Abandoned Treasure

Spider Monkey’s POV

Ocean City, Maryland

Monday, June 13, 2019

I picked at the dinner on the deck of our bed and breakfast. “Vic? What I did today will have consequences for us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I could hack account data remotely, but I had to go into that branch and use their terminal to make the transfers. The one thing I couldn’t hack was the bank’s security cameras. They have me on video, and they’ll figure out I did it. Whether Sinaloa, another Cartel, the Mexican government, or the Feds? They will come after me and the money.”

“I thought the money was going to the Federal Government, and they would take credit.”

“The CIA black account money is already in their hands. The Cartel cash is different, Vic. The DEA can’t seize drug money without cooperation from the bank and the government, and Mexico wasn’t going to help. I took almost a billion dollars from the Cartel. The money will go through six offshore banks and end up under a Pack shell company account. As for immunity? The existence of that agreement doesn’t mean I can go home. Even if the Feds don’t charge me, the Mexican government can. Add in that the other Cartels and criminal organizations will want to use me to do it again, and I have to stay hidden.”

He drained his beer and opened another while he thought about it. “Did the Alphas know about this?”

“The Feds couldn’t seize the money in Mexico even with the evidence we found. We agreed that it was the only way to punish the Cartel for what they did. We can do a lot of good with this money, Vic.”

“And you didn’t tell me.” He was beyond angry.

“If I told you what would happen, would you have let me?”

“No way in HELL! You’re my mate, and you’re my LIFE, Spider! I won’t endanger you or our child for anything! I thought the government could hide our involvement!”

“I’m sorry I had to hide this from you, Vic. The Alphas agreed that this was the best way to handle it. Frank couldn’t be involved.” It took a while to get him to sit down with me again. “We’ve been on the run before. We have money, false identities, and the support of the Council and all the Packs. Keep me out of sight, Vic. Keep me safe.”

“I always will, my love. Right now, I’ve got to think,” he said. I watched him walk down to the water as I went back inside. I watched the news on the small television. The anchors couldn’t keep up with the shocking revelations. Dozens of arrests were shown on screen, most involving the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency. Unconfirmed reports spoke of high-level arrests at the Justice Department, Customs and Border Patrol, and the Internal Revenue Service. “CONSPIRACY TO KILL THE PRESIDENT,” the crawl read on the bottom of the screen.

Our home at Arrowhead Pack had a raid in progress, though we were long gone. FBI vehicles surrounded it, and I saw box after box loaded into an evidence van. I was confident they’d find nothing. All the computers used for criminal and investigative activities were gone, and the backup Pack server had long ago moved to the Pack House basement.

FBI and IRS investigators were chasing down every trail in the account records I’d provided. The conspirators didn’t know what hit them. Over fifty accounts were frozen already, with more coming by the hour. Federal Prosecutors were cranking out search and arrest warrants by the dozen. Four people reportedly committed suicide before agents could arrest them.

The White House had no comment on ‘ongoing investigations.’ The press wanted more, given the number and seniority of those involved in the conspiracy. It was almost ten when President Kettering entered the White House Press Room. “Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Americans, today is a sad day in the history of our country. A wide-ranging investigation into the attack on Air Force One exposed a conspiracy inside the highest levels of government. These men and women sought to operate outside the law and without the oversight of Congress. After the destruction of the CIA black site prison on a Gulf oil rig and the subsequent removal of senior CIA members, their attention turned to me. They sought to stop the investigation into the CIA by removing me from office.”

Fuck them all. “The conspirators planned to lay the blame for my death on a dangerous criminal. The assassination attempt failed only because of the courage of a fighter pilot and the skill of the Air Force One crew. The missiles they used came from the Sinaloa drug cartel. The conspirators planned another attempt by Julio Salazar, using anti-tank missiles the CIA falsely reported as destroyed. An alert citizen spotted them, and law enforcement recovered the missiles and ended the threat.”

She overviewed the CIA’s cooperation with Sinaloa before moving on to ‘additional efforts to arrest conspirators and seize bank accounts. ’“A lot has happened today, but we are nowhere near the end. The Attorney General will prosecute the conspirators to the full extent of the law, including the death penalty where warranted. An assassination attempt against a sitting United States President is an act of war. The Sinaloa Cartel is not a country, but we are at war with them today. I signed a Presidential Decision Directive, pledging all United States assets to destroy the Sinaloa Cartel. International warrants have been issued and will be honored for any Cartel leader who surrenders to United States law enforcement. Sinaloa Cartel leadership is now the priority target of law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and the United States military. We intend to work closely with Mexican and Central American countries to rid the region of their existence when allowed, but we will take them out wherever we find them. We will not stop until their leadership is dead or in prison, their organization in ruins, and their money is gone.”

Jade had to be smiling. She was right about how to take them down by taking their money and removing their support. The governments and other cartels would take it from there. “The names of those charged with conspiracy and other crimes is available on the Justice Department website. We will not waver, and we will not fail. Thank you, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.”

Mic drop, walk offstage. I smiled before I heard Vic coming back in.

A week later, we woke up to breaking news. The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Makin Island launched helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft in the middle of the night against the hideout of the Sinaloa Cartel head in the mountains outside Culiacan. They didn’t bother asking permission, knowing how corrupt the Mexican government was. We lost two Marines but killed 27 Cartel members and captured another twelve.

It wasn’t just our drones, our agents, or our troops. Other Cartels were jumping on the pile, stripping away parts of Sinaloa like hyenas on a carcass. Fifteen of the top eighteen Sinaloa Cartel leaders died in the first week.

We contacted the Katahdin Pack after the attack. Sam and Kristina, one of their mated warrior pairs, drove down in their thirty-foot recreational vehicle and brought us north. We were worried about dragging their Pack into our mess, but Colletta was thinking ahead. They dropped us off at a rental cabin in the White Mountains, just over the New Hampshire border.

And Colletta was waiting with friends. I recognized them immediately, though seeing the two in jeans and T-shirts instead of expensive suits was weird. “Thomas Kendall,” I said as Maria’s former defense lawyer stood up from the chairs on the front porch to greet us. “And Ralph Emerson. You’re our lawyers?”

“You two seem to find reasons to need us,” Ralph said with a grin. “We need you to sign representation agreements so we can invoke privilege.” We took care of that after going inside to the kitchen table. “Tell us what happened, and don’t leave anything out.”

It took us several hours to go through all the shady-to-illegal acts I’d committed over the past few weeks. Even Colletta, who had been monitoring our shadow task force for the Council, was impressed. “You’re lucky you have a Presidential pardon, Spider Monkey. Without it, you’d die in a Federal prison.”

“If caught,” I said with a grin. “So, what do you think?”

“From a legal aspect, the pardon is golden. It covered specified and unspecified acts from a week before the Task Force started until a week after the hack. Criminally? You are safe as long as you don’t commit further criminal acts. Someone could come after you in civil court, but they’d have to find you and prove their claim to ownership of the stolen funds.”

Good luck with that. “The money I took? Can I keep it?”

“That’s where the problem comes in,” Ralph said. “You’ve got all this money parked in multiple offshore accounts. It didn’t originate in the United States, and it isn’t in a US bank, which is good. The problem comes with accessing it.”

“What do you mean?”

“They are stolen funds. If the Mexican authorities can trace them? The banks might freeze the accounts. Even if they can’t, the money is stuck overseas. Unless you plan to live the rest of your lives on a Caribbean island? It sits there. If you try to bring it into the States, you are involved in laundering assets that were the result of Cartel drug activity. The Feds can arrest you and seize it all. Banco Mexico can then file to retrieve the stolen funds.”

That sucked. If it returned to Mexico, the money would end up in another Cartel’s hands. “So I can be a billionaire in Belize or a criminal?” I looked at Vic. “I never wanted the money. I didn’t want the Cartel to have it either.”

“I have another idea if Chairman Colletta can swing it,” Ralph replied. “We ask the President for one-time authority to transfer the money to accounts in the United States.”

“I thought we couldn’t do that,” Vic said.

“You can do anything if you make a deal. We cut the Feds in by paying taxes on the money as it comes into the country as personal income,” Ralph replied. “The Feds take 41% of the money, and Minnesota takes another 9.85%. You split it roughly down the middle.”

Half? Why take half when they could get it all? “I can’t see why the President would do that. It’s rewarding my criminal act!”

“Well, it’s half a billion more than nothing, which is what they get if you keep the money offshore. And it’s not rewarding you if you give the money away.” I didn’t think of that. “You are already wealthy. This arrangement makes it politically palatable for the President if it comes out.”

“Who do I give it to? Charities like we did with the money we took from the Sons?”

“You certainly could, and they would fight to keep it. I’d propose a wider distribution of smaller amounts would be better. If someone does come after the money, imagine thousands of different people, each with an amount small enough that it isn’t worth going after.”

“How small are we talking?”

“Well, the IRS allows you each to gift someone up to $15,000 per year without incurring a gift tax. How many werewolves are there?”

“Thousands,” Vic said.

“More if we include all of the shifters and the rogues. With all that Jade did to help us? We should help her people, too.” I did a quick calculation. It would take somewhere between fifty and ninety million to do it. “Can we do more than one?”

“If you put the money in an irrevocable trust, you could make that gift yearly for as long as the money lasts. You could also give more, but people will pay taxes on anything above the $30k gift limit. You can also donate to tax-exempt organizations such as Packs or biker clubs,” Thomas added. “Think of the good you could do. Pack facilities, a Shifter hospital, territorial purchases?”

Vic liked it, and so did I. “I still have to hide out, though.”

Colletta nodded. “Too many bad people will be interested in your talents when this comes out.”

“If you can make it happen, I’ll do it.”

Vic and I signed limited powers of attorney to allow my lawyers to set it up. It took two weeks for Colletta to get the paperwork approved by the President. Ralph set up a foundation to receive the funds and distribute them as I instructed, and the checks started flying out the door.

We sent ten million to each Pack’s general fund. Oxbow, Blue River, Cascade, and Donner Packs got another ten because ‘everyone needs a bigger pool.’ Vic chuckled as he considered the Nygaard Family Pool one-upmanship to come.

Every chapter of the Steel Brotherhood got a million dollars. The catch was that I sent the money via the Steel Ladies to ’buy the shit we need that the men don’t think is important.’ I don’t think garage expansions and stripper poles were high on the to-do list! I bet their playgrounds and kitchens got a boost, though.

We also set up a charitable trust to provide scholarships for shifter students.

I had some money left over, so I sent that to Maria at Arrowhead to cover the expenses of her Lake Superior Circle Tour bike run. It sounded so cool, but I couldn’t join. With that, the money was gone.

Colletta left it up to us where we wanted to go into hiding. Arrowhead was too open and obvious to return to; Chase would sell our home and send us the proceeds. We were going to need new identities and the protection of a Pack. Blue River was our choice. We knew Coral would keep us safe. It also would get us out of the United States.

The Katahdin Pack worked with our forgers to get us Canadian passports and driver’s licenses in new names. Our warrior friends, Sam and Kristina, picked us up in their RV and took us across the border east of Montreal. We traveled west through Thunder Bay and south, stopping only for gas. “Why are we stopping here? Isn’t this a little risky?” We were just north of the US border crossing on Highway 61.

“You’ve got a wedding to go to,” Sam smirked. “Come on.”

We hiked a trail upriver until we reached an overlook of the Pigeon River at the High Falls. I could see dozens of people I knew on the other side as Maria and Lance stood together on the viewing platform.

We watched and tried to listen, but the wind and falling water made it difficult. “Thank you,” I said as we hiked back out. We headed north to Thunder Bay, where we transferred to Alpha Chase’s toy hauler RV. We shifted our allegiance to the Blue River Pack, then caught up with Chase and Rori and played with Maritza while Alpha Coral had to step out. Possum and the nannies were feeding the other children breakfast.

Coral soon returned with the lucky bride. “Congratulations, Maria,” I said to the young jaguar. “It was a beautiful wedding.”

“Spider? Vic?” She squealed and hugged me. “I’ve been so worried about you!”

“We’re fine, as you can see,” Vic said.

“Are you joining our trip?”

“No,” Vic replied. “We’re leaving with Alpha Coral and Hope on their private jet this morning. Alpha Keith will finish the ride.”

Coral nodded. “I’m too pregnant to ride, and I’m needed back home. Vic and Spidey have already seen the Great Lakes and need to stay out of sight.”

Maria wanted us to come home, but it wasn’t to be. “We have to stay out of sight for a few years,” I told her. “We’ve joined the Blue River Pack; they are isolated enough that no one will know we are there. Our baby will be born there, and they have a good doctor.”

“What will you do?”

Hell, I didn’t know that. “Vic won’t let me touch a computer or a phone because it could lead people to us. I guess I’ll be a Mom and become a wolf.”

“So this is goodbye?”

Vic nodded. “It is. We sold our house back to Arrowhead and told Chase to look for another Beta.” Our visit was over way too soon, and we had to join Coral, Hope, and her nanny in an SUV heading for the airport. “I’m getting used to this private plane thing,” he said as we settled into the small executive jet.

“Enjoy the flight because you’ll be staying on Pack lands for the foreseeable future,” Coral retorted.

“It’s not like I can do much now anyway,” I complained. “Another month, and I won’t be able to see my toes. By Christmas? I’ll be floating in the pool, looking like one of those stick bobbers that pops up when it gets a nibble.”

“You’ll be beautiful,” Vic replied as he took my hand.

We’d missed so much while in hiding, but Coral filled us in. “Mom’s been amazing as the Council Chair. The treaty with the President was huge for us, and a big part of pushing it through was how we cracked the conspiracy.”

“Was there any blowback from the would-be assassin being a rogue?”

“Not really. Most people blame the rogues in the CIA, not werecats. Colletta worked the treaty to protect the rights of those in and out of the Packs. She worked closely with Stanley Biggs on that. The changes in the Council and Alphas, along with your inclusion of them in the gifts, have people thinking in a new way.”

Vic nodded at that. “I didn’t think inviting single female rogues to Arrowhead for a sniff session was a good idea. I was wrong; not only did we get some matings, but we started functioning as a species. It was a big step.”

Coral nodded. “We’ve taken in dozens of Packless wolves since then, and so has Arrowhead. The other Alphas are coming around. It’s common knowledge that Arrowhead took in Maria and Maritza, both werejaguars and children of our former enemies. That tells them more about our character than anything else.”

“Have you heard anything about Jade?”

Coral shook her head. “She went back into hiding. The Oracle continues, but now it allows Pack wolves to trade goods and services. She helped us convince people to give us a try. ”She looked out the window. “I offered sanctuary to her and her family, but she refused to consider it.”

“What do we know about her husband? She told me we’d never accept him.”

“Not much. I’m not going to force anyone to join us. Jade’s in danger just like you are, Spider. Better to let sleeping cats lie.”

“I guess.” We talked about her Pack for the rest of the flight. They’d been through a lot of upheaval. In the last few months, Coral killed their Alpha, their previous Beta left, and eight wolves died in the attack on Carson and Heather. Coral had to clean house when she took over, but they now had more people than before. Add in the members of the Beloretsk Pack that were staying during construction, and they were bursting at the gills. “Where are we staying?”

“In our guest room, if you don’t mind,” Coral replied. “Once our guests move on, we’ll be able to move you into more permanent quarters.”

“You’re not exiling us to the Pack boundaries?”

She shook her head. “And take away easy pool access? The horror!” We laughed about that. “You’ll be well protected, and your bedroom is soundproof. I heard that’s important.”

She had me. “For crying babies?”

“Something like that.” We stayed out of sight between the airport and the Pack House, covered by a blanket in the third row of the SUV. Blue River welcomed us with open arms, and we soon settled into a routine.

I was right about how I’d look pregnant. I’d put on more than forty pounds during my pregnancy, and I’d started under a hundred pounds soaking wet. My water broke during Christmas dinner, but I didn’t give birth until eleven in the morning. I cursed Vic’s name like a sailor as I suffered through labor to deliver his eight-pound, seven-ounce son.

As soon as Doc placed Oki Inu (Japanese for Big Dog) in my arms, I didn’t care about any of the pain I’d endured. Our little werewolf boy was perfect.

We all loved the pool, and the mothers gathered every morning before nap time to swim with the babies and socialize. I was in the shallows on an early April day as Oki splashed the water by my legs. Mykayla came in and sat in the water, but didn’t seem like herself. I saw fresh bruises along the back of her left leg. “What did you do to your leg, Mykayla?”

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Come here.” I was worried someone was abusing her again, but only a fool would do that with Timur as her mate. “Are you feeling all right?”

“I’m just tired all the time,” she told me.

“For how long?”

“I don’t know. Weeks?”

I put my hand on her forehead, and she had a slight fever. “Have you seen Doc?” She shook her head no. “You feel feverish. Let the Doc check you out; we can’t have you around the babies if you’re sick.”

She didn’t want to, but she did.

Doc ran some tests on her before Timur drove her to the hospital in Kamloops.

She was sick, but it wasn’t contagious.

Mykayla had leukemia.