Love, Money, and Lies

by Olivia Saxton

  “No,” Alec answered and sipped his beverage. “Maybe you two are a match set in a different way. You speak Spanish pretty fluently.”

  “True, but I never really studied the culture other than going to a Mexican restaurant and ordering tacos and quesadillas. Margo knows a lot about the French culture and a lot of other stuff.” Then Bruce smirked. “She even laughs at my stupid jokes.”

  Alec chuckled. “Okay, Bruce, I’m just going to throw this out and see what you think. Could you be falling in love with Margo?”

  Bruce’s head jerked back, and one of his eyes widened. “Hell, no,” he slurred out. “First, I’ve only been dating her for a very short time. Second, I’m not that kind of dude. I don’t fall in love. In lust? Yeah. Not love. Not my cup of tea.”

  “Okay.” Alec stretched out and sipped his drink.

  Chapter 14

  It was a few days before Thanksgiving, and Margo was only a few inches away from creating a virus that was stable, spread to all twelve Federal Reserve locations, could extract and transfer funds to various locations at once in a hurry, and could lay dormant until 11:59 p.m. on December thirty-first.

  She also had three couples who were interested in buying her house. She had placed an ad on a for-sale-by-owner website in September. However, Margo didn’t place a for sale by owner sign in the yard because she didn’t want her neighbors or friends to know. They would have asked too many questions, plus Bruce would find out. She had to disappear without a trace.

  Margo had also been slowly selling some of her household things on eBay. She had sold both bedroom sets in her guest rooms in October. She kept the doors closed to those rooms so Bruce wasn’t any the wiser when he spent the night.

  Her mind drifted to Bruce. During the past few months, she had become more than fond of him. The thought of leaving him behind made her stomach hurt. She knew she couldn’t tell him the truth, and she couldn’t leave her partners in crime hanging. Other than Lacey and Lana, they were the closest friends she had.

  Aaron walked into her office. “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “Good. I’m getting closer with the program.”

  “That’s great, but I was talking about how you were. Emotionally.”

  “Fine. Why do you ask?”

  “Look, I know you have gotten sweet on that FBI guy. I was just . . . checking.”

  She leaned back in her chair and stared at him. “Do you think I’ll turn on you guys? Rat you out?”

  “No, but I am concerned that you will back out. We’ve come too far for someone to get cold feet now,” he said as he sat on the corner of her desk.

  “I’m not. I want this score just as much as you guys. I put my dream house up for sale for this.”

  “And the boyfriend?”

  “Like I told you and Anthony a month ago, as soon as the house sells, I’m moving in here and fading away from the people I know. I’m expecting an offer any day now.”

  “I hope it happens sooner than later, to be honest. All three of us are keeping this secret from Bobbi. The reason why BAAM works is because we are all transparent with each other.”

  “Well, it won’t be a problem in a month or so. How is everything on your end going?”

  “Great. I found an old codger who helped to install the mainframe at the Dallas location four years ago.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, he works for the independent contractor that did it. He said he could get me a copy of the plans in the control room and the mainframe. With that information, you can better instruct Bobbi on where to insert the flash drive.”

  “Absolutely,” Margo said with excitement. “That would save loads of time from finding which port is best to stick it into.”

  “Yep, but there is a catch.”

  “I’m sure. He wants to be paid for the plans.”

  “Yes, but he wants . . . a million dollars for them.”

  “What! That’s way too much!”

  “Pssh. That’s what I got him down to. He first asked for two million. I told him that I couldn’t raise that kind of money in weeks. This guy is in his late fifties, and he isn’t happy working at the technology company anymore. Something about working for people with all the degrees in the world, but they had no common sense.”

  “Shit, how are we going to raise a million dollars in cash at such short notice?” They were all millionaires, but it was mostly in investments. In Margo’s case, most of her cash was in two Swiss accounts that she refused to touch under any circumstances.

  “I got a solution, but I’m not sure if you’re going to like it.”

  She groaned. “You may as well spill it.”

  “We hit the SunBeam Savings and Loan,” he spat out.

  Her face scrunched up. They had considered robbing the downtown Tampa Bank eight months ago, but they decided it wouldn’t be smart to hit a bank that was located in the same city they all lived in.

  “I did some quick checking. The information I collected on SunBeam is still up to date.”

  “Aaron, there was a reason why we didn’t hit that bank. Not only is it close to home, but we need guys on the ground to actually go in, break into the vault, and take the money.”

  “So? We’ve had to do that before.”

  “Not at this short of a notice, and we had done it in other cities – in other states.”

  “We don’t have much of a choice. Besides, the more cash we have when we relocate after the New Year, the better. Remember, we can’t buy anything big with the FR money for at least twelve to eighteen months. You can use the cash from SunBeam to put a down payment on a new place – outside of Florida.”

  Margo knew he had a point. The more cash they had, the better. “All right, when do you want to do this?”

  “Thursday. Well, technically, it will be Friday. We should hit it around two a.m. that night.”

  “That’s Thanksgiving Day!”

  “So? It’s not like you have family to spend it with – oh.” He stopped. “Do you have plans with that idiot?”

  “His name is Bruce, and yes. We are having Thanksgiving dinner at Lana’s house.”

  “Lana? Is that the friend who had lost her memory, and when she got it back, she kicked ass?”

  “Yes.”

  Aaron smiled and shook his head. “Too bad she married that fed. She would have made a good member of BAAM. And I would have loved to have met her.”

  “Aaron, why Thanksgiving? That’s right around the corner.”

  He ran his hand through his blond locks. “For one reason, we need those plans as soon as possible. Second, my informant will be in Tampa on Saturday, and he’s only here for one night. He has already made copies of the plans, and he’s afraid to go back to work just in case they notice that someone had accessed them. If they ask him about it, he won’t be able to come up with a viable excuse.”

  Margo exhaled with frustration. “Aaron, I don’t even know if the backdoor I created to the SunBeam security system is still there.”

  “If it isn’t, just create a new one an hour before the robbery. Hell, it took you no time to crack their security system before.”

  “Have you said anything to Bobbi and Anthony about this? We’ll need to take at least one-point-five million to make it worth our while. Plus, we’ll need at least three to four people to cart the money out of there fast enough before the alarm resets. I won’t be able to help you because I’ll need to be in front of the computer.”

  “I just got off the phone with Anthony. He’s down. He said that he could get his cousin, Morris, to help us out – for a cut, of course. I’ll be there because I have to use the drills on the vault door. I haven’t called Bobbi yet.”

  “I doubt she can get a flight back this quickly.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. But she deserves to be offered the opportunity,” Aaron said. “So what do you say?”

  It was going to be tricky for her, but considering what was on the line, she had to go along with it. All of them had go
ne too far to turn back now.

  Chapter 15

  Lana Murphy Peterson had outdone herself with the Thanksgiving meal. A twenty-pound turkey, homemade rolls, green beans, cornbread dressing, and corn were on the dining room table. Corey and Lacey Smith, Alec, Keisha, and Bruce had complimented Lana on the meal.

  Lana had two choices for dessert, a sweet potato pie and a strawberry cake with white, cream cheese frosting. Bruce had pieces of both. He wasn’t shy, especially when it came to food.

  After they ate, they went to the living room where Alec poured them champagne. He said that he had a big announcement to make.

  “Does everyone have full glasses?” Lana asked with a smile.

  “Yeah, girl,” Lacey said. Lacey was a black woman who had auburn hair. Margo had spotted a few years ago that she wore weaves. Not that it was a big deal. Lacey’s hair looked good.

  Corey put his arm around his wife’s shoulders as he held his champagne glass. He was a white businessman who made loads of money, and it showed. “Yes, I can’t wait to hear what this is about. You two are beaming.”

  Keisha stood next to her mother.

  Alec walked over to Lana and Keisha as he held his champagne glass. “I do thank all of you for your patience. You see, this is a special Thanksgiving. The Peterson family has a lot to be grateful for, especially for the new blessing that has been bestowed upon us.”

  “You hit the lottery,” Bruce said with a grin.

  Everyone chuckled.

  “No, but you’re close,” Lana said. “I’m pregnant.”

  The room burst into awes and cheers. Keisha stood next to Lana with a confused look.

  Corey stood and shook Alec’s hand. “Congratulations.”

  “So we’ll have another munchkin running around this house,” Bruce stated happily. “Nice, Alec.”

  “Why does the man get the congratulations when something like this is announced?” Lana asked.

  Margo laughed as she made her way to Lana. They embraced. “Congratulations.”

  “I don’t get it,” Keisha said with confusion.

  Bruce scooped her up. “All this means is that you are getting a little baby brother or sister.”

  The little girl’s brown eyebrows furrowed. “Well, which is it? A brother or a sister?”

  “We don’t know yet, honey,” Lana said.

  “How come?” Keisha asked.

  “Um, it’s too early to know that,” Lana said.

  “Oh, but I’m getting one or the other right?” Keisha asked.

  “Yes,” Alec confirmed. “In about six months.”

  Keisha nodded, but her face was blank. “You have to order them in advance?”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Something like that, honey,” Lana said and then she looked at Alec. “I told you we should have told her earlier . . . and in private.”

  Everyone chuckled.

  “Something like that, sweetheart,” Alec said. “Are you surprised?”

  “Yeah,” Keisha said, but it was obvious she was in deep thought. “So, we’ll have a baby like Mark’s parents?”

  “That’s right,” Lana said.

  “Wow. That’s . . . a lot,” Keisha said as she fingered Bruce’s shirt.

  “What do you mean?” Alec asked.

  “Well, from what I’ve seen at Mark’s house, his baby sister is a . . . well, she’s loud. She cries a lot. Mark’s mom has to hold her and carry her a lot because she doesn’t know how to walk.”

  “Well, babies are a big responsibility, but they don’t stay babies forever. They grow up, like you did,” Lana explained.

  Keisha nodded. “That’s good to know.” Her serious facial expression lightened.

  “It’ll be great, kid. You’ll see,” Bruce said with confidence.

  “If you say so, Uncle Bruce, then I know it will be,” Keisha said with a smile and wrapped her little arms around his neck and gave him a hug.

  After another hour, Bruce and Margo walked back to her house. Her plan was to tell Bruce that she had to get up at the crack of dawn to meet a potential client so he would go back to his own apartment. But Bruce had other plans.

  “So? I’ve spent the night here when I’ve had to go to work the next day,” he said as he took an overnight bag out of his SUV. “Like I’m going to do tonight. That’s why I brought my clothes.”

  Shit. Now, she had to do the last thing she wanted to do to him. And that was to use the Rohypnol that Anthony had given her. He had made her take it just in case. That dude has a hard-on for you. I haven’t seen anything like it in years. Take this just in case you can’t get away from him. The last thing we need is for you to be late, or worse, him figuring out what is going on, Anthony had said.

  “Okay,” she said.

  They went into the house.

  “Why don’t you go upstairs and get comfortable, and I’ll get the champagne?”

  “That sounds good,” he said and kissed her cheek. He whistled as he carried his bag to her room.

  An hour later, Bruce had passed out on the bed like a beached whale. She scrambled to put on a pair of gray jogging pants and a long-sleeved matching shirt. It was a little cool outside. Margo stared at him with concern as she put her hair up in a ponytail. Then she grabbed a large, cheap black purse she had hidden under the bed. It was almost eleven o’clock. She reached into the bag and pulled out a burner phone and Bluetooth. They always used burners during a heist. She placed the Bluetooth on her ear, grabbed her regular, everyday purse and the cheap purse, and headed out the door. She got into her Mustang and used the burner to call Anthony. She had linked the Bluetooth and burner yesterday.

  “Yeah,” Anthony answered.

  “It’s M. I used the stuff you gave me,” she said. As a precaution, they never called each other their full names during a job. They either used a code name or first initials. “He went out like a light, but . . . are you sure that stuff is safe?”

  “Yes, for the third time. He’ll be fine with the exception of a possible headache when he wakes up.”

  “Okay, I was just making sure. He got so groggy out of nowhere and passed out like he fainted. How long will it last? What if he wakes up before I get back?”

  “He shouldn’t if you used the whole bag I gave you. He should be asleep until . . . five a.m. at least. It’s after eleven-fifteen. Get your ass here so we can go over the setup and do this thing.”

  “All right, I’m pulling out now,” she said and clicked off.

  Chapter 16

  Four dark-colored Dodge Charger Hellcats were parked under the overpass across from the building. Everyone was already there when Margo got to the factory. Morris was a little surprised to find out that she was in the life, but he nodded his respect and listened as Aaron went over the full plan. He had also clued Morris in on how to communicate over the burners.

  At one-fifteen a.m., Bobbi, Aaron, Morris, and Anthony deployed to the Hellcats. Margo already had her computer up and ready to go. Anthony and Morris, along with two guys they had met on the street, had boosted the cars from a Dodge dealership earlier that evening. It was easy, and they got away clean because it was closed for the holiday. By the time the dealership opened tomorrow and discovered them missing, the cars would be destroyed. They were small vehicles, but they were fast enough to escape the cops just in case something went wrong.

  They were all linked on a conference call setup through their Bluetooths. Margo overheard their conversation as they made their way to SunBeam Savings and Loan.

  “M, we’re ten minutes away from the target,” Aaron said through her Bluetooth.

  “I’m already in the system. I’ll start recording footage of the outside and inside to start looping at two minutes before your ETA,” Margo said.

  After few minutes, Aaron spoke again. “M, were at a stoplight. We’re two minutes away.”

  “Got it,” Margo said and started typing rapidly. She electronically manipulated each camera with the footages she had previ
ously recorded. So when the authorities played the security tapes back, they would only see what was recorded minutes before. When the job was done, she would switch the cameras back to live. “Cameras are switched. You can pull up to the side of the target. Now finishing the hacking of the alarm. Wait for my signal to break in.”

  ****

  Morris couldn’t believe what his cousin had turned him on to. He wasn’t sure about it at first because robbing banks was a federal offense. However, he could make more on this job than he could selling weed and meth in two months. It was too good to pass up. Morris nodded as he waited for the go ahead. These peeps got their shit together. I can’t imagine anything going wrong.

  They had backed up their rides to the side door. Aaron had blueprints to the bank. They knew exactly where to go and which route was quickest.

  “Alarm has been disabled. Go now,” Margo said over the earpiece.

  Morris got out of the Charger as the others were getting out of theirs. “Mo, the door,” Anthony said to him.

  They put Morris on the front door because he had told them that he could unlock a basic pushing door in thirty seconds. He already had his lock-picks in hand. He started his part of the heist.

  “The alarm will reset itself in five minutes,” Margo said through the earpiece.

  Morris slowly turned his tools inside the lock. He heard the click, and the alarm didn’t go off. “We’re in.”

  “Good work,” Aaron said.

  Morris pushed the door open, and they entered the bank. Aaron ran in front of all of them. He knew the way, and he had to get the vault open.

  Morris wasn’t sure if he was sweating because of the dark clothes and masks they had on, or if it was from nerves. He almost jumped when Aaron fired up his drills.

  “Four minutes,” Margo said over the earpiece.

  “Metal’s hot,” Aaron said as he switched drills.