Showing results by author "Kiki Swinson" in All Categories

"Stay Scheming": Karlie Houston is broke, betrayed - and running from a bounty on her head. Turns out the real owners of the payday loan office she ripped off weren't cool with her idea of employment bennies. "Who Can You Trust?": Struggling bank teller Porsha has no time for Cinderella fantasies. She's working overtime to keep her tragedy-struck family off the streets. But her new boyfriend, Game, is smart, seductive - and sure-thing successful. So why not work his rock-solid plan to steal from her bank?

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....

Karlie Houston hasn't seen a raise in forever, but the payday loan office she manages is raking in the cash. So why not get what she's rightfully owed by masterminding a heist? Once her lover Sidney's boys hit all the company's locations at one time, there's a fortune to split. But suddenly bodies start dropping - and Karlie better devise the perfect plan to survive.

She's bright, beautiful - and a criminal at heart. A Virginia Beach street hustler turned identity theft mastermind, Lauren Kelly's always had a taste for the finer things - Chanel, Prada, Amex Black Cards - and Matt Connors, her lover and accomplice. When their partner, Yancy, stumbles onto a tycoon's three million dollar bank account, everything's golden - until Lauren discovers Yancy and Matt are planning the ultimate double-cross. Fortunately, Lauren's one step ahead of Matt.

Gigi Costner needs four million dollars she doesn't have and time she hasn't got. Her ex-con ex-lover swears to make her pay for the multimillion-dollar stash of diamonds she stole as she ditched him for a new life as a suburban wife. With time running out, will Gigi's new plan get her in front of the drama or drag her back into hood madness...?

Essence® best-selling authors Kiki Swinson and De’nesha Diamond are two rising stars in the world of urban fiction. Heist presents two novellas starring young women hustling their way to the top of the game through daring robbery schemes. In Swinson’s The Ultimate Heist, pampered Shannon Marshall is accustomed to a big-money lifestyle. Her world is shattered, however, when her man is thrown into prison for gun running.

A criminal lawyer working in Miami, Yoshi skips town when the pressure cooker of her job threatens to turn deadly. But after landing in Norfolk, Virginia, Yoshi quickly realizes she better watch her back when she witnesses a drug dealer committing murder.

Shannon Mitchell gambled that betraying her husband's biggest heist ever was her way out of the game for good. Losing that bet put her in lockdown - and at the top of Todd Mitchell's revenge-fueled hit list. Now she'll work every seductive move and lethal play to survive. 'Cause when it comes to wreaking her own vengeance, this devious beauty isn't taking any prisoners....

At first, med student 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 crushing debt. Soon Misty's boss, Sanjay, learns the truth and wants in. In no time, their illegal business dominates the street - and racks up a fortune. But when demand quickly outstrips supply, Sanjay way overplays his hand - and the Feds come calling.

"Nine Lives" by Kiki Swinson: Wild-card Aiden. Dead-shot Ava. Killing nine targets in 10 days will be this brother-sister hit team's biggest score yet. But as Ava sets up their final target, she falls hard for him and a chance at a normal life. "The Crushed Ice Clique" by Noire: At first all ghetto princesses Honore and Cucci want is quick cash-flow. But after sexing jewelry distributor Slimy Sam and learning his illegal tricks of the trade, they assemble a crack team of thieves for one dazzling scam.

Kira owns a profitable hair and nail salon. She lives in a nice home in an exclusive community with her husband Ricky, an infamous, well-known drug dealer from the rough streets of DC. He is also known to be one of the most feared men in the South. Because of Ricky's drug-empire, Kira finds herself in the most dangerous situation ever. Ricky forces Kira to believe that he's going to call on his reinforcements, so everything will end in his favor. However, unknown to Ricky, Kira felt the need to devise an escape plan on her own. Will she choose loyalty or her life?

Yoshi Lomax loves playing dirty. She'll do whatever it takes to win a case - including bribing cops, sleeping with her superiors, and convincing her DEA pals to make evidence disappear. But when Yoshi runs out of tricks while defending a Haitian mob boss, the gangster makes one thing clear: Yoshi either wins the case or loses her life.

Identity thief Lauren Kelly thought she was safe. The millions she stole from her double-crossing accomplice and ex-lover Matt Connors bought a quiet upscale life for her; her unsuspecting new husband, Drake; and their precious baby. But betrayal was just the beginning. When both Drake and the baby go missing, it's courtesy of a vengeful Matt. Lauren has less than 24 hours to give him back the money. She's prepared for any payback - but nothing can keep this exchange from going all-the-way wrong.

Never one to play by any rules, Yoshi Lomax is determined to make good at an internship with one of Manhattan’s most prestigious law firms. She’s being mentored by the brilliant twin brother legal lights who are her parents’ friends. And with her unexpected knack for helping the city’s wealthy, powerful clients finagle their way out of major trouble, even she is surprised at how bright her future shines. Until Yoshi discovers the firm uses any means necessary to get their clients off—including kidnapping, life-destroying scandal, and murder.

Kira is trying to keep herself level headed after murdering her father in cold blood. She's having problems with sleeping at night because she can't get the gruesome images of her father out of her head. To add to her list of problems, Dylan's right-hand man, Nick, goes missing while Detective Grimes is hot on Kira's tail and will stop at nothing to bring her down. With Dylan still in jail and her father now gone, Kira has put herself in a vulnerable position, and this position will likely be the one that causes her demise.

After a brush with death and the loss of a loved one, Kira leaves her hometown for good, gives up being wifey, and finds herself a new hustle: selling high-end cars at a luxury dealership in South Beach. Her client list is filled with wealthy cats like hedge fund investors and dope boys. The dope boys bring in the most money. Kendrick Miles is one of the finest, and her best customer. He keeps her pockets laced and Kira feels indebted to him.

KILL YOUR SECRETS … Volunteer Virginia Beach firefighter Alayna Curry used to pride herself on saving lives. But now, determined to conceal her part in an arson-for-insurance scam gone bad, she’s using her skills to have the scheme’s leader, Tim—her ex-lover—shot dead, claiming it was a robbery. She’s carefully set him up to be the ultimate fall guy. And she’s ruthlessly aiming to silence more witnesses—which will also get her beloved brother Alonzo out of prison …

In an unforgettable portrait of Southern scheming, greed, and brutality a high-end criminal turned suburban mom in hiding must fight against the dangerous fallout from her corrupt past and escape a calculated enemy hell-bent on revenge.

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 …

Once the most cunning luxury-car thief in the game, Ava Frost gladly gave it all up to become the wife of a successful Norfolk, Virginia, businessman, and raise their two children in better circumstances than she ever knew. But when the children are abducted—and held for a two-million-dollar ransom—Ava is stunned to discover her husband’s bad deals have drained their fortune. Determined, she pursues her best, and toughest, option: Her ex-boyfriend, the mastermind behind the South’s biggest car theft ring, offers her a chance to gain the money.