N/B: This is a different book. A standalone in the Wickedly universe.It's been months since Freya Adams died.Everyone thinks it's an accident, but Allison Adams knows better. Freya was her sister, and they were close. So, so close.When the Adams family tries to get Allison to marry Paul Debarcio in Freya's place, Allison is scared and tries to escape. Paul killed Freya, and he would kill her too, because she knows too much about his crimes.Before Allison gets a chance to escape successfully, a special guest catches her.Gregory Callahan. The most dangerous man Portland has ever produced. Even more dangerous than Paul.Gregory is handsome, rich, and connected to dark webs of money.And he's more than willing to help Allison get revenge on Paul for the death of her sister.If she becomes his bride.--------One.AllisonI'm about to marry my sister's husband.Worst of all, she'd hate this wedding.It's drab, serious, stuffy. None of it was my choice—nobody asked my opinion on anythi

AllisonEvery step feels like a thunderclap. Even barefoot, my heels discarded at the far end of the hall, it's like each step is loud enough to wake the dead.I'm shocked Paul can't hear my heart racing. It's pounding in my ear, painfully loud and fast.I reach a staircase and listen. The sounds of the wedding party murmur up toward me, but they're distant. I hear the clattering of dishes, a few shouts, a stressed conversation in Spanish.With a deep breath, I take the stairs, going as fast as I dare.It leads me into a back hallway. Straight ahead is a kitchen. Men and women dart around in black and white jackets, ferrying appetizer plates, cleaning glasses, ignoring everything but their tasks. To the left are a pair of doors, and beyond them is the party itself. I spot guests mingling nearby, older people I don't recognize.To my left is another hall.I hurry away from the party and the kitchen. The sounds recede when I turn the corner. Ahead, there's a heavy-looking door with a pu

AllisonI pace back and forth in Gregory's hotel suite, staring at my phone as it explodes with calls and texts.Mostly they're from Papa. The messages were confused and plaintive at first. He begged me to come back. Said he'd make sure everything was okay, that he'd take care of me no matter what. That Paul would make a fine husband. That what happened to Freya was a tragedy, but not Paul's fault.Then his messages got ugly. I could practically read the fear. He called me everything—spoiled, ugly, a bitch, a whore—said he regretted treating me so well, only for me to betray him. He demanded my return. He said he'd kill me if I didn't.Then my cousins began calling. An uncle, some friends of Papa's that I've known for a while, even my godfather. Some tried to be kind. Some, not so much. All of them want me to go back to the Debarcio mansion and go through with my marriage to Paul.I refused to answer. Only kept pacing, back and forth, staring at the phone on the coffee table as the sc

Allison"Can't you just like, I don't know, fight them?" He drags me into the hall, walking fast toward the elevators. He's got one hand on my wrist and the other in his jacket like he's gripping a gun. "Fight them like you did back at the wedding?" I shove the phone back down into my bra since that's the only spot where it won't fall out. I really wish I had pockets right about now. And shoes."I can, but there's no guarantee I'll win. Getting away and regrouping is smarter." He curses softly to himself. "I don't know how they figured out I'm here. Unless Paul's been keeping tabs on me from the start. Knowing that clever bastard, that's exactly what he's been doing. Luckily, I paid the front desk to keep an eye out.""You're going to get me killed." My heart's racing, my palms are sweating. "But this is probably better than letting Paul do it.""Quicker at least." He doesn't smile, and I'm not sure if I'm joking. "At least we're having fun, right? Running around together, driving in

AllisonGregory comes out wearing only his slacks, his chest still damp, a towel around his shoulders. He's drying his hair and stops short when he spots me sitting on the bed, my legs crossed, the ruin of my wedding dress hiked so far up it's almost scandalous.I like the hunger in his eyes. Even if I don't like him."I want to make a deal," I say, letting him stare. Two can play his game. If he wants to prance around using sex against me, I'll do the same thing. I shift slowly, letting him catch a glimpse of my ass, before recrossing my legs. He reacts slightly, eyes flicking to my skin. His tongue wets his lips.He tilts his head. "Now you're thinking rationally.""You're right. I don't have any other choice. I can either play ball with you or I can let Paul and my father screw me over. And I am not about to let them murder my sister and get away with it.""What sort of deal do you want to make?" He grips either end of the towel, leaving it around his shoulders. His biceps and fore