall, we can see what threats remain. Lance has volunteered to be your primary guard if you want him.”

“I trust him to keep me safe,” I said. “Can I go shopping? I don’t have clothes or a bike, and I need a phone and computer.”

“I’ll take you to Duluth tomorrow,” Lance said. “You could ride on my motorcycle with me.”

“Or you could check out a bike from the Pack motor pool,” Roadkill said. “We’ve got an 883 Sportster that’s your size.”

“I’ll ride with you in case I buy a ride of my own,” I said to Lance with a smile. “We’ll need a car for the bags.”

“Oh, I’ll get Roadkill to drive us in one of the Pack vans,” Possum said. “He’ll put up with us shopping all day if he gets to visit the Harley-Davidson Sports Center and eat lunch at Grandma’s.” She looked over at Chase. “Two of us plus Lance should be enough. We’ll all be packing.”

“Bring a female warrior as well, Lance. I don’t want Maria vulnerable in a changing room or something.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Chase looked over at me and smiled. “I promised to keep you safe, and that’s what I’m doing. If there are any issues, please let me know.”

I was relieved that I’d be able to go out again. After months on the run and weeks hiding here, I needed some retail therapy! I had enough money to pay cash for everything, thanks to Spider Monkey and my late lawyer.

I couldn’t wait to feel the wind in my hair again.