Page 13 of Shattered by Grace (The Locke Empire Duet #1)

Chapter Ten

V ictoria stepped into the club, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dim, throbbing lights.

The bouncer had waved her through without hesitation, and she’d expected to find Taylor waiting by the entrance.

Instead, she was lost in a sea of shadows, weaving through the crowd, her heart pounding as she realized Taylor hadn’t answered her texts.

Then, out of nowhere, a warm breath against her ear sent a jolt down her spine. “Are you afraid of the dark?” he murmured, his voice a low purr, every syllable dripping with menace and intrigue as he pulled her against him, one strong arm fingers spread over her stomach.

Her mind spun, desperately trying to steady the wild rush of emotions surging inside her. The hands holding her were deceptively gentle but unyielding, radiating a raw, restrained power that kept her anchored in the shadows.

Was he waiting for me? Did he follow me out here? Are we scared, or are we… something else?

Victoria’s breath caught, her pulse hammering as she forced herself to stand her ground. “Depends on what’s hiding in it,” she shot back, her tone sharp, though the flicker of nerves tightening her grip didn’t go unnoticed.

He chuckled softly, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. “You should be,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear, “because I might be the worst thing in it.”

She bit back a retort, her pulse quickening. “Is that a threat or a promise?” she replied, her voice steady but betraying the mix of fear and excitement coursing through her.

I should be terrified right now. He was just with Razer hours ago. What was they doing?

"Oh Grace, I’m not just danger," Tristan whispered against her ear, his grip firm. "I’m the kind that’ll ruin you in ways you’ll beg me to."

Her pulse pounded, heat and fury warring inside her. He was intoxicating and infuriating, temptation wrapped in sin. For a moment, she wanted to let go, to give in just to spite him. But then she remembered.

His name. His family. His father’s bloodstained hands.

She let out a dry laugh, tilting her head against his chest. "Ruin me? That’s rich coming from a Locke.

" Her voice dripped with venom, but the heat between them made it burn differently.

"If I ever let you touch me, Tristan, it wouldn't be because you won. It’d be because I wanted to watch you fall apart first."

His grip loosened, his hands falling away as he took a slow step back, eyes unreadable.

Tristan smirked, the kind of grin that promised trouble. "Good," he murmured, his gaze burning into hers. "I’d hate for this to be too easy."

The tension between them crackled, hot and volatile, neither willing to back down.

“Hey, there you are! Oh, and Tristan found you,” Taylor chimed in as she walked into the light, standing right next to the other Locke twin.

Fuck! Victoria's mind raced.

Turning away from Tristan, Victoria reached for Taylor, forcing a smile. “I was texting you before I was interrupted. Wow, you look amazing, Taylor.” She quickly pulled her friend close, positioning herself between Taylor and the Locke twins like a human shield.

Leaning in, she whispered sharply into Taylor’s ear. “What are you doing with them?”

“I was waiting at the bar for you, and, umm, that one,” she pointed at Tyson, “walked up to me and said, ‘ I remember you from the Pool Stop when we were going to play pool ,’ but that one,” she pointed to Tristan, “interrupted.”

“I remember. I was getting under your skin,” Tristan chimed in.

Victoria turned toward him, raising her voice to make sure he heard her. “Why are you still here?”

“Well, Tristan walked up to talk to Tyson, and that’s when you texted that you were here. So I told them, ‘ She’s here ,’ and then Tristan ran up here to make sure you could get in. And, well… here we are,” Taylor rambles with a playful attitude.

Her heart pounded against her ribs. She never wanted to be involved with the Lockes. Couldn’t be. If they ever found out who she really was, it would end badly. Even now, she didn’t fully understand why their father had killed hers, but she knew better than to take any chances.

Taylor gave her a bewildered look, as if she’d just grown a second head. “What’s wrong with hanging out with them?”

“Yeah, Grace, what’s wrong with us?” Tristan drawled, his voice dripping with amusement. Then, the bastard winked, slow and deliberate, like he already knew the answer and was daring her to admit it. “Afraid we’ll ruin all your fun? Or just afraid of how much fun you’d have?”

Victoria huffed out a laugh, folding her arms. “Please. I already know exactly what kind of fun you are, Tristan. And I don’t think you’re ready for what happens when I start playing back.”

Taylor groaned, throwing her hands up. “Are we done with the twenty-one questions? Because I swear, if I get one more wrinkle before my time, I’m blaming you. I need a drink and the dance floor, like, yesterday.”

She stepped closer to Taylor, deliberately closing the gap. "I just thought this was going to be a girls’ night."

At that moment, Tyson and Tristan moved toward them, their strides predatory.

Tyson’s gaze flicked over Victoria before he spoke, his tone calm but laced with authority. "You don’t have to worry about us tonight. We have other obligations."

He barely spared Tristan a glance, tapping him on the chest before adding, “Come on. We’re going to be late.”

Without waiting for a response, Tyson turned, his departure as smooth and effortless as ever, vanishing into the club’s shadows like he had never been there at all.

Tristan lingered for a beat longer, his gaze locking onto Victoria’s.

“I’ll see you around, Grace,” he murmured, his voice a tantalizing mix of allure and intimidation.

The way he said her name sent a wave of heat through her, both unsettling and magnetic.

With a nod to Taylor, he followed his brother into the darkness, leaving Victoria to catch her breath.

Taylor spun around the second the twins disappeared, her eyes gleaming with pure, unfiltered curiosity. “Oh, hell no. You’re explaining. Right now.”

Victoria scoffed, feigning nonchalance as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear—hair that wasn’t even in her face. “There’s nothing to explain.”

Taylor’s brow shot up. “Nothing? Babe, you looked like you forgot how to breathe for a solid ten seconds. I thought I was gonna have to resuscitate you.”

Heat crawled up Victoria’s neck, and she swore she was turning five shades of scarlet.

Damn it. Was I really that obvious?

She hated that Taylor had noticed, hated even more that she wasn’t wrong. The last thing she wanted was to let Tristan get under her skin. He was dangerous, toxic, and everything she should be running from. And yet, here she was, practically vibrating from the lingering tension.

“It was nothing,” she insisted, waving a dismissive hand. “Let’s get a drink.”

Taylor crossed her arms. “Oh, we’re deflecting now?”

Victoria didn’t dignify that with a response.

Instead, she swayed dramatically to the beat of the music, arms up, moving like she was already having the time of her life.

Too busy, too carefree to be interrogated.

If she kept moving, if she kept distracting, maybe…

just maybe…she could outrun her own feelings.

Taylor laughed, shaking her head as she looped her arm through Victoria’s. “You’re such a bad liar. But fine, drinks first. Explain later.”

She wasn’t lying about one thing. She wasn’t ready for what would happen when she started playing back.

The club pulsed around Victoria, the bass vibrating through the floor, traveling up her legs like a current.

The air crackled with energy, thick with the scent of spiced cologne, alcohol, and expensive perfume.Deep crimson and moody violet lights strobed over the crowd, making the world feel both surreal and intoxicating.

She moved with the rhythm, letting it guide her hips, her body flowing in sync with the music. Beside her, Taylor twirled, lost in the moment, laughing freely. Victoria tried to match that carefree abandon, but Tristan’s voice still clung to her skin, low and dangerous.

Damn him.

Tossing her hair back, she forced herself to focus. She was here to have fun, to forget. But even as she danced, the pull of danger still lingered, waiting for her to slip.

The bass thrummed in her chest, each beat drawing her deeper, helping her push away the weight of everything, if only for a little while.

“Hey, I’m going to get a drink.” Taylor’s voice was thick with laughter, teetering on the edge of recklessness.

“I’ll come with you,” Victoria offered, already moving to follow.

Taylor shook her head, mouthing no as she gestured, somewhat clumsily, toward the bar. Victoria followed her gaze to a tall, muscular guy standing there, the kind of handsome that screamed trouble.

A smirk tugged at Victoria’s lips. A very handsome bad idea, if she ever saw one.

“Are you sure?” Victoria’s protest was half-hearted as she watched Taylor practically sprint across the room, nearly colliding with the guy.

Neither of them seemed to mind. Their laughter carried over the music, all easy grins and instant chemistry.

I’ll have to ask her about him at work soon, Victoria mused.

With Taylor preoccupied, the bass was inside her, pounding in time with her heartbeat, drowning out every rational thought.

Victoria moved to the music, her body lost in the rhythm, each roll of her hips a surrender to the dark, sensual energy of the club.

The heat of bodies pressed around her, but none of them mattered.

She felt him before she saw him. Strong, sure hands sliding over her waist, fingertips grazing the sliver of bare skin between her dress and her thighs. A touch so undeniably his that her breath hitched.

“If I haven’t told you tonight, you look absolutely ruinous.” Tristan.