Love, Money, and Lies

by Olivia Saxton

  Bobbi got off the elevator and made her way down the hall to the control room. They saw her swipe a keycard into the reader. They were in. “Are you seeing this?” Bobbi asked.

  “Yeah, just move your head slowly so I can get a good look at the room.”

  “Okay, but I think the spot we want is at the right,” she said as she slowly moved her head from one point in the room to the other.

  “It’s the right,” Margo said. “Go over there.”

  Bobbi moved to that side of the room.

  “Okay, there should be two ports right next to each other about halfway down,” Margo said.

  “I remember. This looks like it’s it,” Bobbi said.

  “I can’t see it. Stoop down a little,” Margo instructed.

  She did.

  “Yes. That’s the spot. Stick the drive into the left port,” Margo said.

  Anthony started the Cherokee. Just in case an alarm went off when she stuck the flash drive in and they had to get Bobbi out of there quick. There was a fire exit on the level she was.

  “Are you guys ready?” Bobbi asked nervously.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “Here goes nothin’,” Bobbi said.

  You could hear a pin drop on the line.

  “Okay, it’s in, and a red light is on above it.”

  Margo released the breath she was holding. “Great. When that light turns green, take the flash drive out.”

  “How long will that be?” Bobbi asked.

  “Honestly? Not sure.”

  “What?” Anthony and Bobbi chimed simultaneously.

  “It could take two minutes, or it could take forty-five. It’s a big program,” Margo explained.

  “Wow,” Anthony mumbled.

  They waited with nervous patience for twenty minutes.

  “It’s green,” Bobbi said with excitement.

  “Take it out and get out of there,” Margo said.

  “We’ll meet you where we dropped you off,” Anthony said as he put the Cherokee in drive.

  “On my way,” Bobbi said.

  “Keep a hold of that flash drive, Bobbi,” Margo said with warning. “If they get their hands on that thing, we’re dead.”

  “Got it,” Bobbi said. The hat cam was bobbing quickly. She was jogging.

  Within four minutes, Bobbi met up with them and got into the back of the Cherokee. She pulled off her disguise. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Anthony pulled off. He was careful to obey the speed limit. “I got this rental under an alias. We’ll ditch this thing outside of the airport and get another rental at the airport. Then we’ll drive to Orlando, ditch the new ride there, and drive back to Tampa in Margo’s car.”

  “Sounds good. I can’t wait to get back so I can wash this red out of my hair,” Bobbi said.

  “Why? I know they say blondes have more fun, but redheads have their moments,” Margo said with a smirk.

  Bobbi chuckled. “Moments for the old fat slobs that are with them maybe. I’m glad I don’t have to see Daddy again. You know that idiot said he was going to leave his wife for me? Like I bought that. Even if he was telling the truth, he’s been married for thirty years. She would take him for a mint, and then he’d be broke.”

  “At least you got some good perks for sleeping with him,” Anthony said.

  “Yeah, the extra cash and jewelry is nice. They’re in my bag in the back,” Bobbi replied.

  Anthony got on the interstate to go to the Dallas airport.

  Chapter 21

  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 down to crunch time and all-hands on-deck were necessary. Margo and Aaron set up the Federal Reserve Bank hit equipment in the cafeteria and made sure it was working properly. Anthony was making sure their false identities were secure so none of them would have trouble when they started their new lives. Bobbi was lying low just in case her former boss or the security director tried to find her.

  Margo was excited and nervous about the upcoming heist. If they were caught, they could spend up to twenty years in a maximum federal prison. That was not time Margo wanted to pull. She picked up her purse and started heading out of the factory. It was three p.m., and she had to get home and change to go out with Bruce. She had been invited to Lacey Smith’s Christmas party, and Bruce had agreed to escort her. The party didn’t start until six thirty, but she didn’t like to rush when it came to getting dolled up.

  Aaron was coming down the stairs that led to the loft area. “Hey, you headin’ out?”

  “Yeah, I gotta go home and get ready for a party this evening.”

  “Good. You should have some fun. You’ve earned it.”

  “I have?” she said in a playfully, high-pitched tone.

  He smiled, showing his sparkling teeth. He had one front tooth that was slightly crooked, but it added to his surfer boy charm. “I do appreciate all the work you’ve done on this. I promise you it will be worth it.”

  “It better be,” she said with a grin.

  “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

  ****

  Bruce and Alec sat in the SUV across the street watching the old sewing factory. For the past five days, Bruce’s bullshit detector had been going berserk. He couldn’t ignore it or Margo’s change in tone when they discussed certain subjects any longer. It was the last thing he had wanted to do, but she was hiding something, and his instincts told him it was big. So, he had decided to try Alec’s suggestion. Alec tagged along for moral support.

  They started tailing her this morning. Since she knew Alec and Bruce’s vehicles, they used a department SUV. Margo had been in the factory for four hours.

  “You think she’ll be in there much longer?” Alec asked. “I’m getting hungry, and we ate all the snacks two hours ago.”

  “I don’t know.” Bruce figured that Margo’s new big-time client had bought the old factory. It had been closed for years. When they got back to the office, he would look at the public real estate records to see if the property had changed hands within the past few months.

  “I see movement,” Alec said.

  They both picked up small binoculars.

  “It’s her,” Bruce stated.

  “Who’s the guy?”

  “Not sure. It could be her client.”

  They watched them chat beside her red Mustang. The top was down. It didn’t seem like he was harassing her. Then they hugged. The blond-haired man opened the car door for her. They spoke to each other again and then they kissed each other on the cheek – and it didn’t seem like she minded at all.

  “What the fuck” Bruce yelled as he kept watching through the binoculars.

  “Calm down. It was just a peck on the cheek from what I can make out. If it was on the lips, it would have been longer.”

  “Either way, it appears that they have more than a contractor and client relationship,” Bruce said with resentment.

  “She’s pulling off, and he’s going back inside.”

  The wire gate that was meshed in with the tall fencing around the factory started to open.

  “Get down, or she’ll see us,” Alec said.

  They d
ucked down in the seat. After a few moments, Bruce peeked out the driver’s side window. She had pulled out of the lot and was waiting at a stoplight. He turned on the vehicle to tail her.

  They followed her for ten minutes. She was three blocks away from Sunset Boulevard.

  “Bruce, she is going home,” Alec said. “Take a left to get back on the interstate. We should be getting back to the office.”

  “Yeah, we have a date tonight, so she’s probably going to get ready for that,” he said and pulled into the left lane.

  “Well, this is what she does all day. Did this solve your concerns or make them worse?”

  He thought for a moment. “Not sure yet. I need to find out what’s going on in that factory. If a new business is opening up in there, fine, I also need to find out why she is so chummy with her client.”

  “Maybe he’s an old school friend of hers. Maybe she’s doing him a favor – giving him half off for IT work.”

  “It depends on where he went to school. Margo is originally from the West Coast.”

  Chapter 22

  Lacey’s party was fun, but the people there weren’t necessarily his type of crowd. All of them were rich types who bragged about their new Jags and how much money they made during the past year. The food was just as fancy as it was at the Tampa Palms Country Club. It was good food, but Bruce was a cheeseburger and steak guy.

  Margo and Bruce were so tired when they got back to her place that they didn’t make love. They had crawled into her queen-sized bed and spooned as they feel asleep.

  When he opened his eyes, it was daybreak, and Margo was digging in her drawers for clothes. Bruce looked over at the clock. It was seven a.m. “Hey,” he said groggily.

  Margo turned her head toward his voice. “Hey,” she said over her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” She pulled out a pair of blue lacey panties and a matching bra.

  “Are you going somewhere?” he asked as he sat up in the bed.

  “Yeah, I got a call when I got home yesterday . . . before the party last night. A guy wants to meet me in Daytona Beach today about creating a more sophisticated firewall for his company.”

  “On a Saturday?” Bruce blurted out with disbelief.

  “Honey, you know I have to work weekends sometimes. How do you think I can afford this place?”

  Bruce stared at her with confusion. “It can’t wait until Monday?”

  “No. I asked him. He has to fly out to Europe on Sunday to make a meeting there on Monday afternoon,” she said as she opened her closet door.

  “Margo, do you realize that the meetings you have with these clients never follow with any names?” he asked with slight annoyance.

  She turned around. “Names?”

  “Yeah, what are their names? What are the names of the businesses?”

  Margo’s head tilted to the side. “I can’t tell you that, Bruce. It would be a violation of their privacy.”

  “Who am I going to tell? Unless they’re illegal enterprises, what is the big deal?”

  Her body stiffened. “Of course not.”

  “Of course not what?”

  “That they’re illegal . . . whatever you said. They’re legit businesses. But most of my clients are self-made millionaires. Those types work all kinds of hours, and they expect everyone else around them to if it’s necessary. This is the price I pay to be an independent programmer and IT specialist.”

  The whole thing stunk like week-old garbage to Bruce. Something wasn’t right. He couldn’t see her dealing with criminals. She was too smart and classy for that. The memory of the blond man dressed like he was going to the beach entered his mind. “Margo, are you involved with another man?”

  “What? No,” she said as she walked across the room. She had pulled out a dark yellow dress. “How could you ask me that?”

  “I’m sorry, but . . . never mind. Maybe I’ve been working at the bureau for too long. It might be making me paranoid.”

  “Maybe it’s bothering you that you haven’t caught the guys who robbed SunBeam Savings and Loan. At one point, you were working overtime to catch them.”

  The trail had gone cold on that case, so Blanchette let his agents go back on their regular schedules. “I don’t know, maybe,” he mumbled. The truth was, he wanted to drop the discussion, because for one, she wasn’t going to tell him anything right now. He could see that. He had to gather as much information as he could and then confront her with it.

  “Don’t worry, honey,” she soothed as she walked to the bed. She smoothed her soft palm over his jaw. “You’ll get em’. Now, I’m jumping in the shower.”

  “Okay,” he mumbled.

  She walked into the bathroom, closing the door halfway. He quietly listened to the toilet flushing, water running in the sink, and then the shower turning on.

  Well, there’s one thing for sure. If she is meeting another guy today for non-business reasons, she’s going to be too damn tired and satisfied to do anything with him. Bruce whipped the blankets off his naked body. With his morning wood bobbing in the air, he entered the bathroom.

  ****

  Margo soaped her body with the bar of cherry soap. She heard the door creak open. Thinking Bruce came in to pee, she continued with her task.

  Then the shower door opened.

  “What are you doing?” she asked as the water from the shower head beat on her body.

  He stepped inside the walk-in shower without saying a word. Then he took the soap out of her hand and trailed it down between her breasts.

  “Oh, you want to help me wash up,” she whispered as she looked up at him.

  Bruce’s eyes were glazed over with desire as he worked the soap over her melons into a thick lather. He placed the bar back in the soap dish. His hands rubbed her breasts until her pink nipples were hard and aching. He dragged his calloused thumbs back and forth against the rocky peaks.

  She moaned as her folds became hot and wet with want. “Oh, you’re so bad. You know I have somewhere to be,” she moaned.

  “Not until I’m through with you,” he said darkly. “Turn around.”

  Margo slowly turned around to face the running water. She wondered with trembling anticipation what he had in mind. The soap on her chest was running down her vagina and legs.

  Bruce placed his palm on her upper back. “Bend over and place your hands on the wall.”

  She followed his instructions. It was like she was being frisked, but it was pleasurable. Then she felt his tip at her back door. He hissed as he pushed in.

  “Oh!” she wailed. The water cascaded down her back and neck, wetting her hair.

  Bruce slammed in and out of her, making her melons swing. Then he reached around her. He slid his hand between her legs, inserting his middle finger into her creamy hole and positioning his thumb over her clit. He worked his magic in the front as he pumped from behind. “Play with your tits,” he ordered in a deep, ragged tone.

  Margo took one hand off the wall and grabbed one breast, squeezing it repeatedly. She alternated from one breast to the other. Doing what he wanted and what pleasured her.

  “Say my name. I want to hear you say my name,” he groaned harshly against her ear.

  “Bruce,” she gasped. Normally, he wasn’t this overly aggressive with his lovemaking. Although, whatever had gotten into him she was loving it.

  “Say it again,” he demanded and smacked the side of her bottom.

  She yelled his name out of pleasure and surprise. She wasn’t sure how long they were in the shower, but she knew when her thighs quaked, her body warmed, the pulsing of her canal, and the rush of thick juices that shot out around Bruce’s finger, she had cum harder and longer than she ever had before.

  Chapter 23

  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 ou
t 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 prison, but to listen to him explain it, it wasn’t the same as talking to someone from the outside.

  Margo had filled out a long-term visitors’ form when she came to visit the first time seven years ago. So all she had to do was sign in and wait in the visiting room. Since Tokoma Correctional Institution was a medium-security prison, visitors could talk to the prisoners without a glass wall between them.

  The guard reminded her of the visitors’ rules. Keep your hands on the table. No touching or hugging the prisoner. And if you have something to give the prisoner, like a picture, calendar, or poster, the guard has to look it over first.

  The door across from her opened with a buzz. A guard escorted Francis “Frank” St. John into the room. Her ex-husband was wearing a gray jumpsuit like he had for everyday that he had been sentenced. His hands and ankles were cuffed and chained.

  “One hour,” the guard said and pulled the chair out for Frank.

  “Thank you,” Margo said as Frank sat down.

  The guard stood and watched Frank pull his chair up closer to the table. Once he was comfortable, the guard let them have their privacy.