Kiki Swinson’s bestselling novels burn with extraordinary characters, triple-down twists—and a raw portrait of Southern life only she can deliver. Now she turns up the heat as a young woman cashes in on a sure thing—only to find some addictions are always killer . . . Break the rules At first, Misty Heiress just wants to help. With her cousin Jillian in constant pain, and the doctor refusing to prescribe, Misty steals opioids from the Virginia Beach pharmacy where she works. But when Jillian starts reselling them to local dealers and gets big money, Misty grabs an unbelievable opportunity to get out of debt—and fulfill all of her and Jillian’s dreams . . . Live the dream Misty soon realizes that her boss, Sanjay, has the same idea, ordering more drugs than patients need and always being out of stock. And when the new pharmacy owner takes an interest in Misty, she knows that time is running out for her and Jillian to make their plans work . . . Pay the price But then the Feds come calling . . . and Sanjay’s mafia partners want to increase orders . . . and Jillian’s bringing in partners to rob the pharmacy. It’s all too much for Misty. It’s only a matter of time before everyone’s plans to make money will have them all paying the ultimate price . . . Praise for Kiki Swinson “A well-crafted plot. Pitch-perfect dialogue, juicy sexual trysts, cold-blooded betrayal, and ruthless violence mark this suspenseful fast-moving tale that is topped off by a shocking epilogue.” — Library Journal on The Score (Starred Review) “The suspense never stops in this edgy, violent thriller. Readers will be riveted and ready for more.” — Booklist on The Mark Kiki Swinson is the nationally bestselling author of over forty novels and short stories. Swinson’s works feature resilient women making tough—and sometimes not quite legal—decisions to survive. Her novels, inspired by her experiences and a five?year stint in federal prison, have sold over 2.4 million copies. She completed her first novel while incarcerated and her second novel, Wifey, went on to become a #1 Essence bestseller and the first installment in one of today’s most popular urban series. A native of Portsmouth, Virginia—and a former hustler’s wife—Swinson resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Visit her online at KikiMedia.net. The Black Market By Kiki Swinson KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. Copyright © 2018 Kiki Swinson All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4967-1281-3 Contents Also by, Title Page, Copyright Page, 1 - MISTY, 2 - WHAT AN EYE OPENER, 3 - UNFRIENDLY VISITORS, 4 - WHAT NOW?, 5 - SOMETHING ISN'T ADDING UP, 6 - BACK ON THE J.O.B., 7 - THE AHA MOMENT, 8 - FAMILY DRAMA, 9 - MOVING ON, 10 - WHEN I SAY NO!, 11 - TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT, 12 - ELIMINATING PROBLEMS, 13 - MAKING A CHANGE, 14 - I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT, 15 - TIME TO START PLOTTING ON YOUR ASS, 16 - SOMETHING SMELLS LIKE A RAT, 17 - THE INTERVIEW, 18 - DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!, 19 - I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE, 20 - I'M SO OVER THIS SHIT, 21 - MY FIRST DAY WIRED UP, 22 - THROWING STONES, 23 - WHAT ON EARTH WAS HE THINKING?, 24 - FAMILY WILL GET YOU KILLED, 25 - ONE LIE AFTER THE NEXT, 26 - SO MELODRAMATIC, 27 - NAILING DOWN THE PLAN, 28 - IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, 29 - PARANOIA AT ITS FINEST, 30 - I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES, 31 - BODY PARTS, 32 - WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?, 33 - COVERING MY TRACKS, 34 - THE DAY OF THE HEIST, 35 - THERE'S MORE AT STAKE, 36 - READ ME MY RIGHTS, 37 - DON'T BLAME ME, 38 - FLESH & BLOOD, 39 - NOT MY FAMILY, 40 - WE HAVE A CRISIS, 41 - GET ME OUT OF HERE, 42 - MORE BLOOD ON MY HANDS, 43 - HOPELESS, Teaser chapter, CHAPTER 1 MISTY I'd been in this world too long to just now be finding my way. But here I was, feeling grateful and shit about being healthy and having a roof over my head, thanks to the steady pay from my latest employer. For the last five and a half months, I'd been collecting a check working as a pharmacy tech. The job was easy and my boss, Dr. Sanjay Malik, was a dream to work with. Not only was he a nice guy, he was very generous with the monthly bonuses he paid me and he would occasionally let me get off work early. The bonuses were for the extra work I did delivering prescriptions to senior citizens who weren't mobile or couldn't pick up their medication. Sanjay would have me deliver their meds to them, and after I completed the deliveries, he usually told me to take off work for the rest of the day, which I found awesome. But three weeks ago, I noticed that Sanjay had me delivering meds to dark and questionable neighborhoods. I never said anything to him about it because who was I? And what was I going to get out of questioning him? He owned this place, which meant that he could fire my ass on the spot. So, I left well enough alone and minded my own damn business. Sanjay wasn't aware of this, but I'd taken a few pills here and there for my cousin Jillian. Jil