National bestselling author Kiki Swinson’s novels set it off with killer plot twists, merciless characters—and an unsparing portrayal of Southern struggling, lying, betraying … and dying. Now everything is on the line as a female firefighter desperate for money gets caught up in a man-made disaster … SET YOUR SCHEMES … A volunteer Virginia Beach firefighter, Alayna Curry faces death every day—and is proud to carry on her retired father’s legacy. But with cash always tight and her long-time boyfriend Levi pressuring her to give up what she loves to make more money, she knows she needs more cash flow to stay afloat … SET YOUR TRAPS … All Alayna has to do is keep quiet about a scheme to burn down buildings for insurance-hungry “clients.” And for a while she’s on fire from the rush, making insane cash—and finding new passion in all the wrong places. But when the money suddenly stops rolling in—and one “client” after another pushes back against the deal—Alayna and the rest of the crew stop watching out for each other and start fighting for their lives … SET YOUR LIFE ON FIRE … Now with the cops turning up the heat and every firefighter for themselves, Alayna must walk an impossible line to get out from under. But between betrayal, secrets, and broken duty, will what loyalty she has left be the one thing that burns her life to the ground for good?
Release date:
April 25, 2023
Publisher:
Kensington Books
Print pages:
256
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I WAS ON THE PHONE TALKING WHEN LEVI ENTERED OUR BEDROOM. “I’m gonna call you back,” I told the caller, and then ended the call. This pissed Levi off.
“Who was that? And why did you end the call when I walked into the bedroom?”
“I didn’t end the call because you walked in. I was going to end it anyway.”
“It must’ve been your side piece.”
“What side piece? Trust me, you’re all the man I can handle at once,” I said, trying to assure him. But he wasn’t buying it. Levi knows that things have changed in our marriage. We have sex less and I don’t spend time with him like I used to. And this bothered him. I mean, if the shoe was on the other foot, it would bother me too.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ve gotta get to work,” he mentioned, and left the bedroom.
He was sitting inside my car when I exited the house. He and I had been carpooling for the past week because his 2017 Dodge Charger was in the shop getting a new transmission. My 2021 Jeep Wrangler was his source of transportation for the moment and he hated it, especially when he had to drop me off at work in front of Tim and my brother, Alonzo.
All eyes were on us when we pulled up in the parking lot. Tim, Alonzo, Jesse, and the volunteer Paul were sitting on the picnic table that the firemen use to congregate and shoot the breeze when we’re not cleaning the fire station or one of the trucks.
As soon as Levi stopped the Jeep, I gave him a quick peck on the lips and then climbed out of it. “What kind of kiss was that?”
“What do you mean ‘what kind of kiss was that?’ It was a kiss.”
“I see what you’re doing?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked while standing next to the passenger-side door.
“You tried to hurry up and kiss me so your boyfriend wouldn’t see you,” Levi said as he watched my brother, Alonzo, approach my Jeep.
“What’s going on, family?” Alonzo asked after he came within arm’s distance of us.
“Everything is all good.” Levi spoke first.
Alonzo turned his attention towards me. “Ready to work?” Alonzo asked me.
“As always,” I replied.
“Do you know what you’re trying to cook tonight?” Alonzo reminded me.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot.”
“We’re all gonna pile into the truck and head to the store in about thirty minutes. So put a list together,” he encouraged me.
“Will do,” I said, and walked away from the Jeep.
“You ain’t gonna say goodbye to your man?” Alonzo blurted out.
“I kissed him earlier,” I said without looking back.
“She’s trying to hurry up and get over there to her boyfriend,” Levi commented.
Alonzo burst into laughter. “Who? Tim?”
“Yeah, her sugar daddy.”
I pretended not to hear him say that.
“Oh, nah, ain’t nothing going on with those two,” I heard my brother say.
“Alonzo, don’t blow smoke up my ass. I know what I see.”
“Well, if you think you see something, then I’m not gonna argue with you.”
“I appreciate it,” Levi said, and then sped off.
Me and Tim watched as Levi sped away in my Jeep.
“Looks like someone is upset,” Tim commented.
“He’s just being a jerk,” I replied.
“He thinks you two are having a fling,” Alonzo mentioned.
Tim and I both looked at one another and then we looked at Alonzo.
“What gave him that impression?” Tim asked Alonzo.
“He didn’t say,” Alonzo answered.
“I told him that he needs to stop being so insecure,” I added.
“What made him suspect something was going on between you guys in the first place?”
“He complains about Tim texting me too much.”
“He’s your boss,” Alonzo interjected.
“I told him that,” I said.
“Did you tell Alonzo that he called me the night before, asking where you were?” Tim chimed in.
“No,” I replied.
“While you were here at work?” Alonzo asked, wanting clarity.
“Yeah. I had just washed the dishes in the kitchen.”
“And I was helping him.”
“Where was I?” Alonzo wanted to know.
“I think you and Jesse was outside cleaning up the truck by then,” I answered.
“I wonder why he didn’t call me?” Alonzo asked us.
“He’s still salty about how you screamed at him during the NBA Finals and never paid the bet you owed him,” I explained.
“No way. He still thinks I owe him?”
“Yep. He bet on the Bucks winning. And your money was on the Phoenix Suns.”
“Yeah, but the Bucks was supposed to beat the Suns by ten points. But they only got them by seven.”
I chuckled. “He said that was bullshit and that you threw that ten point–game clause in there when the game was almost over.”
Tim chuckled. “That sounds like you, Alonzo.”
“No. I added that during halftime.”
“Alonzo, just pay him the money,” I insisted.
“I don’t even remember how much the bet was.”
“One hundred dollars,” I reminded him.
“One hundred dollars?” Tim interjected. “Oh, Levi can forget it. This cheap motherfucker here isn’t going to give anyone one hundred dollars.”
“Yeah, I don’t remember it being that much,” Alonzo added.
I let out a long sigh. “Alonzo, just give Levi the money. He won it fair and square.”
“I’m not giving him one hundred bucks. Maybe twenty.” Alonzo flat out refused.
“Why don’t you give him fifty instead?” Tim suggested.
“Yeah, that would be a nice gesture. Meet him in the middle,” I agreed.
“I’m not giving up one hundred or fifty. Twenty-five dollars is my final offer.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Getting money out of Alonzo is like pulling teeth,” I commented, and then walked off and headed into the fire station. Jesse and Paul followed me.
“Don’t get mad because I know how to hold on to my money!” he yelled behind me.
I ignored him and continued into the building, leaving them two out there alone. Hanging out at the fire station was my passion. I lived for this place, and it didn’t hurt that I had a little love thing going on with Tim while I was here. This would kill Levi. But I figured what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
“REMIND ME NEVER TO BET AGAINST YOU ON ANYTHING,” TIM commented, and then he chuckled.
Before I could respond, my cellular phone started ringing, so I retrieved the phone from his side pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was my fiancée, Pricilla Gates. I met Pricilla at a sports bar. I was there with a couple of high school buddies watching the play-offs and introduced myself. We talked and hit it off, and fast-forward three years later, we’re still together. Just seven months ago, I proposed to her and she said yes, so we’re now planning a wedding. Hopefully, kids will follow.
“Hey, future Mrs. Riddick, how can I help you?” I started off the conversation, and put her on speakerphone.
“I’m good, baby. I was calling to remind you that we have a cake tasting on Friday. That’s the day you get off, so don’t take on an extra day there at the station.”
I started laughing.
“Don’t laugh. I’m serious. You tried that stunt before and I had to reschedule.”
“Pricilla, I’m gonna make sure he makes that appointment,” Tim interjected.
“Is that Tim?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“How are you?”
“I’m great, and you?”
“I’m good. And, yes, please make sure he doesn’t try to stay there after his shift is over Friday morning.”
“I will, and you have my word,” Tim assured her.
“Thank you, Tim. Okay, baby, you there?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“I’m gonna go now. I love you.”
“I love you too,” I told her, and then ended the call.
“Sounds like you’re dragging your feet. You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“Oh, no, I’ve just been busy, trying to get this money. I told her to go and do the cake tasting with her mother and her sister. But, no, she wants me there for some reason. I couldn’t care less about all the flavors we could choose from. Just give me a yellow cake with vanilla icing and I’m fine.”
“Boy, don’t I remember those times. I was just like you. I told my wife to go and take care of everything and I’ll just meet her at the altar. And guess what she did?”
“What?”
“She grabbed me by my ear and dragged me to the venue, the floral shop, the tuxedo place, the catering place, and the bakery that made our cake. The only place I didn’t go was to the bridal shop when she picked out her gown. And, boy, was I happy.”
I chuckled. “You’re a funny dude, Tim.”
“So, how much has this wedding set you back thus far?”
“Our initial budget was fifty thousand. But by the time this is over, I’m gonna probably fork out one hundred thousand.”
“Wow! That’s a lot of money. Do you know my wedding only cost us ten thousand?”
“That was what? Over 15 years ago?”
“It was. . . .”
Before Tim could finish his sentence, my cell phone started ringing again. I looked at the caller ID. “This is the call we’ve been waiting for,” I told him, and answered the call.
“Hello,” I said.
“The check cleared this morning,” Amy started off saying.
“That was quick,” I replied with enthusiasm.
“We knew it wasn’t gonna take long.”
“So, did you withdraw some cash?” I got quick to the point.
“Yes, we did.”
“Did you get what we asked you?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Sounds good. Could you meet me at the Harris Teeter grocery store in about forty-five minutes?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, great. See you then,” I said cheerfully, and disconnected the call. “That was Amy. The couple that lives on Lancaster.”
“Yeah.”
“Their check cleared this morning. We have eight thousand coming our way.”
“I thought we agreed to get twenty-five grand on that one.”
“We did. Remember, they gave us eight a month after the fire? They are giving us eight more today. And then I’m going to have them give us the last nine next week.”
“Oh, okay, I remember now,” Tim said.
“Has the old guy from Lake Edward called you back yet?”
“Last time I talked to him, he said that he was still waiting on his check.”
“Hasn’t it been over four months now?” Tim seemed worried.
“Yeah, and something’s telling me that he already got the check and is holding out on us.”
“You might wanna give him a call.”
“Why don’t we just stop by there later tonight?”
“Let’s do that,” I agreed, and then we dapped each other a handshake and headed into the fire station.
I drove the fire truck to the grocery store, while Tim, my sister, Alayna, our other firefighter, Jesse, and a volunteer named Paul sat in the other sections of the truck. As soon as the truck stopped, everyone climbed out. “Hey, Alayna, you got the grocery list?” I asked her as we all headed across the parking lot.
“Yep, I sure do.”
“All right, well, I’m gonna meet y’all inside,” I announced as I made a detour in another direction of the parking lot. Tim knew where I was going and gave me a head nod.
I searched the parking lot for Amy’s car and finally saw it parked eleven cars away. She and her husband, Mitch, were sitting in the car, waiting for me, as I approached it. I smiled as I walked toward them. And as soon as I got within a few feet of the driver’s-side door, I greeted the husband first, because he was the driver.
“How are you doing?” I asked and extended a handshake.
“I’m good, and you?” Mitch replied, and shook my hand.
I leaned over into the driver’s-side window and spoke to Amy, who was sitting on the passenger side of the car. “How are you over there?”
She smiled. “I’m great. Beautiful day out.”
“I can’t agree more.”
The husband held a white envelope toward the window and I reached over and grabbed it. “This is the second installment you asked us for. You’ll get the other nine next week.”
I took the envelope and pushed it down in my front right pocket. “Thank you very much,” I said. “Have you guys started the repairs yet?” I asked, making idle conversation. It would’ve been rude to take the money and just leave.
“We’ve got a contractor working on it as we speak,” Mitch said.
“Did they say how long it’s gonna take?” I wondered aloud.
“The back porch will take a week. The back bedroom will take ten days,” he answered.
“That’s not too bad,” I replied.
“I think we could’ve gotten it done sooner. But Mitch wants to be cheap and this crew doesn’t work fast,” Amy interjected.
“Hold up, little lady. There is nothing wrong with being cheap,” I commented, and laughed.
“I keep telling her, saving a buck here and there will go a long way,” Mitch announced.
“I agree with you one hundred percent,” I said, and then smiled at them both. I looked down at my watch purposely, so I could give them a reason that I had to run off. “I could do this all day, folks. But I’m gonna have to run in this grocery store and get a few things for the fire station.”
“Oh, well, don’t let us hold you. Take care of your business and we’ll call you next week,” Mitch insisted.
“Sounds good. Talk to you folks then,” I replied, tapped on the hood of their car, and then walked off.
The moment I entered the grocery store, I searched the aisle for Tim. I finally found him near the deli department. “I got the money.”
“Were they acting nervous like they did the first time?”
“No, they were acting pretty calm this time.”
“Did you count it?”
“No. I just stuck it in my pocket and came in here.”
“Come on, let’s go in the men’s bathroom and count it,” Tim instructed me. “I’ll be right back,” he told the deli worker, and then walked off. I followed in his footsteps. As soon as we entered the bathroom, I made sure that we were there alone. And when I realized that we were by ourselves, I took the money out of the envelope and began to count. When I got to the end, I noticed that we were short five hundred dollars. This pissed Tim off. “Get on the phone and call their ass now.” I could almost see steam coming from his ears as he watched me dial the phone number.
“Hello,” I said immediately after Amy answered the phone.
“Yes?”
“You know you guys shorted us five hundred dollars?” I informed her. She fell silent. “Hello,” I said once again.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Did you hear what I said?”
“You said it was short?” she asked.
“Yes, five hundred.”
“Hello,” I heard her husband’s voice say.
“Hey, Mitch, we’re short five hundred dollars.”
“Are you sure? I counted it myself. I was sure I put eight thousand in the envelope.”
“There’s only seventy-five hundred in here.”
“I’m sorry about that. Can I add it to next week’s final payment?”
Livid from his question, I put them on mute and folded my phone into the palm of my hand. “He asked if he could add the other five hundred to the last installment for next week?” I asked Tim.
Tim looked like he wanted to punch the wall. But he remained calm and said okay after waiting about five seconds.
“Yeah, Mitch, next week is fine. But make sure it’s ninety-five hundred instead of nine thousand,” I told him.
“Will do,” he said, and then the phone went dead. I placed the phone back inside my pocket and looked at Tim.
“He’s full of shit and he knows it,” Tim hissed. He was seething.
“Look, we’ll take three thousand seven hundred fifty each. And look at it like this, after next week, we don’t have to deal with him anymore.”
Tim took his portion of the money and handed me the envelope with the rest. I shoved it down into my pocket and gave him a pat on the back. “It’s not the end of the world,” I commented, and then exited the bathroom. He followed a couple of seconds later.
Back in the store, I found Alayna with a basket full of groceries and a list of items that she still needed to get. So I helped her. During out trip down the bread aisle, we began to reminisce about our father and his contribution as the city’s fire chief before his untimely death. “Pop was the best fire chief this city has ever seen,” I started off saying. “Everyone, from the community leaders to the citizens, loved him.”
“I know,” she said, and smiled proudly.
“Do you know about all the food drives he used to organize?”
“Of course, I do. He had us both there and volunteering.”
“What about the toy drives! It was his mission to make sure every child in the city of Virginia Beach have a toy under their Christmas tree.”
“Do you remember when he invited those homeless people to our house on Thanksgiving that one time?” Alayna reminded me.
I smiled. “Yeah, I remember that. Mom wasn’t too happy about it.”
“He’s the real reason why I joined the fire department, and for lots of other recruits too,” Alayna admitted.
“Absolu. . .
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