Aztec Treasure

Maria Meztli’s POV

Arrowhead Beta House

After mating with Lance, I never wanted to sleep alone again. I needed to talk to Spider Monkey and Vic about it; I’d been placed with them when I first arrived here, and I needed to respect their home. I caught up with my host Betas at breakfast, putting Maritza in the high chair as Vic served the French toast. “Now that I have a mate, what happens in terms of our living arrangements? I mean, Mariska and I are guests in your home, and Lance is living in a room in the basement of the Pack House.”

Vic spoke first. “Nothing has to happen right away. We volunteered to host you so you’d be comfortable and safe.”

I got Maritza’s food cut up for her and started on my own. “I’m sure Lance will keep me safe, but I feel like I’m a burden, and now you guys are bringing in people to help with the investigation. We’re taking up space you need for your guests.”

Vic nodded. “I’ll ask the Alphas at our morning meeting. I’m sure we can find you suitable rooms elsewhere with Lance. Long term, you should think about buying or building a house.”

“A house?”

“Yep. Spidey and I bought this house from the previous Betas, who paid to build it on land leased from the Arrowhead Pack. Before then, we lived in a house over there.” He pointed to a bare spot on the lakeshore, surrounded by construction fencing. “It was off Pack lands, which I needed because Spider Monkey didn’t have Pack status at the time. Unfortunately, arsonists burned it down, and the home to the left had so much damage it had to come down. I sold the property to Chase before we moved back here. Loralei’s blue house outside the gate just became available, and Chase snapped it up before she could hire a realtor. That adds another six hundred feet of shoreline, and ten acres of forest, to existing Pack lands once the papers go through.”

“Are you moving the fence and the gate?”

He nodded. “As soon as the land transfers go through. Under our treaty with the Federal Government, the Pack Lands are exempt from state and local taxes. It also means we can add on, but we can’t sell the property. As Pack members, you could lease one of the undeveloped plots between here and the beach and build your dream house. You could also buy Loralei’s old place or build a home on one of the vacant lots. I’d prefer you stay closer to the Pack House for security reasons, though.”

Yeah, being at the edge of the property wasn’t a great idea. “How long would that take?”

“It depends on how you do it. When we built the initial homes, we started in the fall and focused on getting things up quickly. Most homes here used structural integrated panels built in factories, then connected to the foundations and finished. With normal construction? You could probably get it weather-tight before winter if you hustled, but next year is a better bet.”

“I’ve got some money, but not enough,” I said. My family’s estate was still a legal mess, and my lawyers hadn’t settled my lawsuit against the Feds yet. “Can I even get a mortgage?”

“Not on a place here, but you’ve got time. Let the Pack find you a place for the summer,” Spider Monkey said. “Even if you build, you’re going to need a place to stay for six months or more.”

Vic nodded. “And you shouldn’t rush decisions on your dream house.”

“Good advice,” I said. “I need to head into Duluth this afternoon to see my lawyers anyway. I can’t make decisions until I know how much money I have.”

Spider Monkey got up, holding her sore back. “What are you doing this morning?”

“Studying for midterms in physics and world history,” I said with a roll of my eyes. Online classes sucked; I missed being around people, and I was trying to get through the courses and graduate as quickly as possible. “I’ll spend lunch with Maritza, then head out.”

“Have fun,” Spider said. “I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”

“Or just link me,” Vic said. They headed out to work as I cleaned Maritza up and took her to the Pack child care. I spent an hour reviewing the material in each subject before I took the online tests. I closed up my laptop and headed to the Pack House for lunch. Reuben day, and it was tasty.

Lance joined us with his plate as we were eating. “Papa! Eat!”

“How are my girls,” Lance said as he gave Maritza’s messy face a loud smooch.

“She got it all over your face,” I said as I handed him a napkin.

He wiped the Thousand Island dressing off his cheek. He sat down and started to demolish the sandwich. “We leave in fifteen minutes?”

“Yes,” he replied as he chewed. One nice thing about the link, eating didn’t stop the conversation. I couldn’t wait to see how it worked while riding. “Are you sure you’re all right to take your bike? You could ride with me.”

“My headaches are gone, and Doc cleared me,” I replied. “I need this, Lance.”

He nodded. “I can’t blame you, and you can’t blame me for trying.” I laughed, and we finished up and took Maritza back to the nannies.

We geared up and pulled our bikes out of the garage, then headed for the gate with the security team trailing us in a minivan. It was different riding next to Lance than riding formation with a large group, but it was still a blast. The scenery between the Pack and Duluth was beautiful, and being able to carry on a conversation in my head was even better. It was all too soon when we pulled into the parking garage at the downtown office tower.

The conference room overlooking the harbor at the offices of Dewey, Dewitt & Howe was impressive. Our security waited in the lobby as Lance and I were escorted back into the offices. My team was waiting for me with smiles all around. On the other side of the table was a severe-looking man in a grey suit. “Good news?”

“This is Mr. Chambers from the Department of Justice. We have accepted a settlement offer, Maria. It’s within the range we spoke of, and the paperwork is ready. All you have to do is sign the settlement and the non-disclosure agreement, and he will hand over the check.”

“Let’s see it,” I said. My lawyer went through the agreement, having me initial in various places before signing off on it and the non-disclosure agreement. The CIA’s assassination of the Sons leadership and the innocents around them now had a cost attached to it.

Of course, so did my silence.

Mr. Chambers handed over a check to my lawyer, then extended his hand to me. “You have my sympathies,” he said.

“Thank you.” He let my hand go, but I wanted more. “There’s one other thing I’d like, Mr. Chambers.”

“The agreement is final now,” he said.

“This isn’t about money. The remains of my mother and other family members are still in Mexico, perhaps in a military morgue or buried in an unmarked grave,” I said. “I would appreciate their return for proper burial. I’d cover the expenses, of course.”

“I will look into it,” he said.

He walked out, and I sat back down. “Maybe we should have asked for more?”

“Forty-five million dollars is a fair settlement. We might have gotten more if we played hardball, but a quick settlement allows everyone to move on,” Mr. Howe said. “We will deposit the check and transfer you the remainder into your bank account. Our fees and taxes will be withheld, of course. You should have it within two business days.”

It still pissed me off that the Federal Government could pay me twenty million dollars with their right hand, then take eight million back in taxes with their left. Minnesota took their tribute as well, pushing the take close to fifty percent. Still, in two days, I’d have over eleven million in my bank and a matching amount in Maritza’s trust. I owed Spider Monkey and Chase big time; without the threat of the drone video release, I’d have gotten nothing. I thanked my lawyers, then allowed Lance to escort me out of the office.

With my fortune, I’d be able to repay Arrowhead Pack for all they had done for me and set up a future with Lance. I wouldn’t ever have to work to support us so I could focus on Pack and family. “Time to look at lake home designs,” I told Lance in the elevator on the way down.

“Boats are cool, and waterskis,” he replied. I smiled and shook my head; boys and their toys. Our home must have a dock, right?