Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Xochi shook uncontrollably as she turned around to face Lucy.
Xochitl's legs gave way, and she dropped to the ground panting. Heart racing and pulse pounding, she rolled onto her butt and put her head between her knees, the tranq pistol dangling loosely from her grip. She inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm herself.
"You okay?" Lucy knelt beside her.
"So, not a backfire then." Xochitl raised her head.
"Guess not." Lucy looked apologetic, but Xochi waved it off.
"Gracias, by the way." She patted Lucy on the shoulder.
"De nada," Lucy replied, rising. She held out her hand for Xochitl.
"Very good, Grasshopper." Xochitl clutched Lucy's hand. Lucy heaved Xochitl to her feet.
"We'll make a Mexican out of you yet," she said.
"I thought I already was." Lucy feigned shock.
"Oh, no." Xochitl grabbed her shotgun. "You haven't performed all the rituals yet."
"You ladies alright?" a male voice twanged from across the parking lot.
Xochitl and Lucy turned around and watched, perplexed, as a forty-something man dressed in jeans, a plaid long sleeve shirt, cowboy boots and cowboy hat skipped toward them. As he got closer, Xochitl noticed a huge silver belt buckle adorning his waist. The man was in good shape, only a slight paunch protruding from underneath his tucked-in shirt.
"We're fine." Lucy put her hand up.
"Ooowee!" the man howled. "That was some shot! Name's Willard. Willard Hardy," Willard, Willard Hardy said. "But you can call me Tex on account I'm from Texas." He tipped his gleaming white ten-gallon cowboy hat.
"Thanks, Tex," Lucy replied, squirming at the compliment.
"Man, I thought it was you when I saw your ride from my rig parked over yonder," Tex drawled. "But I weren't sure 'til I saw what you two ladies were doin'...Then, I knew, just knew...The Werewolf Whisperer." As if saluting the flag, Tex removed his hat and placed it over his heart.
"Yep. That's me." Lucy gave Tex a weak smile.
"So, Tex." Xochitl stepped in. "I'm—"
"Xochitl Magaña and Lucy Lowell...and that's," Tex pointed at Xochitl's car. "El Gallo...1966 Olds Toronado...a classic." Tex turned his attention back to the two women. "I'm a huge fan." He offered his hand.
Xochi, shocked yet pleasantly surprised the man had both pronounced her name correctly and knew his muscle cars, shook Tex's hand. "It's a pleasure, Tex."
"I've read your book." Tex turned to Lucy. "Well, me and the Mrs., that is...And watched your instructional videos online."
"Really?" Lucy cocked an eyebrow, her fan phobia modulated by genuine interest. "How come?"
"My girl, Billie," Tex's voice quavered, "turned Hound about six months ago."
"Near here?" Lucy asked. "Do you need some..."
Xochitl frowned at her partner.
Don't say it. Don't say it. Don’t say it.
"...help?"
"No, ma'am," Tex replied.
"Great!" Xochi rubbed her hands together enthusiastically.
"My daughter and the Mrs. live in North Texas...Denton, to be exact."
"Wait...How the hell are you here?" Xochitl asked, shocked.
He's so far from home.
"Well, ma'am, I got stuck behind state line 'bout a week after K-Day."
Xochitl and Lucy looked at each other.
"Lots of us truckers did," Tex said. "We run whatever goods make it through the line up and down the state now, sendin' money home when we can."
"We'd better...you know..." Xochitl nodded to the open trailer with the tranqed Werebeast inside.
"Yeah," Tex agreed. "That's some big feller in there...Looks like he did a number on your rear axle." Tex walked around, inspecting the rig. He bent down and looked underneath.
"I know." Xochitl kneeled next to Tex. "Should still be able to drive it, right?...If I take it really slow?"
"Well, I wouldn't go over twenty miles per hour and I wouldn't go for more than a few miles." Tex stood and scratched his head before he put his hat back on. "But it's doable."
"Great." Xochitl stood. "What do you think?"
"It's getting late," Lucy said. "When was the boat leaving again?"
"Bob's text said it leaves the old Catalina Express dock at midnight sharp." Xochitl sighed. "With or without Travis."
She checked her phone. "We're cutting it close."
"Looks like we don't have a choice." Lucy rubbed her eyes.
"I got some chains in my truck," Tex said. "I can jury-rig your axle to the frame. Should get you up the road a piece."
"We just gotta make it to the bridge by the port." Xochitl felt relieved and grateful for Tex's help.
"Great," Lucy said.
"Well, hot damn. I'll be right back." Tex hop-skipped back to his rig.
Lucy turned to the open trailer and slowly moved in for a closer look.
"How's Beastie Boy looking?" Xochitl leaned around Lucy, trying to glimpse inside.
"Can you shine your phone near the back?" Lucy asked.
At first Xochi couldn't find Travis in the shadows, but as she moved in closer, she saw what appeared to be a twisted lump of brownish fur lying on its side with its long sinewy legs extended outward. Travis' torso was curved in on itself, and his lupine head was tucked toward his chest, which rose and fell to the rhythm of his steady breathing.
"He looks peaceful," Lucy said.
"Well, at least one of us is." Xochitl panned the light over to the back wall. In the corner, crumpled in half, was Travis' gurney. "Well, that's not an option."
"Let's just leave him where he is." Lucy grabbed the trailer door and latched it closed again.
"What about when we get to the port?" Xochitl took out her keys and locked the latch.
"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it." Lucy smirked.
Xochitl groaned.
Lucy chuckled and nodded. "Tex."
Tex held a thick chain in his arms as he lumbered across the parking lot. His hop-skip clearly not a quirky canter but the result of an injured leg.
"I'm gonna go help him," Xochitl said.
"Okay." Lucy took the guns and the keys and headed for El Gallo as Xochi jogged over to Tex.
"Help you with that?" she asked, falling in step with Tex.
"I'm good," Tex said, though he looked a little strained by the weight. "Have to do this all the time when I'm up in the mountains."
"Oh."
How should I say this?
"So Tex, what's up with your leg?"
"That?" Tex smiled. "Used to ride bulls back home."
"You did?" Xochitl was impressed. "¡Híjole!"
"Yes, ma'am." Tex nodded. "Got my foot stuck in a stirrup. Damn bull dragged me around for a bit, nearly took my leg off. Ended my career on the circuit."
"¡Híjole!" Xochitl shook her head. "Is that where you got your buckle?"
"Yes, ma'am." Tex said, his eyes twinkling with pride. "Denton County Champ...ten years ago."
They got to the horse trailer, and Tex dropped the chains with a clanking thud.
"I'll have this up in no time." Tex unclipped a walkie-talkie hooked on his belt and set it on the ground next to the chains.
"What's that for?" Xochitl nodded to the radio.
"CB. I like to monitor the chatter." Tex smiled. "Helps me work." He sprawled flat on his back and looked up at Xochitl. "You remind me of a señorita I met down in Guadalajara...before the Mrs...that is. She was a real spitfire too." He scooted underneath the trailer.
Xochitl shook her head, stifling a giggle.
I like this Texas bull rider turned trucker.
"So, how's it going?" Lucy asked, approaching the back of the rig.
"Great." Xochitl pointed to Tex. "Bull rider. Champ. Pretty cool, huh."
"Yeah." Lucy tilted her head in surprise. "So, Tex." Lucy sucked in a short breath as she bent down. "I didn't know the Kyon Virus had gotten as far as Texas."
"We've heard of i
solated cases in Arizona and Nevada." Xochitl squatted across from Lucy. "Oh, and Washington State."
"Well, I've heard of it getting as far as Florida." Tex poked his head out from under the rig. "Miss Xochitl, can you slide the end of the chain toward me?"
Xochitl heaved the end of the chain under the trailer and dragged the slack to Tex. The trucker pulled the chain around the axle and over the frame.
"How'd you hear that?" Lucy asked. "It's not being reported."
"Since when did the news get anything right?" Xochitl grumbled.
"Ham radio," Tex stated, matter-of-fact. "And you're right, Miss Xochitl, the news ain't reportin' nothin' right these days. Folks gotta get the information the ol' fashion way, they gotta talk to each other." Tex scooted out from under the trailer and grabbed his CB. "There. That'll do her." He slapped the dirt off his pants.
"We can't thank you enough, Tex." Lucy rose and smiled at the trucker.
"Yeah." Xochitl patted Tex on the back. "You're a life saver."
"Ah, was nothin'." He bowed his head slightly, swatting the air with his hand. Xochitl detected a little pink in his cheeks.
"Though, I'd feel better if I followed you gals up the road," Tex added. "Just 'til you get to the bridge."
"You don't have..." Lucy stopped in mid sentence; her gaze drifted past Xochitl and Tex.
"Hello?...Hey?..." a male voice shouted.
Xochitl craned her neck and followed Lucy's line of sight. Todd the store clerk jogged toward them, holding a plastic shopping bag as he shouted and waved in their direction.
"Hey." Todd panted. "Umm...I got your snacks and lotion." He held the bag out to Xochitl.
"Thanks." She grabbed the bag, took out her pepitas and shoved them in her cargo pants pocket. She tossed Lucy her pretzels.
"Umm..." Todd mumbled and shifted from side to side, looking like a little lost puppy.
"Was there something else?" Lucy asked.
"Umm..." Todd's voice nervously rose in pitch. "Yeah?...I think...someone might have called...the authorities?"
"Shit," Lucy and Xochitl said in unison.
"Well, time to hit the road," Xochitl said. Lucy tossed her the rooster key chain.
"You two are like a well-oiled machine." Tex gaped at them.
"Hunting things with claws and sharp teeth can do that for a girl." Xochitl slapped Tex on the back.
Lucy turned her head sharply in the direction of the highway. Off in the distance Xochitl heard sirens getting louder as they approached.
We're not gonna make it outta here in time.
Xochi started for El Gallo, but Lucy didn't move. "Luce?"
"Tex?" Lucy turned to the trucker. "I think we'll take you up on that offer."
"Yes, ma'am!" Tex hooted and turned to Xochitl. "Drive out the exit behind the diner and wait for me there...and take this." He handed her the CB walkie-talkie. "Keep it on channel seventeen." He turned and hop-skipped back to his rig without further explanation.
Xochitl stood next to El Gallo, playing with the CB, as Lucy limped around the front of the Toronado to the passenger side.
"You comin'?" Lucy plopped onto her seat, tugging the car door shut.
"Yep." Xochitl tossed the CB on the dash then waved to Todd. "Bye, Todd."
She slid behind the wheel and revved the engine. In her side-view mirror, she saw Todd standing by the gas pumps, looking dumbfounded as he waved goodbye.
Xochitl pulled El Gallo up to the exit at the rear of the truck stop diner. Ahead of them, El Gallo's headlights illuminated an unlit road, which looped around the station back toward the 110 South on-ramp.
A metallic silver eighteen-wheeler pulled behind the horse trailer. She spotted Tex at the wheel — his bright white cowboy hat a beacon in the dark.
"Collect call for The Windy City...Collect call for The Windy City..." Tex's voice crackled through the CB radio. "This is Texas Two Step. You got your ears on? Come back."
Xochitl smiled at Tex's CB handle and trucker lingo. She felt like she was listening to characters from a cheesy 70s road trip movie — the kind she used to watched with her papa, who had loved them. Lucy snickered.
"You're listening to the smooth sounds of The Windy City," a Barry White baritone voice replied.
"What's your twenty?" Tex asked.
"On the four-seven approaching The Gate as we speak." The Windy City's dulcet tones flowed over the handheld radio.
"I'm at the chew-n-choke," Tex came back.
"Geraldine's?" Windy City asked.
"Affirmative," Tex said. "Hey, I got a couple of beavers..."
"Beavers?" Xochitl wrinkled her nose and looked over to Lucy who seemed equally disenchanted with being called a beaver.
"...and a rooster with a broken wing. A Full Grown Bear's breathing down their necks," Tex continued. "I need you to flip flop our way and bring the baby into the cradle. Come back."
"Ten-four," Windy City replied. "I'm puttin' the pedal to the metal."
"Watch for my flashin' chickens," Tex said.
"Copy," Windy replied. "I'm northbound and down."
"El Gallo? You there?" Tex asked.
Xochitl picked up the walkie and pressed the push-to-talk button. "We're here...not liking being called beavers though."
"That's a big ten-four." Tex chuckled. "Old habits...Did you catch any of—"
"Yeah." Xochitl noticed a confused look on Lucy's face. "We're gonna ride between Tex and his amigo Windy," she explained.
"And you know that how?" Lucy rubbed her chin.
"There's a lot about me you don't know." Xochitl grinned.
"El Gallo?" Tex urged. "Best get our wheels spinnin'."
"That's a big ten-four." Xochitl pulled out onto the road behind Geraldine's and drove toward the freeway entrance. She could hear the heavy rumbling of Tex's big rig on their tail.
"Collect call for Texas Two Step. Come back," a high-pitched female voice with a sassy swagger came over the CB.
"You got Tex, Driver. Come on," Tex replied.
"You got Switchblade Sally, honey-pie," the woman cooed.
"Nice." Xochitl glanced at Lucy as they approached the four-way stop before the on-ramp. "I need to get me a cool handle."
Lucy shook her head.
Go on laugh, Werewolf Whisperer. You know you want one too.
Xochi stuck out her tongue.
"Well, butter my biscuit! Sweet Switchblade Sally!" Tex drawled flirtatiously. "You still drivin' that parking lot?"
"To be sure," Sally came back. "What's your twenty?"
"Just merging onto the 110 South. Come back," Tex replied.
Xochitl veered El Gallo onto the freeway. She glimpsed the cab of Tex's rig as he pulled up behind her.
"Wish we could play catch up, honey-pie," Switchblade came back. "But your Big Bad Papa Bear brought Mama Bear and Baby Bear with him."
Lucy rolled down her window and adjusted her side-view mirror. "I can see three...make that four sets of flashing lights headed our way." She grimaced at Xochi.
Xochi checked her side mirror. "I can't see a damn thing."
"Trust me." Lucy sounded nervous. "I see 'em. They're there."
"Okay, chica. Whatever you say." Xochi gripped the steering wheel and leaned in. "Go, go, go, go, go," she mumbled under her breath.
"I'm approaching your back door," Switchblade came in. "You and Windy put that baby in the cradle and I'll tuck her in tight. Come back."
"Sally's gonna block the police from seeing us." Xochitl translated.
"I got that. Thanks." Lucy scowled.
"Ten-four, Sally," Tex replied. "We're on the floor lookin' for more. You copy that, Little Rooster? Come back."
"Copy, Tex," Xochi came back. "We're puttin' the pedal to the metal."
Xochi stepped on the accelerator. El Gallo whined and shook as she tried to coax more speed from the Toronado. The horse trailer's jury-rigged rear axle was not holding the weight of the rig well. The drag it caused on her car was apparent as th
e engine strained to haul the beast attached to it.
"El Gallo was not made for this." Xochitl white-knuckled the steering wheel.
"We're only about four miles out." Lucy's voice wavered.
"Won't matter if Smokey nabs us." Xochi grimaced. "We get caught transporting a Beast, they're gonna lock us up and throw away the key."
Just then, a flash of blinding light reflected off the side mirror into Xochi's eyes. "¡Híjole!" She put her hand up to block the glare.
"I think Tex just flashed us." Lucy swiveled in her seat. "He's lighting up the trailer."
She's worried. Crap!
"With the darts you shot into Travis and the elephant dart I tranqed him with," Lucy nervously calculated, "he should be down until Catalina." She gave Xochitl a weak smile.
"Just so ya know, we get caught I'm not sharing a bunk with you." Xochi punched the gas once more.
The interior of El Gallo lit up. "Ugh." Xochitl blocked the light from her eyes and grabbed the CB. "Hey Tex, we're comin' up on MacArthur and baby's gettin' fussy."
"Windy, what's your twenty?" Tex drawled.
"Comin' up on your back door," Windy City answered. "Your chickens are lighting my way home."
"Windy, you sweet thing, you're as smooth as ever," Sally cooed. "I just love to watch you from behind."
A deep rumble vibrated through El Gallo just before the giant silhouette of an eighteen-wheeler — like a stealth bomber — passed by Xochi's window. Completely blacked out, the truck would have seemed invisible if it hadn't been outlined in reflective lights. The horn bellowed twice, signaling Windy City's arrival.
Xochi and Lucy winced.
The black hole of a big rig eased ahead of the caravan. El Gallo's headlights illuminated the back of the truck, which morphed from pitch black to rich purple and sparkled with small diamond flecks.
Intimidating by night, badass by day.
Xochitl picked up the walkie and hit the PTT button, "Collect call for the Windy City. This is La Vida Loba."
"La Veee...da...Loba..." Windy City oozed sensuality.
"Please make it stop." Lucy huffed.
"I'm gonna have some fun tonight even if it kills me." Xochitl made a kissy face at her friend.
"Windy City," Tex's voice came over the CB. "Best keep your silver tongue away from that little wolf. She just might bite it off."
The Werewolf Whisperer (The Werewolf Whisperer Series Book 1) Page 17