Fatal Fraud: A Fatal Series Novel

by Marie Force

  “And I’ll still be able to kick your ass.”

  “She will, pal,” Nick said. “I wouldn’t mess with her.”

  The silly conversation was what they needed after airing out their pain at the meeting. “Thanks for coming tonight, you guys. Meant a lot to me to have you there.”

  “It was really cool,” Scotty said, “to hear what those people have been through. It makes you realize you’re not alone with whatever your thing is.”

  “That was our goal in starting the group. I’m so glad you came and that you got so much out of it.” She paused before she added, “I hope you know you can always talk to us about how you’re feeling about losing Gramps.”

  “I do, but I know it’s so hard for you too. I don’t want to make it worse for you.”

  “You couldn’t make it worse. Knowing he was loved by so many has made it easier for me to cope with losing him. Everyone I talk to who knew him has something funny to share about him, or something meaningful about how he touched their lives. I loved hearing the advice he gave you and how you’ll always live by his wise words.”

  “I will for sure. I want to make him proud of me.”

  “He was so proud of you. He used to tell me all the time what a remarkable kid you are and how much he loved you.”

  “I really miss him,” Scotty said. “Every day after school, I want to go see him and tell him everything that happened. He always wanted to hear the latest news.”

  “He looked forward to seeing you. You made his last years so much happier than they would’ve been otherwise.”

  “I’m glad I could do that for him, but he did a lot for me too.”

  They arrived home a short time later and went up the ramp to the front door, where a Black female agent Sam didn’t recognize greeted them.

  “Mrs. Cappuano, I’m Kourtney with a K, one of the agents on your detail. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “She says that now,” Sam said to Nick as she shook hands with the new agent. “Great to meet you Kourtney with a K. If you’ve talked to Vernon and Jimmy, you already know it’s not a pleasure to protect me. I apologize in advance.”

  “Vernon did mention that Fuzz could be challenging.”

  “Ugh, again with that nickname. I hate that name.”

  “I’ve heard that as well,” Kourtney said, smiling.

  “And yet no one cares that I hate it.”

  “That’s above my pay grade, ma’am.”

  “Don’t call me ma’am, and we’ll get along fine.”

  “Yes, ma’am—I mean, Lieutenant.”

  “Better.”

  Nick moved her forward with a hand to her back, and she felt a thrill of excitement run through her, knowing he was ready for their end-of-the-day time alone together. She was more than ready.

  “I need to call Freddie really quick and also check in with Carlucci.”

  “Make it snappy,” Nick said with a playful smile.

  Motivated to get the tasks done as quickly as possible, Sam put through the call to Freddie.

  He answered on the third ring. “What?”

  “Did you mean, ‘What, Lieutenant’?”

  “Yeah, that. What?”

  “I was checking to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine. You? How was the grief group?”

  “It went really well. People seemed relieved to have a place to talk it out.”

  “That’s great. I love that.”

  “You’re sure you’re okay?”

  “Yep.”

  “I don’t like when shit like that happens.”

  He huffed out a laugh. “Neither do I, but I handled it.”

  “Thank you for not getting shot or killed or any other dreadful thing.”

  “I do what I can for the people.”

  “Trademarked.”

  “Oh right, sorry. Anything new with the case?”

  “Green might have something implicating the daughter in the scheme.”

  “No shit?”

  “No shit.” She told him about the trips to the Cayman Island.

  “How did the Feds not find that?”

  “I don’t think they investigated Ginny’s kids. Just her and Ken. Green dug into a private Instagram account, something called Finsta?”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard of that. Wow, that’s a bombshell.”

  “Yeah, and now we can’t find her or her brother. We’ve got people looking for them, including the U.S. Marshals.”

  “You think the kids had something to do with her murder?”

  “I really don’t know yet, but I’d say at least the daughter had a hand in the scam.”

  “Why don’t we use Ken Sr. to lure them in?”

  “What’re you thinking?”

  “He contacts them, tells them he needs to see them, that it’s urgent, etc.”

  “That might work. I’ll tell Carlucci to get with him and set it up. Good thinking. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Call me if anything pops overnight.”

  “Will do.” Sam ended that call and put through another to Carlucci.

  “Hey, LT. I was just going to call you. I heard from Jesse Best that the marshals apprehended Mandi and Ken McLeod Jr. at BWI, about to hop a flight to the Bahamas.”

  “Were they now? Well, that’s excellent news.”

  “Best’s team is bringing them in, and I was going to put them on ice until you’re here in the morning, unless you’d like us to handle it some other way. I was also planning to run their financials to get the lowdown on when they bought tonight’s plane tickets.”

  “Sounds like a plan. They’ll probably lawyer up anyway.”

  “No doubt.”

  “Good call on the financials. I’ll see you in the morning. Call me if anything new pops.”

  “Will do, see you then.”

  Sam called Freddie back.

  “What now?”

  “What now, Lieutenant.”

  “Yeah, yeah, what’s going on?”

  “Best’s team got them at BWI, preparing to board a plane to the Bahamas.”

  “Is that right?”

  “They’ll be waiting for us in our cooler in the a.m.”

  “That gives us something to look forward to.”

  “Right. See you at six thirty?”

  “Ugh, do we hafta?”

  “Let’s get this wrapped up before the holiday, when everything comes to a screeching halt and makes our lives twenty times more complicated.”

  “Fine. See you then.”

  “You bring the coffee.” Sam ended the call before he could object to her order, which made for a rather satisfying end to a seemingly endless day. She went upstairs, checked on the sleeping twins, kissed them both good night and covered them up. Then she crossed the hall to knock on Scotty’s door.

  “Enter.”

  “Are you all set?” she asked, noting he had papers spread out on his bed and the Caps game on TV.

  “Define ‘all set.’ I still have a tiny bit of math homework to do.”

  “Define ‘tiny bit.’”

  “Thirty, maybe forty minutes of pure hell.”

  “Do I need to send Dad in?”

  “Nah, I think I got it, but I’ll send out an emergency text if needed.”

  Sam went to him and leaned in to hug him. “In case I forget to tell you every day, you’re my favorite thirteen-year-old boy named Scotty.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  She kissed the top of his head. “Love you.”

  “Love you too. Thanks for letting me go with you tonight.”

  “If there’s ever something I’m doing and you want to go, just say the word. If there’s no chance of anyone shooting at me, you’re more than welcome wherever I am.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Don’t stay up too late.”

  “Night.”

  Sam went into her room and shut the door, leaning back against it to release a deep breath. “This was one long-ass, mo-fo day.”

/>   Nick was already in bed, scanning briefing books, his sexy-as-fuck chest on full display.

  Inspired by that chest, she started pulling off clothes right where she stood and dropping them on the floor.

  He glanced up, saw what she was doing and did a double take. “What is happening?”

  “Only good things.”

  “I love good things.” He tossed the briefing book on the floor and held out his arms to her when she sashayed across the room, naked as the day she was born, to join him in bed. “And you, my love, are the goodest of good things.”

  “Don’t let people hear you say that. You’ll be criticized for poor grammar.”

  “No one but you will ever hear that.”

  “I love when I get to have you all to myself at the end of the day.”

  “I love when you have me all to yourself too.

  She straddled him and came down on top of him as his hands cupped her breasts.

  “I have the sexiest wife in the whole world.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  His laughter did such amazing things to his already sinfully handsome face. Sitting up, he pulled her in closer and drew her nipple into his mouth. Sam let her head fall back as she let go of the stressful day and lost herself in the magic they created together. How she’d ever lived for so many years without him amazed her.

  Sinking her hand into his thick hair, she squirmed on top of him, pressing against his hard cock and trying to move things along.

  “Patience, love.”

  “No patience.”

  He grasped her ass and held her in place, taking his time with one breast and then the other, moving back and forth until he had her on the verge of begging. And then he moved them both and brought her down on his cock, joining their bodies in a moment of utter perfection that kept her addicted to him and this and them. If they lived forever, she would never get enough of him.

  “How do you do this to me every time?” she asked, winding her arms around his neck and holding on tight.

  “The same way you do it to me. Every single time.”

  “Hold on tight,” he said in the second before he turned them and settled on top of her without losing their intimate connection.

  “Smooth move, Mr. VP.”

  “You liked that?”

  “I like all your moves.” She drew him into a hot, tongue-twisting kiss and then drew back with a groan when her phone rang. “I have to get that.”

  “Seriously, Samantha?”

  “Seriously, Nicholas. Hold that thought.”

  “I’m holding.” He pressed into her to make his point, not that his point needed to be made.

  Sam twisted under him to grab her phone off the bedside table. “Holland.”

  “Sorry to bother you, Lieutenant,” Carlucci said.

  “No bother. I wasn’t doing anything.” She smiled up at Nick, who glared at her and thrust into her again. Sam had to bite her lip to keep from giving away what she’d been doing—and was still doing—when the phone rang. “What’s up?

  “When we ran Mandi McLeod’s financials, we found that she made forty-two dollars’ worth of purchases at a hardware store a half mile from her parents’ home on Sunday around two thirty.”

  “Hot damn! Good work, Carlucci.”

  Nick raised her leg, filled her completely and captured her nipple between his teeth, giving a gentle bite that had her gripping his hair in a tight handful.

  “I thought you’d want to know that,” Carlucci said.

  “Absolutely. Thanks for the call. I’ll see you first thing.”

  “See you then.”

  Sam slapped the phone closed and tossed it aside.

  Nick smoothed his tongue over her nipple. “Are you back?”

  “In case you didn’t notice, I never left.”

  “Oh, I noticed. I notice everything about you.” He wrapped his arms around her and picked up the pace, leaving her breathless as he drove them to the finish line in a frenzy of heat and desire so intense, she wondered how she survived it. And it was like that every single time.

  Lying in his arms afterward, she breathed in the fresh, clean scent of his skin and loved the tickle of his chest hair against her face. “Thanks for coming tonight. I know it took some doing, but I appreciated it.”

  He ran his hand over her back in soothing circles. “I wanted to be there for you, not just to support your new endeavor, but I knew you’d be talking about your dad. I didn’t expect it to be so cathartic to talk about John for the first time in a while.”

  “I know he’s never far from your mind.”

  “I think of him every day and imagine him mocking me in my mostly useless role of VP. He’d get such a kick out of that.”

  “I wouldn’t let him mock you.”

  “You wouldn’t be able to stop it. That was our groove. We were always busting each other’s balls about something.”

  “Sometimes, I wonder if I would’ve liked him.”

  “Only because you investigated his murder, so you know how he really lived his life. If you’d met him before that, you would’ve liked him. Everyone did.”

  “Hmm, I’ll have to take your word for it. Gonzo looks good, doesn’t he?”

  “He does.”

  “We’re meeting in the morning about the plea deal,” she said, yawning.

  The next thing she knew, her alarm was going off, and Sam woke up in the same place she’d been the night before—wrapped up in Nick’s arms, her head on his chest. Before him, she hadn’t been able to bear being touched while sleeping. Now, she was most comfortable surrounded by him. She shut off the alarm and took one second to enjoy him before they had to go their separate ways for another long day.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Get up, Samantha,” Nick said, his voice gruff with sleep.

  “I’m up.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re on your way back to sleep.”

  “Don’t act like you know me so well.”

  He pinched her butt, making her startle. “Up.”

  “Did you sleep?”

  “Like a dead man. I need that same cocktail before bed tonight too.”

  “That cocktail is available to you anytime you need it.”

  “Cocktail hour is my favorite time of day.”

  “Every second with you is the best part of my day, especially if there’re some kids tossed in the mix. And I’m not going to see them this morning either.”

  “You’ll have a whole week with them next week.”

  “I can’t wait. I want to do everything—movies and crafts and baking and games and all the stuff I never have time to do.”

  “We’ll do it all. I promise.”

  “On that note, I gotta go tell Freddie he can stay in bed a little longer.”

  “How come?”

  Sam sat up, pushed her hair back from her face and reached for her phone. “Because I’ve got something I need him to do on the way in.” She put through the call to her partner.

  “I’m up,” he said, sounding as grouchy as Sam felt.

  “Good, but I’m calling to give you another forty-five minutes in bed.”

  “Okay, bye.”

  “Freddie! Listen. I want you to go to a hardware store near the McLeods’ and find out exactly what Mandi bought at two thirty on Sunday. Get me a receipt and security video of her in the store if they have it. I’ll have Carlucci text you the address.”

  “Got it, will do.”

  “Call it into the pit the minute you know and get it in writing from the store.”

  “Okay.”

  “Thanks. Set your alarm again.”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  Sam slapped her phone closed, called Carlucci and then headed for the shower.

  “Damn, that’s a nice view,” Nick said from the bed.

  She put some wiggle in her walk just for his benefit.

  Thirty minutes later, she headed out to work and was met on the ramp outside her front door by Vernon and a new w
oman.

  “This is Belinda. She’s on your detail today. Belinda, this is Mrs. Cappuano.”

  Sam shook hands with the tall, red-headed agent. “Nice to meet you, and actually, I’m Lieutenant Holland for the next eight to ten hours.” She prayed it would be the lesser end of that range.

  “Such an honor to meet you, Lieutenant. I’ve admired your career.”

  “Thank you. I need a ride to work this one time.”

  Vernon smiled. “As you know, we’d prefer to drive you.”

  “You get your wish today.” While he held the door, Sam got in the back of the SUV, adrenaline zipping through her veins at the thought of maybe closing the McLeod case and perhaps returning some of the missing money to Ginny’s victims. Wouldn’t that be something? To do something the Feds hadn’t been able to accomplish would be a huge victory for the MPD at a time when the department could really use a win.

  “When we get to HQ, go straight to the morgue entrance in the back please.” She cringed at the thought of her colleagues seeing her arriving in a Secret Service vehicle. Fortunately, she didn’t warrant and entire motorcade.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Belinda said.

  The media was still staked outside the building. Didn’t they ever get tired of the futility of waiting for something that would never happen? Not once in all the months that Nick had been vice president had Sam ever given them anything useful. And yet they still showed up every day with hope in their hearts. Better them than her. She’d rather chase murderers than a story that wasn’t going to happen. But hey, to each his or her own.

  When they arrived at HQ, she ducked inside, hoping to avoid anything that got in the way of her plans for the morning. With just over two and a half hours until the meeting about Gonzo, she was hoping to use most of that time to sew up the McLeod case.

  They were close. She just needed the last few details to lock it up.

  Carlucci and Dominguez were in the pit when she strolled in. “Ladies! It’s a fine day to solve a murder. What’ve you got for me?”

  Dominguez, who was petite, with gorgeous brown skin, hair and eyes, turned to Sam, her eyes rimmed with red.

  Sam stopped short. “What’s wrong?”

  “Ugh, I’m so sorry to be crying at work. Boyfriend trouble.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I will be once I show him the door.”