Authors: Nikki Turner

Tags: #Fiction, #African American, #Urban

Always Unique (23 page)

Big Time had forgotten to lock the service door when he pushed it closed. And the innocent, ultimately fatal mistake got him served up cold.

Thank God
for her friends … and frenemies.

LET BYGONES BE BYGONES

After the effects to her eardrums subsided—the result of the explosion of Big Time’s and Took’s guns being fired inside and at close range, Unique heard the distinct sound of feet racing down the steps of the restaurant toward the basement.

Seconds later, Kennard and his right-hand man, Drop-Top, came crashing around the corner, with guns out and desperation in their eyes.

Once Kennard saw Unique lying on the floor, and Took standing over her holding a smoking gun, he snapped. Unique wouldn’t have wished her worst enemy on the other side of Kennard’s murderous glare. She knew that Drop-Top had the proclivity to kill without conscience, but she had never seen this side of her newlywed husband.

Both Drop-Top and Kennard took aim and were moving to squeeze their respective triggers. Unique screamed, “STOP!!! Took saved my life!”

Kennard didn’t buy it and neither did Drop-Top. The only thing that Kennard knew for sure was this was the dude that had stalked and threatened his wife, and tried to financially destroy him.

Even after knowing all this, he didn’t shoot.

With his gun still trained on Took’s dome, Drop-Top said, “Just give me the word, Kennard.”

For the first time since entering the basement, Kennard noticed the dude stretched out on the floor with his boots knocked. Then he quickly scanned Unique’s body for any sign of blood or injuries. There weren’t any. All he could see were her pleading eyes.

“I know how it looks,” she said. “But Took really did save my life.”

Drop-Top gave Kennard a quick glance. No words were needed this time. If Kennard wanted the business done, he wouldn’t have to get his hands dirty. All he had to do was nod and Took would be toast.

Kennard made up his mind. “Hold up.” He decided to let the act play out a little longer.

Drop-Top wasn’t happy with his friend’s decision, but he would follow his lead. However, nothing short of an earthquake could make him lower the gun.

“For a man who says he’s not going to do any harm, you sure have an odd way of showing it.” Kennard was eyeing the gun still in Took’s lowered hand as he spoke.

Took dropped the weapon. “My bad.”

Kennard squatted down next to Unique. “Are you sure that you’re okay?”

After Unique assured him that she was, Kennard gave her three kisses: one on the forehead, one on the nose, and the last one on the lips. He loved her so much.

Then he said to Took, “Convince me why you shouldn’t already be dead.”

Took cut his eyes over to Drop-Top, then he looked at Tyeedah, who was standing off to the side, looking worried. He knew she wanted to come to his side, but they both knew he was on his own for now with Kennard. He was either going to get himself out of this mess … or he wasn’t. He turned back to Kennard.

“It’s pretty hard to speak freely with a gun pointed to your head,” he said.

“It’s even harder to speak when you are dead,” Kennard countered.

“Point taken.” Took laid his cards on the table.

“Everything you thought of me, up until a few hours ago, is true,” he said. “I came to New York to do you and Unique both harm. I don’t hide that fact.”

He had either bumped his head during the altercation or the boy had a death wish,
Unique thought.

“But I didn’t do it because of any hate towards either of you. My actions stemmed from the love I once had for Unique. I didn’t want to see her happy, especially if I wasn’t happy. But after meeting her,” Took turned to Tyeedah, “on a humble, everything started to change. I didn’t mean to fall in love, it just happened.”

Drop-Top sucked his teeth and said, “I hope you’re not buying this Hallmark shit.”

Took ignored the interruption. “The more my feelings for Tyeedah grew, the more I began to see what the two of you have. The simple version,” said Took, “is that I was acting like a bitch that deserves whatever he gets. I won’t beg for anything more, but I will give you my word, and my word is all that I have. If I make it out of this room alive … it would be as a friend and not an enemy.”

Kennard gave his attention to Unique. “What is it that you want?”

Unique thought long and hard about the question. Took had threatened her life on multiple occasions, but he had also saved her life. “You and I have to talk,” she finally said to Tyeedah. Then she turned to Kennard and said, “I believe him. To answer your question, I don’t want him to die.”

Tyeedah smiled with relief.

“Consider me sparing your life a wedding present,” Kennard said to Took, “if the two of you get that far.”

Tyeedah went over to Unique and gave her friend a hug. “I’m sorry and thank you all at the same time.”

“We will talk it all out.”

Out of nowhere, Drop-Top let one off into Took’s leg. Took yelled and fell to the ground, cursing and clutching his leg. “That’s for leaving my sister-in-law in Mexico with no passport. That was some real bitch-ass shit.”

Everyone stared in shock. No one had seen that coming, not even Took.

“I’ll take that,” he said as Tyeedah rushed to his side.

“Let’s hope this chapter of your life is finally closed,” Kennard said to Unique as he put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead.

ALSO BY NIKKI TURNER

Project Chick II: What’s Done in the Dark

The Glamorous Life 2: All That Glitters Isn’t Gold

AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK

Unique

Unique II: Betrayal

Unique III: Revenge

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NIKKI TURNER is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of
Black Widow, Heartbreak of a Hustler’s Wife, Forever a Hustler’s Wife, A Hustler’s Wife, The Glamorous Life, Riding Dirty on I-95, Project Chick II: What’s Done in the Dark,
and
The Glamorous Life 2: All That Glitters Isn’t Gold.
Visit her Web site at
www.iamnikkiturner.com
.

These novellas are works of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in these novellas are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

ALWAYS UNIQUE.
Copyright © 2014 by Nikki Turner. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

The parts in this book were previously published as individual e-books.

www.stmartins.com

Cover design by Ervin Serrano

The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 978-1-250-04302-3 (trade paperback)

ISBN 978-1-4668-4103-1 (e-book)

e-ISBN 9781466841031

First Edition: March 2014