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Chapter 17
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Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 18
It was December fourteenth, and Margo had done it. She had created a virus that could do everything they needed it to do, and it would lay dormant until December thirty-first. Plus, she had sold her house. The new owners had responded to the discrete ad she had placed in the paper last month. They wanted to move in after the New Year, and the best thing was they could pay cash. No fuss with a bank about a loan. Margo had given away some of her clothes to charity. She had to travel light after the Federal Reserve hit. Margo got off the elevator in Bruce’s apartment building. The poor thing had been working overtime for weeks, trying to figure out who robbed SunBeam Savings and Loan. He and Alec were also working on two other cases. Bruce couldn’t tell her too much about them because they were classified. But from what she gathered, the FBI was still stumped concerning the bank robbery. Guilt had pained her concerning the bank heist. Normally, she did
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 19
Friday morning, Bruce was sitting in Alec’s office as he was talking about the cases they were working on. “Bruce!” Alec yelled. He jumped in the chair. “Huh! What?” “You haven’t heard a fucking word I said,” Alec said with a hint of anger. “I . . . I’m sorry, man,” Bruce stuttered as he wiped his face with his hand. “What the hell is the matter with you this morning? I know we’ve been working a lot of overtime, and we’re both tired, but you gotta stay with me here.” He shook his head. “It isn’t necessarily exhaustion. I just got a lot on my mind.” “Like what?” “No, you’ll laugh or think I’m being paranoid,” he stated. “Whatever it is, you can’t get your mind off of it, and I need you at your best. Spit it out. Maybe I can help,” Alec said with concern. After a bit of hemming and hawing, Bruce finally broke down and told his best friend what was on his mi
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 20
Getting away clean to insert the virus at the Dallas Federal Reserve was a tad harder than they figured. When Bobbi didn’t report to work Monday, her former boss reported her missing to the Dallas police. After a brief discussion among the members of BAAM, Bobbi called the police station from a fresh burner phone and said she was fine. She explained to them that her boss was coming on too strong, and she decided not to go back to work once she had found new employment in Florida. The sergeant kept her on the phone for twenty minutes. Once he was convinced of Bobbi’s story, he told her that she should reconsider turning her boss in to human resources and ended the call. There wasn’t a peep out of the director of security or the guard who was on watch that night. BAAM figured that they didn’t want to get in trouble for falling asleep on the job. Bobbi and Aaron had moved into the sewing factory. Aaron still had his boat, but it was coming
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 21
Margo was an hour late getting on the road thanks to her and Bruce’s morning sexcapade. When she had complained that he had made her late, he had burst out laughing. Then she had laughed, too. They had gotten dressed. When they had walked out of the house, Bruce had said that he was going to pick up Alec on his way out. They were going to do some Christmas shopping. She guided her Mustang into the descending lane to get off of at exit 129. After driving another fifteen miles, Tomoka Correctional Institution came into view. She made this trip every two months. She was going to come after Christmas, but he had called yesterday asking her to make the trip sooner than later. When she had asked him why, he had said that he needed money on his books, and she may as well come a little early. As far as she knew, she was still the only person that visited him. His family had written him off after he had gone to trial seven years ago. He had made friends in p
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 22
It was two days before Christmas, and Bobbi and Margo were talking at the sewing factory. Margo had decided to tell Bobbi that she was seeing Bruce. Bobbi was taken aback at first. Margo knew the girlfriend code; you don’t fool around with your friend’s ex. Instead of being beyond angry, Bobbi had laughed her head off, which had thrown Margo off. Once Bobbi had caught her breath, she explained her reaction. “I’m glad, because once you disappear without a trace, he’s going to feel like a used fool. Good,” she stated proudly. Margo forced a small grin on her face. She didn’t want to hurt Bruce. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Yet, at the same time, she didn’t want to hurt Bobbi. That’s why she had told Bobbi about her and Bruce. “Hey, ladies,” Anthony greeted as he walked into Bobbi’s room. “What’s so funny?” Bobbi grinned as she told Anthony what was going on. After three hours at the factory, Margo went
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 23
It was Christmas Eve, and Bruce was not in a festive mood. Once his nieces and nephews over the age of two had gone upstairs, his father and one of his brothers confronted him about his melancholy demeanor.He decided to confide in them. They were both married, and maybe they had some wisdom to share. “I never thought I’d see the day when a woman would have you in stitches, Bruce,” his brother Daryl stated. “This isn’t the time to make fun of me,” Bruce said sourly. “I’m not. I was just making a statement.” “And here is another statement. I never thought you would run into a woman you couldn’t handle,” his father said. “Margo is different, that’s for sure,” Bruce replied. “What in the world do you think she’s hiding?” Daryl asked. “I don’t know, but it’s big enough for us to have a fight over it.” “Are you sure you’re not being paranoid?” his father asked. “Or overly obsessive?
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 24
It was three a.m. on the dot when Anthony, Bobbi, Morris, and Aaron pulled up to her house in a big U-Haul. The guys Anthony had arranged for her had gotten so drunk four hours earlier that they couldn’t walk much less move furniture.Margo had contacted the new owners the evening her and Bruce had fought and asked them if they were willing to sign the final paperwork and pay her a week early. They were more than happy to do so because they were living in a hotel and their things were in storage. She was going to meet them at eight a.m. Morris let out a low whistle when he entered her house. “You were livin’ large, girl,” he echoed with awe as he looked around her massive house. “I hope I get to peep your new digs in the Caribbean.”Margo looked at Anthony. He had to have told Morris that. She had no plans to move to the Caribbean.As Morris looked around with amazement, Anthony came up behind her. “He asked where you were moving to when I asked him for help,” he whispered in her ear
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 25
Margo had run all the errands she needed to run with the exception of one. She had taken a cab to the Starbucks that was five miles away from Sunset Boulevard. The driver said as long as she could pay the tab, he would wait on her. However, she wasn’t dumb enough to leave her black satchel full of the money Morris paid her for the Mustang, living room furniture, and dining set. He had assured her that he wasn’t paying her with the money from the SunBeam Heist. It was still too hot to use that cash yet. Margo assumed he paid her with drug money. Not that she cared. As long as it was spendable in the near future, it was fine with her. She looked at her Rolex as she sat in the booth in the back. It had been fifteen minutes since she had called Lacey to meet her there. Margo couldn’t lie low until she got this one last thing done. The door opened. It was Lacey and Lana. Damn it, I told her to come alone. They looked around for he
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Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 50
It was Saturday. William Blanchette and Neil Rolls were at Margo’s condo instead of spending time with their families. They really wanted her to work for the bureau. During the week, she had filled out several job applications. She wasn’t sure if anything would come of it or not. Margo had to admit that the job at the FBI sounded intriguing and challenging, but she really didn’t want to be put in a position to interact with Bruce on a regular basis. Plus, she wasn’t sure how she would be received by any co-workers she would have to interact with. After all, she was a former bank robber, and Bruce’s co-workers could see her as a manipulative skank. She expressed that to the gentlemen as they enjoyed sweet tea and pepperoni and cheese snacks. “Perhaps we can make it where you can work from home,” Neil Rolls said. “We can set up a secure server here and communicate through email.” “It could work,” Blanchette mused and sipped his tea.
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 49
One week later . . . Bruce was lounging on Alec’s sofa at his house. Bruce was sipping on a beer, and Alec was nursing a rum and Coke. Lana was upstairs lying down. She was further along in her pregnancy, so she got tired easily. They had learned last month that she was having a boy. Ever since then, Alec had been bragging about how he was going to teach the kid how to play football and basketball. Alec had already bought him a football, and the kid hadn’t even been born yet. “Bruce, I know you said you are fine, but you’re not,” Alec said flatly. “It’s like working and hanging out with a completely different person.” “Ah, shit. I don’t want to talk about this,” Bruce groaned and sipped his beer. “I know you felt like the lowest specimen on the food chain after you . . . saw Margo at the safe house that last time. You know she’s mad at you . . . probably thinks you’re the biggest asshole in the world. The only wa
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 48
Three months later . . . Two weeks after Margo’s plea deal, the feds tracked Earl Churchill in the Bahamas. From what Bruce heard, US Marshalls barged into his little bungalow as he was screwing a twenty-three-year old. He was arrested for accessory to a federal crime. His trial was scheduled for early fall.Bobbi Bennett had been caught a month ago. She used one of her aliases to request a cashier’s check for seven million dollars for a yacht. She had abandoned Aaron’s because she knew the authorities were looking for it. Her plan had been to live on the new yacht in the Caribbean for at least a year, then she was going overseas. She had told the US attorney that the last time she saw Anthony was in South America in exchange for the Justice Department lowering her sentence to fifteen years with a chance of parole in ten.Anthony Mandel was discovered in Belize when the authorities there busted a brothel a month after Bobbi had given them the lead. Trent Michaels was able
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 47
During Alec and Bruce’s stay, Bruce sat in the car. He couldn’t even stay in the same house as Margo. Even Alec barely talked to her. There was no reason to linger downstairs, so Margo went back to her bedroom. In hindsight, she should have gotten out of the crew at the very least. Perhaps Bruce was right. She had gotten greedy – and full of herself. Bruce wasn’t perfect, but it had appeared he had changed – for her, to be with her. Margo should have taken a chance and told him everything about her past and BAAM. In the end, it wasn’t worth keeping the secret because BAAM had broken up in the worse way possible, she was broke, and worst of all, she had hurt Bruce, a man she loved more than anything.Margo fell back on the bed as tears started streaming down her face. “Oh, God,” she whimpered. She would take it all back if she could. If she had made different choices, she and Bruce would be together and happy right now. Turning her face, she sobbed into the pillow, crying herself to sl
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 46
A feeling washed over Margo when she was done. It was relief. Not just because she had avoided prosecution, but it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. Margo hadn’t realized how keeping her criminal life under wraps had weighed her down until now.She had laid out her secrets for the federal government to examine and mull over. But she was no fool. She had left out the Largo Jewelry store heist BAAM had pulled during the early days. Of course, she told Deidre about it, but she had advised Margo to leave it out and not to tell her any details about it. Robbing a jewelry store was not a federal offense. The store was in California, and the owner could still press charges against her for the theft.With the exception of that one thing, Margo had revealed all, including Bobbi’s two alternate aliases. Margo had learned them when she transferred Aaron’s cut of the money out of his account and Aaron’s aliases that they were under. As soon as Bobbi
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 45
Two days later, Margo had been allowed to shower and change into the clothes Deidre had brought for her. She had also brought Margo some makeup. They were meeting with Trent Michaels at the FBI offices to work out a deal. US Marshalls handcuffed her wrists for transport. When they had arrived, Deidre’s paralegal, Owen Jessup, was already there waiting on them. Deidre had wanted a witness that was on their side present during the meeting. They walked the hall to a room that had a large table and seven chairs. There was a large glass window in the room. Margo knew that people were on the other side of it, watching her. Deidre, Margo, and Owen waited for five minutes in silence before Trent Michaels walked in with FBI agents she was familiar with — Vic, Tommy, Troy, friends of Bruce and Alec’s. Vic was carrying a large recording device. “Good afternoon,” Trent greeted as he placed his black briefcase on the table. He sat down in a chair acr
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 44
US attorney for Middle District of Florida Trent Michaels and US attorney for Northern District of Texas Lawrence Osborne had gone back and forth about who had rights to the case. Margo’s attorney, Deidre Underwood, had gotten into the fray and argued that Margo should be taken back to Tampa. In the end, Deidre had petitioned the court to let a federal judge decide. Since the Federal Reserve was a federal institution with locations all over the country, the judge stated that the crime was committed against the bank as a whole. Plus, the judge had noted that Margo had been in Tampa when she hacked the Federal Reserve, so it was Tampa’s case to deal with.On day four, US Marshalls had escorted Margo back to Florida. A bail hearing had been held the same day. Bail was denied because the judge saw her as a flight risk. That was just as well for Margo because she had nowhere to go if she had been let out on bail. Plus, the FBI had confiscated her bag of money, so she couldn’t pay it withou
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 43
The last thing she remembered was coughing and Bruce’s wet face before everything went black. Now she was staring at white walls and lying in a hospital bed with one of her wrists handcuffed to the rails. She looked over to see a nurse who was looking at a machine that beeped every now and again. Then the nurse looked at her. “Oh good, you’re awake. You were out for a while. How do you feel?” she asked with a Mexican accent. She had dark hair that was in a ponytail, and she wore blue scrubs. “Like crap,” Margo answered bluntly and hoarsely. The side of the nurse’s mouth kicked up. “I’m not surprised. You still have a little water in your lungs. You won’t be able to leave until we get that cleared up. I’ll let them know that you’re awake.” “When you say them, I take it you mean the authorities?” “Si,” she said solemnly. “But I overheard a few of them talking. Maybe it will make you feel better to know that you did
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 42
The doorman at the Sunset Marina Resort & Yacht Club remembered Margo. He had told the agents that she took a cab yesterday and he hadn’t seen her since. He had also told them the cab company she used to leave. After questioning and showing eight cab drivers her picture, they had finally found the one that had driven her to Playa del Carmen. The break got better when he told them the name of the motel he had dropped her off at. They were only half a day behind her. Chances were that she was still there. The Mexican National Guard had let the US Marshalls and the FBI borrow a couple of their vehicles to drive to Playa del Carmen. Four Dallas field agents and two US Marshalls had stayed behind to talk to passing tourists and show them pictures of the other suspects. FBI agents and US Marshalls spread out at the small, humble-looking motel like ants. They showed her picture to people in the area. The desk clerk was so scared when he saw the
