Forged in Desire (The Protectors #1)(49)

“To tell you something I found out about your ex-girlfriend.”

“Who? Margo?”

“Yes, that bitch, Margo.”

Scott knew Freddie was still angry that Margo had threatened them both with jail time unless they donated all that money to her favorite charity. Criminal records were the last thing they’d wanted or needed.

“What about her?”

“She played you, man.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I haven’t gotten over how she made us pay all that money to some damn charity. Who does that, man? Give that much money away? She must be somebody who had a lot to give away. That’s when I knew she had to be loaded and was just making those damn wedding gowns for the fun of it.”

Scott shook his head. “Freddie, what point are you trying to make?”

“I’m talking about the fact that Margo Connelly didn’t need your money like you thought. She was nothing more than a bored little rich broad who didn’t even have to work.”

“Where did you get a crazy idea like that from?”

“With no job, I have plenty of free time on my hands. So I did what you should have done when you met her and checked her out. A few searches online and it was easy. She’s worth millions.”

Scott frowned. Freddie had to be lying. But what if he wasn’t? Scott rubbed his face, considering the possibility of the latter. He recalled how he’d wanted to make Margo dependent on him, make her need him. If what Freddie claimed was true, then Scott could imagine Margo laughing at his antics behind his back.

“You sure about this, Freddie?”

“Look her up your damn self. I’m telling you, man, the woman is an heiress. And she has an uncle who’s wealthy as sin too.”

Scott drew in a deep, angry breath. That was probably the uncle who’d raised her when her parents had died. Why hadn’t she ever told him she was well-off? “I talked to Margo last night before Wanda showed up. I called to see how she was doing since there’s a killer on the loose in her town.”

He paused and then added, “A man was there with her. He got on the phone and told me not to call her back.”

“You need to do something, man.”

“Do what?”

“Teach her a lesson for using you. Having her new boyfriend tell you off like that wasn’t right. Do you want me to go take care of them for you?”

Scott knew Freddie didn’t do anything without a purpose. “What’s in it for you?”

“For starters, I plan to get my hundred thousand dollars back. She forced me to empty my damn savings account. Now I don’t have a job and I’m barely getting by. She owes me.”

Scott rolled his eyes. Although he was pretty damn angry with Margo right now, he refused to let Freddie talk him into doing anything he would regret later. “Get over it, Freddie. You fucked up with those snakes, and Margo wasn’t responsible for you getting laid off at the bank.”

“I won’t get over it. Your ex-girlfriend is loaded and she played your ass. If you don’t plan on doing anything about it, then that’s your business. But I intend to get my money back. Every single cent.”

He hoped Freddie was talking crap, but he had a feeling he wasn’t. “Settle down, Freddie, or you’ll get yourself in even more trouble than before. Let it go, man.”

“I won’t let it go. You shouldn’t either. What we should do is kidnap her and make that rich uncle of hers pay to get her back.”

Kidnap Margo? He hoped like hell that Freddie wasn’t serious. Unlike Freddie, who was out of work and down on his luck, Scott did have a job—a good, paying one that he intended to keep.

“Meet me at Gritty’s for breakfast so we can discuss it.” He would try talking Freddie out of the crazy idea of kidnapping Margo. Kidnapping was a federal offense, which meant real jail time. No way would he be a part of anything so stupid.

*

STRIKER MOVED AROUND the room, pulling clean clothes out of his duffel bag while trying not to listen to the sound of Margo in the next room. She was humming, of all things. At least one of them was in a good mood.

He’d lied about needing to make some calls. There was no way he would step into a shower with her. He could guess what would happen. For the past week he’d lain in bed, listening to her shower and thinking of all the things he would do to her if given the chance to ever share the stall with her.

Removing his Beretta and placing it on the nightstand, he then called Stonewall. His friend answered on the first ring.

“What’s going on, Striker?”

“I’m about to shower. Keep an eye on the outside, will you.”

“I always do.”

After clicking off the phone with Stonewall, he went about removing his clothes. He was about to head for the shower adjacent to the guest room when he heard the sound of Margo’s voice. She was no longer humming but was talking. Had she called someone? She knew the rules. No outside contact without his knowledge. Had she called Scott after she’d all but sworn she was through with the man?

He stilled to listen carefully to the sound coming through the speaker Bruce had installed and realized she was speaking directly to him.

“Striker, just in case you missed all I said the first time, I am repeating myself. I’m not sure if you were being truthful when you said you could hear everything going on in this room, but if you were, then listen to this. I want you again. I want to take a shower with you. I want to taste you all over like you tasted me last night. I want to make sure you like it as much as I do. If you don’t take me up on this invite, I’ll assume you just lied about being able to hear me.”