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Chapter 21
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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
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 26
Bruce walked out of the deboarding alcove. He had left his SUV in the bureau’s parking garage. Alec was going to meet him and drive him back to the office so he could get a few hours of work in. But he missed Margo so badly he had half a mind to shun the office and go straight to her house. Last night as he slept on the floor of his parents’ living room, he had dreamt about her long legs, coconut breasts, her thick-as-honey blonde hair, and the sound of her crying out his name in ecstasy. Alec was standing outside of the boarding area. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were filled with . . . dread. “Hey, buddy,” Bruce said slowly. “For the holiday season, you look pretty morose. What’s up?” “Get your things from baggage claim. I’ll tell you in the truck.” Twenty-five minutes later, they were walking in the parking lot. “Alec, the silence is killing me,” Bruce said as he carried his carry-on and suitcase. “What’s goi
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 27
Alec’s and Bruce’s mouths dropped open when they saw the large Ryder moving truck in Margo’s yard. The neighbors at the end of the cul-de-sac looked surprised as well as they stood on their porches trying to pretend they weren’t looking at Margo’s former house. Two brunettes and a man with bleached blond hair came out of the front door. “Who in the fuck are they?” Bruce asked with bewilderment. “Shit, if I know,” Alec answered with shock. He pulled over at the curb and cut the engine. They got out of the truck. “Hi,” Alec greeted with a friendly smile. “Hi,” the man said. “My name is Alec. I live four houses down. Are you my new neighbors?” “We sure are, Alec,” the man said happily. “I’m Steve Faulkner.” He shook Alec’s hand. The two brunettes who were wearing pink jogging pants and matching shirts started walking toward them. That’s when Bruce realized they were twins.
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 28
Margo had been exhausted when she had gotten back to the factory. It was a little cool in the basement. She was glad that she had brought her blankets from home, and sleeping on her own bed made the office feel cozy. But there was still something missing. She realized it was Bruce’s protective arms around her. She sighed with sadness. Her Bruce. She sat up in the bed and hugged herself. She started worrying about how Bruce took the news. Did he like the watch? Would he try to look for her? A soft tapping rattled against the door. “Come in,” she said softly. She thought it was Bobbi, but it was Aaron. He had on a pair of black sweatpants and no shirt. His chest wasn’t overly muscular, but it was still nice. “Hey, I thought I’d check on you before I turned in. Are you comfortable?” “As much as I can be. It’s a little cold down here,” she said as she continued to hold herself. “Hold on, I got just the thi
Love, Money, and Lies (A Series of Secrets 2) Chapter 29
Alec took a deep breath once the steel door closed. He looked over at Frank. The prisoner sat down like nothing had happened. He walked back to the table and sat and was grateful that the cameras weren’t equipped with sound. Hopefully, the warden would overlook Bruce’s unprofessional conduct. They did tell him they were conducting an unofficial investigation to see if they had to make it official. “You were on him as soon as he walked in,” Alec stated. Frank remained silent. “Jealous?” “That’s part of it. I was peaches top guy before he came along. I mean, I knew she dated other guys, but she wasn’t head over heels about them. But there’s been a change in her emotions. She still loves me, that I know, but not like she did before.” “Partly? I take it that the other part of you thinks Bruce deserves what he gets?” “Yes. Look, I know you two have been partners and best friends since college. I
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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
