A Cruel Arrangement

PRAISE FOR TIJAN “Nobody writes like Tijan. With addicting storylines and unparalleled prose, she’s always an autoclick author for me.” —Rachel Van Dyken, #1 New York Times bestselling author “Tijan knows how to create addictive, fun, and exciting stories that you simply cannot put down!” —Elle Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author “I can always count on Tijan to write an action-packed, intense, emotional story that will have me invested until the very last page.” —Helena Hunting, New York Times bestselling author “Tijan delivers on the fun, edge, and angst. Her books never fail to please!” —Kylie Scott, New York Times bestselling author “Tijan delivers a power punch with Anti-Stepbrother—angst, tension, and an emotional conclusion that’ll have you glued to every page. The characters jump straight from the story and claim your heart. You won’t be ready to let go.” —JB Salsbury, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author “One of my Tijan faves, with a hero to die for and a heroine you’ll want as your best friend.” —Katy Evans, New York Times bestselling author, on Anti-Stepbrother “5+ riveting stars!!! The chemistry between Dusty and Stone was off-the-charts electrifying. I was completely absorbed from the first page to the last. Tijan didn’t just get a touchdown with this story—she won the Super Bowl!” —Beth Flynn, USA Today bestselling author, on Enemies “Obsessed from page 1! The Insiders is yet another addicting read from Tijan.” —Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on The Insiders “A whirlwind of high-stakes suspense.” —Publishers Weekly on The Insiders “Hello, book hangover! With captivating, unique characters, this story is so much more than an epic sports romance. Redemption. Friendship. Unconditional love. And that ending! Hands down, my favorite Tijan book!” —Devney Perry, USA Today bestselling author, on The Not-Outcast “Blaise is the perfect rich prick to fall in love with! One of my fave reads in 2020!” —Ilsa Madden-Mills, Wall Street Journal bestselling author, on Rich Prick “Emotionally tumultuous, angsty, and beautiful. Ryan’s Bed is a new Tijan favorite and a must-read for anyone going through loss!” —Rachel Van Dyken, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Ryan’s Bed ALSO BY TIJAN Kings of New York A Dirty Business Mafia Stand-Alones Canary Cole Bennett Mafia Jonah Bennett Fallen Crest / Roussou Universe Fallen Crest Series Crew Series The Boy I Grew Up With (stand-alone) Rich Prick (stand-alone) Nate Aveke Frisco Other Series Broken and Screwed Series (YA/NA) Jaded Series (YA/NA suspense) Davy Harwood Series (paranormal) Carter Reed Series (mafia) The Insiders (trilogy) Sports Romance Stand-Alones Enemies Teardrop Shot Hate to Love You The Not-Outcast Young Adult Stand-Alones Ryan’s Bed A Whole New Crowd Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail College Stand-Alones Anti-Stepbrother Kian Contemporary Romances Bad Boy Brody Home Tears Fighter Rockstar Romance Stand-Alone Sustain Paranormal Stand-Alones Evil Micaela’s Big Bad More books to come! This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Otherwise, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Text copyright © 2023 by Tijan Meyer All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781542038591 (paperback) ISBN-13: 9781542038584 (digital) Cover design by Caroline Teagle Johnson Cover photography by Regina Wamba of ReginaWamba.com For Kelly and Justin. CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE MOLLY CHAPTER TWO ASHTON CHAPTER THREE MOLLY CHAPTER FOUR ASHTON CHAPTER FIVE MOLLY CHAPTER SIX ASHTON CHAPTER SEVEN MOLLY CHAPTER EIGHT MOLLY CHAPTER NINE ASHTON CHAPTER TEN MOLLY CHAPTER ELEVEN MOLLY CHAPTER TWELVE ASHTON CHAPTER THIRTEEN ASHTON CHAPTER FOURTEEN MOLLY CHAPTER FIFTEEN ASHTON CHAPTER SIXTEEN ASHTON CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ASHTON CHAPTER EIGHTEEN MOLLY CHAPTER NINETEEN ASHTON CHAPTER TWENTY MOLLY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE ASHTON CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO ASHTON CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE MOLLY CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR ASHTON CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE MOLLY CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX MOLLY CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN ASHTON CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT MOLLY CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE ASHTON CHAPTER THIRTY ASHTON CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE MOLLY CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO MOLLY CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE ASHTON CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR MOLLY CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE ASHTON CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX MOLLY CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN MOLLY CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT ASHTON CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE MOLLY CHAPTER FORTY MOLLY CHAPTER FORTY-ONE ASHTON CHAPTER FORTY-TWO MOLLY CHAPTER FORTY-THREE MOLLY CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR ASHTON CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE MOLLY CHAPTER FORTY-SIX MOLLY CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN MOLLY CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT ASHTON CHAPTER FORTY-NINE MOLLY CHAPTER FIFTY ASHTON CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE MOLLY CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO ASHTON CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE MOLLY CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR MOLLY CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE ASHTON CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX ASHTON CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN MOLLY EPILOGUE ASHTON ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PREVIEW: A DIRTY BUSINESS! CHAPTER ONE JESS ABOUT THE AUTHOR CHAPTER ONE MOLLY I had a problem. I was pointing a gun at a guy with green makeup on his face, and I kept thinking how he looked like that goblin guy from one of those superhero movies. A bubble of laughter was coming up in my sternum. I tried stopping it, I did, but once it was past my throat, it was hopeless. I bent over, my gun still in the air, and the laughter was kapoosh! Totally coming out of me. I winced, hearing a note of hysteria on the edge of it. “Molly!” That was my employee who was on the ground, his arms folded behind his head as he lay on his stomach, and I could hear how horrified he was. I raised my head back up, steadied my arm, and cleared my throat. “Let’s review the changes that just happened here. You”—I shook my gun, indicating the green guy—“came in here, to my bowling alley, to rob us. Correct?” He had a rifle aimed at me, and it was at this point I realized how crazy I really was. Like, seriously crazy. A rifle against my handgun. And I was laughing. I was verging on lunacy. A lunatic. Me. But he was wearing green makeup, so there could be an argument about