by Kiki Swinson
ALSO BY KIKI SWINSON
The Playing Dirty Series: Playing Dirty and Notorious
The Candy Shop
A Sticky Situation
The Wifey Series: Wifey, I’m Still Wifey, Life After Wifey,
Still Wifey Material
Wife Extraordinaire Series: Wife Extraordinaire and
Wife Extraordinaire Returns
Cheaper to Keep Her Series: Books 1-5
The Score Series: The Score and The Mark
Dead on Arrival
The Black Market Series: The Black Market,
The Safe House
ANTHOLOGIES
Sleeping with the Enemy (with Wahida Clark)
Heist and Heist 2 (with De’nesha Diamond)
Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless (with Noire)
A Gangster and a Gentleman (with De’nesha Diamond)
Most Wanted (with Nikki Turner)
Still Candy Shopping (with Amaleka McCall)
Fistful of Benjamins (with De’nesha Diamond)
Schemes and Dirty Tricks (with Saundra)
Bad Behavior (with Noire)
Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.
The SAFE HOUSE
KIKI SWINSON
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Also by
Title Page
Copyright Page
1 - MY AFTERLIFE
2 - NEWS FLASH
3 - ON PINS & NEEDLES
4 - PLEAD THE FIFTH
5 - AN UNEXPECTED GIFT
6 - MOVE INTO ACTION
7 - SCARED SHITLESS
8 - BLINDSIDED
9 - TAKING NO PRISONERS
10 - MY TO-DO LIST
11 - A FEW HOURS LATER
12 - AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
13 - PROOF OF LIFE
14 - MY FLESH & BLOOD
15 - THE FIRST FORTY-EIGHT HOURS
16 - GETTING REVENGE
17 - KISS MY ASS
18 - IN KILLING MODE
19 - MY LIFE FOR YOURS
20 - TRAP HOUSE
21 - I’M A MAD WOMAN
22 - DANGER IS NEAR
23 - WALKING TWO STEPS AHEAD
24 - STRAIGHT BULLSHIT
25 - LIVE BY THE GUN
26 - DIE BY THE GUN
27 - WE GOT COMPANY
28 - RUNNING OUT OF TIME
29 - MAKING THE TRADE
30 - WHAT NOW ?
EPILOGUE
Teaser chapter
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
DAFINA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th St.
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2019 by Kiki Swinson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number: 2018932230
Dafina and the Dafina logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-1-4967-2002-3
First Kensington Hardcover Edition: July 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1-4967-2004-7 (ebook)
ISBN-10: 1-4967-2004-0 (ebook)
1
MY AFTERLIFE
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 co
vered 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.
2
NEWS FLASH
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.
