The Werewolf Whisperer (The Werewolf Whisperer Series Book 1) (40 page)

"I
helped you back at that pound!"

Xochitl
regretted the words immediately.

"You
don't know a fucking thing about it!" Miguel growled, then doubled over.

He's losing control.

She
staggered back a step.

Out
of the corner of her eye, she saw Vern send Lefty up to the cabin before
running in their direction.

"Cálmate,
mijo." Xochitl raised her hands.

"I'M...NOT...YOUR
SON!" Miguel panted. "GO!"

"Please,
mi...Miguel." Xochitl reached for her brother, but he waved her off.

"I
don't want you here!" Miguel's voice cracked. Terror filled his amber colored
eyes. "Please...go."

Xochitl
stood frozen in front of her brother.

Miguel
shook uncontrollably. He gripped himself as if he'd fall to pieces if he didn't
hang on tight enough.

"Xochitl,
go." Vern wrapped his arm around Miguel.

Why
can he touch him and I can't?

"Xochitl!"
Vern yelled and pointed to the cabin. "Go. Now. I've got this!"

It's
me! Miguel can't be around me!

Tears
streaming down her face, Xochi ran back to the cabin, leaving her brother
behind.

Without
stopping, she passed Mick, Prez and Lefty — their tranq guns at the
ready. She slammed her bedroom door and released the scream she'd been holding
inside.

Xochitl
dropped to the floor, sobbing until she had exhausted all her tears.

It
was mid-afternoon when she woke. Her neck was stiff from the hard surface, and
her eyes burned. She felt rejected and empty.

Miguel doesn't want me. Miguel doesn't
need me. But what does Miguel know
?

What
Xochitl knew was that her whole world had been turned upside down by the Kyon
Virus, her little brother was a furry monster and the only person who could
control any of it was being released from prison tomorrow.

Lucy Lowell.

"Are you
sure you have to go today?" Lefty asked. He had insisted on carrying her
duffel bag.

"Yeah.
It's for the best." Xochi gave him her most reassuring smile. "Besides,
I've got some business I need to handle." She clutched the page she'd
ripped from Mick's morning paper tighter.

"I'm
gonna stick around for a bit. Keep an eye on Miguel for you," Lefty said,
as they continued down the long driveway toward Xochi's Toronado.

"Wait
up!" Mick called as he and Prez jogged toward them. Prez gripped the
handle of a medium-sized black leather case.

"Hey...girl,"
he panted, bending over out of breath. "You weren't...about to
leave...without saying goodbye...were you?"

"You
okay there, Prez?" Xochitl hid the paper in her pocket. "You know
what I said about working on your cardio."

"I'll
get on that." Prez continued to breathe deeply.

"We
couldn't find you back up at the house," Mick said. "Thought we'd
missed our chance to give you a little going away present." He nudged Prez
and nodded to the case.

"Here."
Prez held out the gift. "Just a little something to remember us by."

Xochitl
examined the present. It had two levers on the front, locking it like a
briefcase.

"Thanks?"
She was confused. "I guess a girl can't have too many bags."

"Open
it, Blondie," Mick mocked.

Xochi
hesitated. She didn't know why. She'd always liked receiving presents.

Maybe
because it's been a long time since anyone's given you anything without
expecting something in return.

"Here."
Mick grabbed the case and held it on its side.

Stop
being a pendeja and open the damn case.

Xochitl
flicked up the latches and slowly opened her gift.

"No
way!" Her mouth dropped open at the sight of three shiny, silver blades
gleaming up at her. "You guys, this is too much."

"See,
that's a Bowie knife with a serrated edge." Prez pointed at the largest of
the three weapons with glee. "The other two are—"

"Filipino
Karambit knives!" Xochitl interrupted.

"Girl
knows her weapons." Mick chuckled.

"You
guys." Xochi choked up. "I don't know what to say."

"No
need. Just think of us the next time you're beating the crap out of someone,"
Mick said as he locked up the case and handed it back to her.

"I
will." Xochitl threw her arms around Prez and Mick. "Thank you."
She reached out to Lefty who joined in on the bear hug.

"Okay,
enough of this sentimental crap." Mick pulled away, breaking up the
lovefest. "Times a wastin'." He nudged her.

"Thanks
guys, really." Xochitl smiled as Prez wiped a tear from his face. "I'm
going to miss you." She squeezed Prez's hand, waved to Mick and turned toward
her car.

Vern
paced next to El Gallo. Her uncle spoke in a hushed agitated tone on the cell
Ames had given him.

"I
gave you what I had," Vern said. "...Don't give me that crap. We both
know you got what you needed...I have no idea what she knows about her."

Who's
he talking about?

"If
I find out more, I'll let you know." Vern shut the burner phone.

"What's
up?" Xochitl asked.

"Oh,
hey." Vern looked surprised. "Didn't see you there."

"Everything
okay?" Lefty nodded to Vern's phone and dropped Xochi's bag on the ground.

"Yeah."
Vern stuffed the cell in his pocket. "Nothing I can't handle." He
grabbed the small case from Xochi and picked up the duffel bag.

"Sure
you should be lifting heavy things?" Xochi pursed her lips.

"Leg's
fine. Ten stiches is nothing," he huffed. "You about ready to go?"

Xochitl
nodded and turned to Lefty. "Guess this is it."

"I've
got something for you too." Lefty took off his desert camo jacket and
handed it to Xochitl. "Here."

"No."
She shook her head. "I can't take that."

"Please.
I want you to have it." Lefty stepped behind Xochi and placed the jacket
over her shoulders. He slowly walked around her as if he were a CO inspecting
his troops, tugging at the shoulders to adjust the fit. "There. It looks
better on you anyway."

Xochitl
pulled the jacket tighter and glanced down at the slanted name patch
affixed
above the front pocket
—
Delgado.
Overwhelmed, she reached for Lefty and hugged him
tight. "Thanks for watching over Miguel," she whispered. "Vaya
con Dios, kid." Then she kissed him on the cheek.

Lefty
remained quiet, and Xochi pulled away to look at him. His face had turned
bright pink. She shook her head and chuckled. "Pendejo. Go on, get out of
here."

She
watched as Lefty walked up the driveway toward the cabin. He never looked back,
but Xochitl knew how he felt.

We're family now. And you never say
goodbye to family.

Xochi
blinked back her tears.

"Well,
baby girl, this is it." Vern placed her gear on top of El Gallo's trunk.

Xochitl
tossed Vern the rooster key chain. She knew, as she leaned against the car and
watched her uncle inspect the contents of the trunk, he was making sure she had
all the necessary safety items a girl traveling by herself would need.

First-Aid
Kit. Check. Spare tire. Check. Flares. Check. Knives. Check. Oh, and shotgun.
Check.

Xochitl
giggled to herself.

"What?"
Vern asked and tossed the keys back to her.

"Nothing.
You're just such a dad sometimes." She opened the driver side door.

"Xoch?"
Vern asked. "How well do you know Officer Lucy Lowell?"

"Why?"
Xochitl asked defensively. "Does this have to do with your phone call?"

"Look.
I don't know what Ames wants. But he's asking about her."

"Well,
I was just her CI," Xochi replied. "That's it." She felt bad
keeping Vern in the dark about Lowell. But she couldn't risk the information
getting back to Ames. She needed to find a way to help Miguel. And she knew,
somehow, Lucy was the key.

"Just
watch your six, okay." Vern wrapped Xochitl in his arms and kissed her on
her forehead. "Take care, baby girl."

"I
will." Xochi squeezed Vern tight. "I love you."

She
slipped in behind El Gallo's wheel, and Vern shut the door. She rolled down her
window.

"No
matter what, I'm not going to stop trying to help Miguel. You know that right?"

"I
know. And so does he." Vern knocked on the roof of the car. "Now go
on."

Xochitl
turned the rooster key chain over, and El Gallo revved to life. She waved to
Vern one last time and pulled out onto the road. In her rearview mirror, she
saw Vern standing in the driveway. Then, he was out of sight.

Folsom,
here I come.

Chapter 31

"The
person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave your name and
number after the beep."

Beep

"Pick
up your fucking phone! We have a major problem up here. I
'
m up to my ass in Ferals and that fucking
Appalachian mongrel just showed the fuck up. You need to get up here. Right the
fuck now!"

El
Gallo slowly made the right turn off Vineland and into the graveled parking lot
of the North Hollywood warehouse row. The crunch of dirt and sand beneath the
car's wheels made Xochitl's hair stand on end. The memory of having been
stuffed in the trunk of Tuti's car and choking on exhaust fumes flooded back.
She'd hoped she would have been over the feeling by now. But there it was —
nausea.

Her
eyes fixed on the steel grey building ahead — her tomb, or so she'd
thought two years ago. The tension in the car was thick, almost tangible. Xochi
stole a quick glance at Lucy. She stared straight ahead, knuckles white from
gripping the steering wheel too tight. The only thing that seemed to tether the
two women to the present was Kai's constant bouncing in the back seat. The boy
had grown more hyper as they approached the warehouse.

Lucy
pulled the car into a space at the farthest end of the jammed parking lot. "Busy
for a late afternoon."

"Hmm."
Xochitl pulled off Lefty's jacket and tossed it past Kai's head. She took a
deep breath and scooted out of the Toronado.

Kai
leapt over the backseat, practically shoving Xochitl into the car parked next
to them. He zoomed down the aisle before Lucy shouted, "Kai, stop! Wait!"

The
teen Were whined but stayed glued to his spot, still bouncing with
anticipation.

"Come."
Lucy grabbed Kai's arm and led him toward the warehouse.

Every
muscle in Xochi's body revolted against entering the building. She forced her
legs to move.

"Huh,"
Xochitl grunted.

"What?"
Lucy glanced at her.

"I
don't remember bougainvillea." Xochi pointed to a vine of red flowers
growing up the left side of the building. "Or a glass front door."

"Yeah,
flowers were here before," Lucy said, her voice sounding distant. "Door's
new. We kicked down the old one. Miguel must have replaced it," she added
in what sounded like an afterthought.

Lucy
pulled open the glass door and waited for Xochitl.

Xochitl
took another deep breath and entered into a whole new world.

Gone
was the wide-open space of the warehouse. In its place stood a false wall,
spanning three-quarters the length of the room, separating lobby from main
interior. The words
L & M Gym Los Lobos Luchadores
had been spray-painted
across it in black and red graffiti lettering.

Felix's signature script.
Guess the kid's still around.

The
face of a giant black wolf with glowing amber eyes, the likeness of Miguel, was
painted underneath. Both beautiful and dangerous, the mural depicted her
brother perfectly.

At
the far end of the lobby, a black leather sofa, two metal chairs and a round
glass coffee table with magazines displayed on top made up the seating area.

"Tickets
are twenty each," a husky male voice said.

The
two women turned their attention to the reception counter. Behind it stood a
hulk of a man, at least six foot five with a tattooed bald head. He wore a
tight black workout shirt with the same wolf face outlined in red.

Kai
lunged at the reception desk so fast the hulking man nearly flung himself into
the back wall.

"Whoa!"
The man threw his hands up to his chest.

"Kai,"
Lucy hissed. "Back."

Kai
took a step back but continued his playful lunge attack, feigning
aggressiveness like Xochitl had seen Tau and Thandi do before they began to
wrestle. The thought of her puppies made her heart ache a little.

She
shook off the feeling and approached the desk.

"I'm
just here to see Miguel," Xochitl stated matter-of-factly and headed to
the gym entrance at the end of the false wall. She didn't get too far. The
hulking receptionist caught her by the arm. Kai growled deep in his throat.

"What
the fu—" Xochi spun out of Hulk Man's grip, grabbed his wrist and
twisted. He sucked in a quick breath.

"I
wouldn't do that if I were you." Lucy stepped in and patted Xochitl's
shoulder, stopping the lock before she cranked too hard. Xochi let go. The
oversized receptionist blew out the breath he'd been holding.

"My
friends don't like to be touched." Lucy nodded to Xochitl and Kai.

Hulk
Man rubbed his wrist. His brow furrowed, and he looked from Lucy to Xochitl, his
gaze falling on her
La Güera
tattoo. She could practically see a light
bulb switch on over his head.

"Oh,
my gosh!" Hulk Man lisped and clapped enthusiastically. "You're her.
Them! This is so exciting!"

Okay. Not what I expected.

Lucy
muffled a chuckle.

Kai,
back to his good-natured self, bounced around the room.

"I'm
Reggie." Reggie put out his hand. "It's an honor to meet La Güera!"

"Uh,
thanks." Xochitl shook Reggie's hand. "So, we're good then, Reggie?"

"Oh,
sure. Go right on back." Reggie dug out his cell phone.

"Sorry
about that." Xochi nodded to Reggie's wrist.

"Nah!"
He waved off her apology.

"La
Güera and The Werewolf Whisperer here. Marcus's gonna kick himself for calling
in sick," Reggie muttered excitedly to himself as Xochitl and her friends
walked into the gym.

The
warehouse main interior was as Xochitl remembered — expansive. Concrete
floors, metal walls, and on the left, a steel framed double door.

Miguel came through that door. Chained like a dog.

"Little
brother's been busy," Lucy said.

"Yeah."
Xochitl stared at a giant cube-shaped cage centered in the middle of the
thousand square foot room. The cage had two entrances opposite each other and a
thick taut square mat for a floor. Rowdy spectators of varying ethnicities and
species packed the perimeter of the cage on all four sides, screaming and
shouting and exchanging money back and forth as they made their fighter picks.

Miguel
— still in human form — sat in his corner, across the cube from another
Werebeast, while Lefty toweled him off and barked instructions.

Two
stunning beauties wearing red bikinis walked the perimeter of the cage. They
looked identical with long white blond hair that grazed their tanned skin,
except one girl was human and the other Feral with wolf-like ears, sharp
claw-like hands and a shiny white blond tail. As the twins glided around the
fighters, they held large cards with a
2
painted on them high in the
air.

"Are
those the Cruz sisters?" Xochitl elbowed Lucy.

"I
don't know," Lucy said. "Don't follow entertainment much."

Xochitl
rolled her eyes but knew the women were the Cruz sisters. Pre-Wereflu, Alondra
and Andresa Cruz had been moderately successful Colombian swimsuit models working
out of L.A. Post-Wereflu was a different story. Now stuck in California, the
identical twins, one an Afflicted and the other not, had emerged as the most
sought after models in the world. Their fame skyrocketed as they graced the
online pages of
Vogue
,
Elle
and
Maxim's Were Edition
.

"What
the hell are they doing here?" Xochitl wondered out loud.

Lucy
yawned.

The
bell rang, and Miguel, fast and nimble off his corner, used the cage as an
extension of himself, hanging like a bat from the ceiling before pouncing on
the back of the much larger tan colored Were.

"He's
impressive," Lucy said.

"Yeah,
not bad for a little pendejo," Xochitl grumbled.

Damn. He's good.

Moving
their way through the crowd, they passed two vatos aggressively thrashing their
arms about and shouting profanities at the cage. The crowd roared. Kai looked
like he was about to jump out of his skin.

"Kai,
with me!" Lucy clicked her tongue and pulled the boy to her.

Kai
hung his head and shuffled to Lucy.

Maybe
bringing the kid was a bad idea. Oh well, too late now.

They
weaved through the throng of spectators — whispers of "La Güera"
and "Is that The Werewolf Whisperer?" buzzing around the arena. By
the time they'd reached the edge of the metal cube, the place had gone silent.
Only Miguel, his opponent and their coaches, who continued shouting
instructions, seemed unaware of their presence.

"Well,
we sure do know how to make an entrance," Xochitl mumbled.

"Get
your hooks into him, Miguel!" Lefty shouted.

Miguel
clinched his legs around the gigantic Werebeast, hooking his arm under the Beast's
chin.

"That's
it!" Lefty cupped his mouth. "Now squeeze, kid! SQUEEEEEZE!"

Xochitl
sidled up to Lefty and nudged him with her shoulder. "¿Qué pasa, ese?"

Lefty
jumped. "Shit."

"Told
you I was coming." Xochitl stared at her brother as he struggled to keep
his hold on the Werebeast.

"Seen
enough?" Lucy asked.

Miguel's
rear naked choke had begun to take its desired effect on the Beast.
Xochi's brother glanced to his corner and
spotted her — his confusion altering into irritation.

"You
mind?" Xochitl asked her friend.

"Nope,"
Lucy replied.

"No.
Wait," Lefty pleaded.

Xochitl
put her hand up for Lucy to wait.

"Is
this a big match?" Xochi asked.

"Well,
no," Lefty replied. "But it's how we make money."

"Well,
then..." She nodded the go ahead to Lucy.

Lucy
bounded up the steps to cage side and yelled at Miguel, "OFF!"

Immediately
Miguel let go of the Werebeast and backed away. With lightning speed, the Beast
ran up the opposite side of the cage, jumped to the ceiling and behind Miguel.
Xochi's brother only had a second to turn around before the Beast's massive
claw swiped at Miguel's head, knocking him to the mat.

"Ooh,
that's got to hurt." Xochi winced.

The
crowd suddenly came to life with boos and hisses.

"Thanks,
Xoch." Lefty pushed past Xochitl.

"What
the fuck!" Glued to his spot, Miguel pounded his fist on the mat. "That's
a foul, Ref!" he shouted to a stocky fellow dressed in black, standing at
the opposite side of the cage.

The
referee waved off Miguel's complaint. The okay given to commence fighting,
Miguel's opponent crouched low ready to pounce.

"Uh,
Lucy?" Xochi pointed to the Werebeast.

"STAY!"
Lucy raised her hand at the Beast and entered the arena. Xochitl followed.

The
Beast sat on his haunches, tilted his head and whined.

Kai
scurried up the corner of the cubed enclosure, flipped upside down and hung by
his legs, swinging back and forth like a monkey.

Great. The kid's got his
own personal jungle gym.

Lefty
stood in the center of the ring. The spectators hooted and hollered, throwing
their plastic cups at the cage.

"Please
folks." Lefty raised his arm up. "We're going to have a temporary
time out."

More
boos roared from the crowd until Lucy and Xochitl walked to the center of the
ring. Once again, a hush fell over the warehouse.

Miguel
arched his head backward and gave Xochitl a crooked smile.

"Hey,
Sis."

Xochi's
heart melted.

I've waited two years to
see that smile again.

"You
mind?" Lefty hissed at Xochitl. "You're fucking with our business."

"Let
him up," she said to Lucy. "But not that one."
Xochitl nodded to the tan Beast whining
by his angry coach.

"Okay,
come," Lucy said to Miguel, but put her hand up to the other Were. "Stay."

The
Werebeast's coach ground his fist into his palm, clearly desperate to punch
Lucy but afraid to make a move on The Werewolf Whisperer or La Güera. Xochitl
smiled.

Lefty
helped Miguel to his feet, and the four of them walked to their side of the
ring.

"¡Híjole,
Miguel!" Xochitl said through half-gritted teeth. "You're still
fighting? After what happened?" She pointed at the arena. "What's
Anita think of all this?"

"Nothing,"
Miguel growled. "So long as I keep her in the dinero and liquored up."

Lefty
stepped between Xochitl and her brother. "We got to make a living, Xoch."