The Safe House

Book 2: Black Market Series

by Kiki Swinson

Genres: Crime Fiction

Synopsis

Packed with "high suspense" and "memorable choices and consequences" (Booklist), Kiki Swinson's novels sizzle with brutally unpredictable characters, breakneck plotting — and a uniquely gritty portrait of Southern life. Now she breaks all the rules as a young woman with two targets on her back tries to keep those she loves — and herself — alive....

Run for cover

It was supposed to be easy money. A few exchanges for cash, one big payoff, and then life would be better than ever with bills all paid and money in her pocket. But the plan fell apart and now she's made an enemy. He's a drug cartel leader out to destroy any competition — and get payback by any means necessary....

Play for time

Under federal protection, she's only steps ahead as the cartel leader starts killing off her family and friends. When he kidnaps a relative and demands her in exchange, she and a desperate DEA agent work a bold switch to nail him. But the fallout is disastrous-and deadly....

Do anything to survive

Now the local police are closing in on her as the prime suspect in her abusive boyfriend's disappearance. She's got no choice but to ditch the feds and take down her merciless pursuer on her own. But with no options, no help, and the clock running down, this not-so-innocent victim's only shot may be the one risk that takes her out for good....

Release date: June 25, 2019

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 256

Sample

I felt my consciousness slipping into a quiet place. It almost seemed weird because there was no noise around me. It felt soothing to finally be in a peaceful place. There was no one in this dark place but me. Why hadn’t I done this before? Why was I afraid to leave that other world? Here I have no worries and I’m pain free. I was told all my life that it was wrong to do what I did. They said that you’d be condemned. But then I realized, it was my way out. In fact, it was a win-win for me. I would get the chance to see my grandmother and my cousin again and they were all that mattered to me, since my life had gone to complete hell. Who would’ve thought that I would screw my life up? I went from being a college graduate in the field of pharmaceutical science, and working as a pharmaceutical tech, to being a fucking murderer and informant.

I’d been wanting to work in the medical field for as long as I could remember, but I ruined my life by stealing prescription drugs for my drug addict–ass cousin, which led to a robbery gone bad. Not only that, I fucked around and murdered my ex-boyfriend—but in self-defense. But who’s gonna believe that? Especially since I paid someone to discard his body. What has happened to me? Why have I allowed these things to corrupt my life? I was doing good for myself. But look at me now. I’m a fucking idiot with a target on my back. What are the odds of me getting out of this? Slim . . .

“Got an A-24! In the bedroom. Need some help!” I heard faintly, and then everything went silent.

Wow! This place is nice. Everything is so white and clean. It kind of has the feel of a hospital, but with no one around.

“Hello,” I said, but no one answered. I traveled down what seemed like a hallway, but there was no floor. It felt like I was floating around on thin air. Now, how was this possible? I didn’t have superpowers. Nor was I immortal. So, what was going on?

“I can tell you what’s going on,” said a voice behind me.

I turned around and, to my surprise, my grandmother was standing behind me. Oh my God! Seeing her standing there before me dressed in all white took my breath away. “Grandma, is that you?”

She smiled. “Yes, it is, sweetheart!”

When she confirmed to me that it was, in fact, her, I leaned in and embraced her. “I thought I lost you,” I told her while I held on to her as tight as I could.

“No, baby, you will never lose me,” she assured me.

“But I thought you were dead? The agent said that you and Jillian were both murdered.”

“Yes, that’s true—” she started, but I cut her off.

“What do you mean ‘that’s true’? And where is Jillian?” I wanted to know. Things she was saying were not adding up.

“I have passed on, darling. And as far as Jillian is concerned, I don’t know where she is. But I’m sure she’s around here somewhere.”

“So I’m dead too?”

“Not quite. You’re in a realm that is called the After Life.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Listen, baby, I’m just a messenger that was sent to tell you that your work on earth is not yet done,” my grandmother told me, and then she smiled.

“What do you mean that my ‘work on earth’ isn’t done? What am I supposed to do?”

“Misty, God has a calling on your life, so He will not allow you to die. You can’t get into heaven by committing suicide. He said that He’s going to give you another chance to do it right.”

“Do what right, Grandma? You’re scaring me.”

“There’s no need to be scared, darling. You’re gonna be okay.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“You’re gonna have to help those agents bring those mafia guys to justice. Those guys have killed over a dozen people. They’re into human trafficking amongst some other things. They are some very dangerous people. And then you’re gonna have to make it right with Terrell’s family. You’re gonna have to tell his mother that you killed him and show them where his body is.”

“I can’t do that. I would go to prison for life if they found out what I did.”

“I’m sorry, Misty, but you’re gonna have to make it right. You won’t be able to see me again if you don’t.”

I covered my ears with both hands and tried to block out every word she uttered. I mean, what kind of demands were these? I couldn’t go back, testify against those guys, and then turn my own self in. Who would do that? I refused to snitch on myself. The end result of that would mean that my life would be over.

“Misty, I know that you don’t wanna hear what I am saying, but there’s no other way around it.”

“Please let me stay here with you.” I began to sob. Tears started running down my face uncontrollably. I leaned into my grandmother again and embraced her. But this time, I held on to her tighter. In my mind, I wasn’t going to let her go.

Somehow she managed to push me away from her. “I’m sorry, baby, it’s out of my hands. I can’t help you right now. You gotta do the right thing,” she said, and then she started stepping backward.

“Grandmom, where are you going? I’m not done talking to you.”

“I have to leave now, darling. Do as I instructed you, and you will be fine. Also tell your mother that despite how she felt, I always loved her,” she told me, and before I could utter another word, she disappeared into thin air.

I stood there with a troubled mind and broken heart. Here I was standing in the After Life with my grandmother, hoping to join her, but was told that now wasn’t my time. And then to be told that I had to help the agents take down Ahmad and his family, and reveal to the cops that I murdered Terrell. I’d really be committing suicide then. The whole thing was unfathomable.

While I tried to piece together my next course of action, I started hearing voices around me. I heard a woman say: “We just updated her vitals. She’s stable and breathing on her own now.”

“So, when will I be able to talk to her?” I heard a male’s voice ask.

“It’s all just a waiting game now,” the woman continued.

“Will she remember what happened?”

“Yes, she will.”

“Okay. Great. Thank you for your time.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” the woman replied, and then I heard two sets of footsteps. It lasted for a few moments and then I didn’t hear it anymore, so I opened my eyes slowly to prevent any light from blinding me. Halfway into full focus, it became apparent that I was in a room, but it wasn’t the same room I talked to my grandmother in. This room was different. This room looked like a hospital room. In fact, it was a hospital room and I was hooked to every machine placed around my bed. “Oh no, I’m here. Back here alive,” I whispered after I opened my eyes completely. Instantly anxiety consumed my entire body. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be where my grandmother was. This godforsaken place was nothing short of hell. Bad people lived here and they made sure everyone knew exactly who they were.

“What am I gonna do? I can’t be here,” I continued to whisper. My heart became very heavy.

“Who are you talking to?” a female’s voice asked me.

I looked in the direction in which the voice came from and realized that a nurse had walked into my hospital room. The woman smiled as she walked toward me dressed in her scrubs.

“I was talking to myself,” I told her, feeling very saddened that I was lying in my bed alive.

“How are you feeling?” she asked me while she stood alongside my bed. She checked my IV to make sure that it was intact.

“I don’t wanna be here,” I got up the nerve to say.

“You mean here in the hospital?” she questioned me again. I figured this was a test question, a suicidal test question.

“No, I mean here. On this freaking earth,” I boldly replied.

“Why don’t you wanna be here?” Her questions kept coming.

“Because there’s nothing left on this earth that I want to live for. My grandmother is gone and so is my cousin. I wanna be in heaven with them.”

“So you are aware that you tried to commit suicide?”

“I wasn’t trying to commit suicide. I was only trying to exchange my life with my mother’s.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t feel sorry for me. Just disconnect me from all of these freaking needles and tubes so I can get out of here,” I said quietly, but in an aggressive manner.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You’re gonna have to speak with your doctor. He’s the one that would be authorized to discharge you.”

“Tell him I need to speak to him right now.”

“I’m afraid he’s in surgery right now, but I will let him know when he’s done.”

“Yeah, whatever,” I said, and turned my focus to the window in my room.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, you can’t. Just leave me alone.”

“There are a couple of federal agents outside the door, and one of them instructed me to let him know when you wake up. So I’m going to go outside and let them know.”

“No, don’t tell them anything. I just want to be left alone. Tell him I’m still asleep.”

The nurse took a deep breath and then she exhaled. “As you wish,” she said, and then she opened the door to my room. While she tried to leave, Agent Sims met her at the door because he was trying to come in the room himself. “Excuse me,” he said to the nurse.

“No ‘excuse me,’ ” she replied while she scooted by him.

Agent Sims smiled as he approached me. “I’m glad to see you up and alert,” he commented.

“I’m not.”

“Come on, Misty, it cannot be that bad,” Agent Sims responded.

“You wouldn’t have the slightest clue,” I replied sarcastically, because he didn’t. I had a bunch of mess going on in my life. Shit, that would make me look like a heartless bitch. But more important, I would have been in jail for the rest of my life.

“Want to talk about it?”

“No, I don’t. But I do want to get out of here.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s not going to be that simple.”

“Explain that to me.”

“Do you realize that you tried to commit suicide? If I hadn’t come in that bedroom, when I did, you’d be dead right now.”

“What’cha want me to say, thank you for saving my life?”

“We can start from there.”

“News flash, I wanted to die. And I’m glad I did it too, because I saw my grandmother and we had a nice time talking. She held me in her arms and told me how much she loved me.”

“So you’re telling me that you went to heaven and came back?”

“Why are you smiling? You think I’m a freaking joke?”

“No, I don’t think you’re a joke. I just never talked to someone that went to heaven and came back. You know, I see people on TV claiming that they’ve done it.”

“Well, I have, and I’m going back.”

“If you went there, and you liked it so much, then why did you come back?”

“Because my grandma said that my work here on the earth wasn’t complete.”

“She’s talking about this case, huh?”

“Oh, shut up! And get out of my face.”

“Is your life that screwed up, that you want to die?”

“Give me another chance and I will prove it to you.”

“Your doctor has you under suicide watch so you won’t try that stunt again.”

“Are you done? Because let’s keep it real, you only want me to be alive so I can help you put those guys away in prison.”

“You’re a very smart girl.”

“So this is funny to you? You’re holding me hostage so I can testify against Ahmad and the rest of his family?”

“This isn’t just about putting Ahmad and his family behind bars. Remember, you’re getting a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

“Are you kidding me right now? You think you’re doing me a favor by testifying against those people? Do you know that I lost my grandmother and cousin behind this bullshit?” I spat, the volume of my voice got louder.

“If you would’ve kept your hands clean and never taken any prescription drugs from the pharmacy, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“You know what, fuck you! Fuck you and the boat you got off of.”

Agent Sims chuckled. “Don’t get upset. It’s not healthy. And besides, I don’t want to be the reason that you try to commit suicide again. I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror anymore.”

“You’re so fucking phony.”

“What gave you that idea?”

“Will I be free to go on with my life after this case is over?”

“That depends on if you go into witness protection.”

“Well, let me be the first to tell you that I won’t need you guys’ protection. I’m gonna move so far away it would take one of those drones in space to find me.”

“Are you sure you wanna do that? Those guys have ties to contract killers all over the world,” Agent Sims warned me.

“I’m gonna be fine. Thank you,” I assured him. “Has the doctor said when I would be released?” I changed the subject.

“No, he hasn’t. I believe he wants you to speak with a psychiatrist before he can make a medical prognosis.”

“Fuck a prognosis! I’m fine and I’m ready to get out of here.”

“I’m sure you are, Misty. But we have protocol here.”

“So you say,” I commented, and then I turned my focus back toward the window in my room. Looking outside at all the birds flying back and forth was more entertaining than Agent Sims. All he wanted to do was talk about my testimony for his case. He couldn’t care less about anything. But whether he knew it or not, I had a trick up my sleeve, and he and no one else was going to hinder me from doing it.

“Listen, I’m gonna let you get some rest. There are two agents outside of your door, so if you need anything, you let them know.”

“Yeah, right,” I said nonchalantly as I continued to look in the opposite direction.

I lay in my hospital bed and tried to come up with a plan on how I was going to get out of here without the agents knowing. Let’s not forget the hospital staff too, especially since they’re the ones that had me on suicide watch. Ugh! I hate when I can’t do what I want to do.

A couple hours passed and I was still trying to mull over ways that I could make a successful escape. But that all went down the drain when I got a knock on the door. “Coming in,” I heard a woman’s voice say. I immediately turned my attention toward the door and in came my mother. She rushed over to my bedside and gave me a big hug and a kiss on my forehead.

“Ah, baby, look at you. Are you all right?” she asked as she looked at me while combing my hair with her hand.

“Mom, I am so glad to see you,” I told her.

“I’m glad to see you too, baby girl. How are these people treating you in here?”

“All right, I guess. I like that pink fingernail polish on your nails.”

“Thank you,” she replied, and then she switched the subject. “So, what is going on with you that would make you attempt to commit suicide?”

“I just got a lot on my plate, Mom, and I was tired of dealing with it.”

“You know I was hurt when I got a call from that agent telling me what you tried to do.”

“I know you were. And I’m sorry, Mama, but I’m tired. I just want to live in peace. Look at what happened to Jillian and Grandma. They didn’t have to get killed like that.”

“You’re right. But there’s other ways to work through obstacles that come into our lives.”

“So, what’cha want me to drink my problems away like you do?” I replied sarcastically, because who is she to try and give me advice? Her life was more fucked up than mine. She can keep her advice to herself.

“Really, Misty, did you have to go there?!” my mom said. I could hear the hurt in her voice.

“Ma, I’m sorry for saying that.”

“It’s okay, darling. I know you didn’t mean it,” she said, trying to cut through the tension I had just created. “Carl says hello and that he hopes you get well soon.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s downstairs in the waiting room on the first floor. Seeing all the cops standing outside your door made him feel uneasy.”

“You are staying with his family, right?”

“We haven’t officially moved in with them yet. But don’t worry, most of our things are in his car, so as soon as we leave here, that’s where we’re heading.”

“Mom, please do. If I lose another person I am going to lose my mind.”

“Don’t worry about me. Carl and I can take care of ourselves. You’re the one that needs to be looked after.”

“Have you thought about who’s going to help bury Grandma and Jillian?” I asked her, forcing her to talk about my grandmother, since she hadn’t mentioned her from the time she walked into my room up until this very moment.

“Misty, I can’t deal with that right now. You’re asking too much of me. I’ve already agreed to leave my house because of something you did. And now you want me to take on the task of handling my mother’s burial arrangements. Now, how selfish is that?”

“Mom, do you hear yourself?”

“You damn right, I hear myself. I will not take on that responsibility. That woman didn’t love me. She only loved my brother and his damn daughter.”

“Mom, will you please give it up? It’s not about you anymore. Your mother was killed by the people that are looking for me, so have some freaking compassion.”

“Didn’t you just say that she was killed by people that were looking for you?”

“Yeah,” I said, trying to hold back my tears.

“Then you take care of their funeral arrangements because I’m out of here,” she replied, and then she kissed me on my forehead and exited the room.

After the door closed, I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer. The hurtful words she uttered from her mouth stabbed me like a dagger in my heart. I mean, how heartless could she have been? She acted as if my grandmother hadn’t given birth to her. Despite what my mother had said all her life, my grandmother was a good woman. And she was selfless. So to see my mother carry on like she just did sent me into a deeper depression than I was already in.

“Are you okay?” a black guy asked me. I suspect that he was one of the agents Agent Sims had sitting in on my watch. He was dressed in casual clothing from head to toe and was a clean-cut–looking guy.

“Who are you?” I asked him while I wiped the tears away from my eyes.

“I’m Agent Taylor. I’m assigned to protect you during your stay here at the hospital.”

“Where is Agent Montclair?” I wanted to know, trying to figure out how many agents were standing outside my room.

“Agent Montclair is downstairs in the cafeteria getting us something to eat.”

“How long are y’all supposed to watch me?”

“I’m not sure. Our details change every minute, it seems like,” he said.

But I didn’t believe him. He was full of shit. I knew he knew what his schedule was for my detail. He just didn’t want to tell me, for fear that I’d try to hang myself again. “Did you hear my mother get upset before she left?”

“Yes, I did. But that’s family business. That’s where I draw the line.”

“Do you know when I am getting out of here?” I asked him, testing whether or not he was going to spill the beans.

Once again, he kept tight-lipped. “No, I’m afraid not.”

“What the hell do you know?” I snapped, because I knew he was lying to me.

“All I know is that I was told to keep an eye on you, that’s it,” he replied.

“Yeah, right. You’re a bullshitter, just like Agent Sims.” Agent Taylor smiled. “I’m sorry that you feel like that, ma’am.”

“Please, you could care less,” I told him. “I’m done talking. You can leave now.” I continued while I grabbed for the TV remote to change the channel.

Thankfully, he listened to my instructions and exited my room. If he would’ve given me a hard time, then I would’ve done something extreme, like yelling out to hospital staff, accusing him of screaming at me and causing me mental anguish. Believe me, it would’ve been classic, to say the least.

Immediately after he left my room, I stopped sifting through the television channels after seeing a very familiar face plastered around the TV screen. I turned up the volume to listen: “My son Terrell would not get up and leave town without telling me or his family. We all have a good relationship. People tell me all the time that he was a mama’s boy, so if he hadn’t said anything to anyone else, he would’ve at least called and told me. B. . .