"Well, I guess it's good you relocated the car before coming after me then," Ixchel answered Antonio absently. She couldn't decide whether it was stranger to see her brothers doing housework or to have them all so focused on disentangling her from her current predicament.
Or maybe what surprised Ixchel the most was the way her older siblings had accepted her omissions when she refused to reveal some of the more complicated aspects of her current life. Details like were-jaguars and gods seemed like a lot to spring on brothers whom she hadn't set eyes upon in a decade, and they'd clearly noticed the omission in her story. Noticed...and moved on.
"Yeah," Antonio agreed. "There's still a chance he'll find a way to hack into the stored data and track you back to this location, but we'll take turns keeping an eye out overnight. And tomorrow, Fernando has a safe place in mind for you to hole up while we deal with your stalker."
"Now, wait a minute," Ixchel started. She wasn't going to allow herself to be sent away like an unruly child while her brothers took care of her problems....
But a ringing cell phone interrupted her thoughts for the second time that day. And for the second time, the vet's heart leapt into her throat.
She didn't pick up the phone immediately, though. Instead, she waited while Fernando hurried out of the kitchen alcove and popped open the lid on his laptop before joining his siblings on the couch. "Wait for it, wait for it," Fernando murmured. Then: "Gotcha!"
Because her phone line was no longer her own. Not when her siblings were positive that Mirabelle would follow Nando's lead and track down Ixchel's number, then put through a call in an effort to lure her into his clutches. To that end, her CIA agent brother had prepared to pinpoint the location of her next caller, and he'd also set it up so he could listen in and guide Ixchel through the conversation to come.
But the vet hoped that wouldn't be necessary. Yes, Mirabelle would need to be dealt with...eventually. And yet, she still hoped that her favorite were-jaguar would contact her before she was forced to handle their opponent on her own.
"Ixchel?"
This time, her guess about the identity of the caller was accurate. Finn's voice settled onto her skin like a warm blanket, and the vet felt her shoulders relaxing for the first time all day. "Yes," she breathed. Then: "Wait a minute."
Taking a precious second to glare at her oldest brother, she ordered, "Get off the line, Nando." Then she waited...and waited...and glared harder until her sibling typed a few lines and then pulled the headphones out of his ears.
"It's not Mirabelle?" Fernando asked, and the vet simply shook her head as she got to her feet and slipped out into the Mexican night.
"Sorry about that," she said at last, sinking down onto the stoop and pulling her legs up against her chest so she could pretend it was Finn hugging her skin. "And thanks for calling."
"Thank you for answering."
Ixchel could tell that Finn felt as awkward as she did to be speaking on the phone when they'd only known each other for a few days. But he'd put in the effort to dial her number, and that was all that really mattered. So she offered up a bone to get the conversation flowing.
"I have so much to tell you," she started, only to be interrupted by a were-jaguar on a mission.
"No, don't say anything important," he interjected quickly. "Tezzie's still listening in. And even though I think he and I have finally come to terms we can both live with, it's probably better that you don't mention details he shouldn't know."
Ixchel paused and let Finn's words percolate down through her consciousness. Reading between the lines, she figured Finn meant that he'd talked the wind god out of locking Ixxie away in his personal prison...but that Finn didn't really have confidence that Tezzie would adhere to his word when push came to shove.
Unfortunately, as much as the vet liked to see the best in people, she didn't really trust the wind god either. So she was glad of the warning.
And she owed Finn a similar indication of his own need for caution. "Tell Tezzie hi for me," she started, hoping to appease the god while she and her favorite were-jaguar talked over his head. Then, without waiting for an answer, she added, "And you should know that I'm with my brothers right now."
"Your brothers? The SOBs who've been chasing you for your entire adult life?" Ixchel liked to think that she was an independent, modern woman, but the protectiveness in Finn's voice still made her grin. "Are you okay?" he continued, making her smile wider. "Where are you? I'll come get you."
It was exactly what Ixchel wanted to hear...but not what she wanted Finn to do. "I'm fine," she reassured him. "They've grown up since I last saw them. My brothers aren't anything like they were a decade ago...."
"And they're listening in right now, aren't they?" The vet could hear the were-jaguar's predatory nature coming through in his voice. "Okay, what do you bastards want in exchange for letting Ixchel walk out of your lives? Money? I've got plenty of money..."
Well, actually, he didn't. Not if the tremendous wads of cash Ixchel had found in his backpack were what the shifter was counting on to bribe her brothers' complicity. But before she could interrupt Finn's attempt to ransom her out from under her siblings' noses, Fernando proved that he hadn't cut the connection after all. Never trust a spy to resist listening at keyholes...or tapping into your phone line.
"Possessive, aren't you?" Fernando answered. "Not that you have the right to ask, since as best I can tell you've only been in our little sister's life for less than a week and somehow managed to sink her neck deep in trouble during that short time period. But, no, Ixchel isn't with us under duress. My brothers and I are helping her deal with a little problem that I understand you're responsible for."
There was a pause, and Ixchel could almost see Finn trying to decide which scent trail to follow. So she made it easy for him. "I trust Fernando," the vet said simply, willing Finn to believe her words.
And that was the wonderful thing about felines. Even the common house cat was usually able to read emotions without needing to understand the words, and Finn's were-cat senses likely made empathy doubly easy for him. So he accepted that Ixchel didn't require a knight in shining armor to ride to her rescue, although his sigh suggested that he'd vastly prefer to be her hero rather than leaving Ixchel to the tender mercies of her brothers.
And I'd prefer that too, the vet thought. But Finn had enough on his plate without piling a stalking archaeologist on top of the heap. She definitely didn't want to be the fatal distraction that knocked him off his game at a critical moment. Just believe me, she willed.
"Okay," Finn said simply. "But I assume your problem is Mirabelle, and that's actually why I called."
And just like that, her mood shifted. Ixchel tried to tell her stomach not to drop at his words, to be glad that Finn had initiated the conversation with honest concern about her well-being. She told herself that she needed to accept the fact that the were-jaguar had more on his mind than her personal safety. It didn't matter if the purpose of his call had really been business rather than passion.
Okay, so it did matter. The little "oh" that drifted from her lips was (she hoped) too quiet for her brother to hear. But Finn clearly picked up on both the sound and the subtext.
"No, Ixchel. I didn't mean it like that." The were-jaguar's voice dropped into a purr. "You are my first priority, but I assume you don't want to talk about that with big brother on the line."
Fernando huffed out a laugh, then interjected. "No, please, go ahead and murmur sweet nothings into her ear. It'll give us something to tease our little sis about for the next twenty years."
"Yeah, I changed my mind," Ixchel said, their banter giving her time to remove the emotion from her voice. Now, if I can only remove it from my mind. "Let's talk business. You called about Mirabelle?"
"Right," Finn agreed, following her lead but picking his words with care. "It turns out he's...um...like me. Which means that Tezzie can use him."
"Really." For a split second, Ixchel saw red. "Does that me
an our uninvited companion had considered choosing you instead of Ixxie to stab in the back? Because, if so, it's probably a good thing I can't talk to Tezzie right now or I'd give him a piece of my mind...."
Finn's chuckle was richer than her brother's and so much more enticing. "He's actually been pretty thoughtful lately, so save your wrath for someone who deserves it. Like Mirabelle. He's out hunting...um...jaguars."
"Jaguars." Ixchel knew exactly what Finn was trying to tell her without cluing in her older brother to facts that might blow his mind. "Any particular type of jaguar?"
"Yeah, female jaguars. Listen, he deserves what's coming to him."
"You've got that right," Fernando interjected. "I know you two are talking in code and I have no clue what you're telling each other. But my research suggests that this Mirabelle you somehow turned onto my sister's tail is a serial killer. Of human beings. He's been murdering people right and left, although nobody's been able to gather enough evidence to nail his...um...conviction."
"I'm not surprised," Finn replied. "Anyway, I know it's a long shot, Ixchel, but I'm hoping you picked up my backpack before you left El Azuzul. And I'm also hoping you won't mind me walking you through using the laptop inside to pinpoint Mirabelle's current location. I think that if we..."
"Way ahead of you, bro," Fernando answered. "We know exactly where the target is located, and we can lead you directly to his door. Or him to yours. Just say the word and my brothers and I will meet you there."
Ixchel could almost hear the wheels turning in Finn's head. He wanted to keep Ixchel safe, but at the same time, he could definitely use some help. And the shifter likely realized—unlike Fernando—that Ixchel would never allow herself to be left behind. So it was also a good thing that Nando's presence on the line had prevented the vet from spilling her secrets. Because if Finn knew everything that had happened after they parted, then he'd never allow her to join this party.
And it wasn't a party that Ixchel was willing to miss.
"No, here's what we're going to do," Ixchel said, breaking into the guys' conversation at last. "If I'm guessing right, Tezzie needs this to happen at a specific location. Am I right?"
"Yeah." Finn's voice was guarded, then he clearly decided that it was better to share what he knew rather than continuing to handle a psychopathic were-jaguar and a grumpy god all on his own. "Tezzie's hoping to get some help from his friends. And that means the best spot is this big water-filled sinkhole—Tez calls it a cenote—up in the Yucatan. I'll text you the exact location."
"So we'll lead our mark there," Ixchel said. "And Mirabelle won't know what hit him."
Chapter 40
Finn waited until he heard the click signifying that Ixchel had hung up, he waited another second for safety, and then he spoke. "Still there, Nando?"
The voice that came through from the other end of the line was a growl as territorial as any he'd heard emerging from a jaguar's mouth. "The name is Fernando," Ixchel's brother answered. But he'd clearly waited to speak to Finn alone, so the shifter had to assume Fernando would listen to reason. "Talk fast," the brother added. "Because Ixchel will come looking for me any minute now."
"Okay," Finn agreed, trying to keep his tone pleasant. The huge feline inside his human body wanted to rip its way free and hunt down this other male who thought he had a say over the were-jaguar's mate. But it was time to protect Ixchel in a more human fashion, so Finn tamped down his inner predatory nature and kept his voice calm. "I'll cut to the chase," the shifter said simply. "Ixchel can't show up at that sinkhole tomorrow. She won't want to be left behind, so you'll need to find a way to head her off at the last minute while still sending Mirabelle on to be neutralized."
"Have you even met my sister?" Fernando countered. "Maybe if you'd give me a few more details, I'd be able to talk her into staying somewhere safe. But I doubt it. Are you saying that there's a particular reason why Ixchel would be in more danger around Mirabelle than if she were, say, some other woman?"
"Yes." Maybe. If Finn's guess was correct, then Ixchel would be both the perfect bait...and in the most peril of anyone else involved in the operation to vanquish Mirabelle. Even if his guess was wrong, there was no way Finn wanted his mate to end up in the middle of a struggle with a psychopathic demigod. Too bad Fernando would think Finn was crazy if he even hinted at his reasoning.
"That's it? 'Yes'?" The barely contained rage beneath the other man's voice made it unlikely that Finn would ever find himself invited over for a friendly family barbecue. But Ixchel's safety was far more important than kissing up to potential in-laws.
In-laws? Was that really what Finn planned with regards to Ixchel?
He guessed it really was.
So he did his best to at least simulate congeniality. "I'm sorry," Finn said simply. "There are things I can't tell you."
"I figured that out," Fernando replied coldly. Then: "Ixchel is about to come in, so I've gotta go. Are there any other vague threats you'd like to toss in my general direction?"
"No." Finn sighed. "Just keep Ixchel away from the cenote tomorrow. Please."
"I'll do my best," the other man responded. "And if she slips through my net, you'd better keep my little sister from getting hurt. Or else, so help me God, I'll hunt you down...."
Then, before Finn could come up with a reply, the line went dead.
I GUESS GROWING UP with five older brothers really does prepare one for a life of crime, Ixchel thought.
She'd kept her phone on, of course. Faked the click, then lingered until Nando and Finn had finished their male posturing and their equally masculine scheming. Because the vet needed to know the full details of what both had planned if she wanted to be able to include herself in the next day's events.
Sorry, not going to be left out of the end game this time around, she'd thought as she waited for her older brother and Finn to hang up their phones in reality. Then she'd begged use of Antonio's laptop under the guise of checking her email, which allowed her to map out routes to two different cenotes. One was the actual meeting place that Finn had texted her. The other was located along the way and was the perfect spot to ditch her brothers.
Because none of the four was ready to see human beings turning into jaguars in front of their very eyes. And Ixchel didn't want to risk their human skins to Mirabelle's dubious mercies anyway.
So now, after tossing and turning all night long, the Moreno siblings were ready to rumble. Aunt Maria had been left behind with thank yous and promises to come again soon, then the siblings set off in separate vehicles. Fernando's role was to drop Ixchel off at her car and pretend that he was turning her loose for a few days of solitary sightseeing. Meanwhile, her other brothers would circle around and keep an eye out for Mirabelle, whom they hoped was still focused on Ixchel's vehicle.
"Remember," Fernando said as he enfolded his little sister in a purposefully ostentatious hug on the pavement beside her rental car. "You don't want to make it too hard for him to follow. So don't run any red lights or make any sudden turns."
Ixchel sighed at the loss of contact as her brother pulled away then looked sternly into her eyes. It was almost as if the older sibling suspected his kid sister was planning something she hadn't owned up to yet. Well, Nando was right...but the whole purpose of being underhanded was to pull the wool over the other person's eyes. So the vet just gave her brother what she hoped was a convincing smile in return.
"Don't stop anywhere except the designated safe spots," Fernando continued, seemingly satisfied by her nonverbal reassurance. "And when you get to the access road, be prepared for us to cut in behind you and sandwich Mirabelle between our cars. Then get the heck out of there and wait for Antonio to call with the all clear."
The plan made perfect sense. Too bad Ixchel didn't intend to follow her brother's orders.
To assuage her guilt at being so duplicitous, Ixchel reminded herself of all the times these same brothers had sneaked out of their family home after looking her straight in the e
ye and saying they were attending parties, not holding up convenience stores. They'd lied to her for years and, in the end, she'd forgiven all of her brothers anyway. So, surely, Fernando and company would similarly forgive and forget Ixchel's own deception.
Because look how well skullduggery worked out for my brothers....
Ignoring her own better sense, Ixchel continued to mimic evasive behavior she had learned from the experts during their shared childhood. "Don't worry, Nando," the vet said. "I know the drill." Then, to add a bit of verisimilitude to the lie, she touched his cheek and admonished: "Be careful out there."
"Always am," Fernando answered. And he seemed satisfied enough to finally let her slip alone into the driver's seat and steer the vehicle out of the parking lot. The lot where Mirabelle had been sighted several times since Antonio had secreted the car there the day before. Hopefully the trigger-happy archaeologist was still laying in wait, ready to follow Ixchel's trail.
He was. The flashy red rental car showed up in the rear-view mirror before Ixchel had made her way out of Veracruz, and it continued to follow for the long day's drive east and north to Quintana Roo.
Her brothers, on the other hand, stayed well outside visual range. Fernando had been quick to reassure Ixchel that they'd be following along by tracking the GPS of her car, explaining that various brothers would veer ahead as needed to scope out the safety of pit stops and to set up the final roadblock.
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