Page 24 of Shattered by Grace (The Locke Empire Duet #1)

Chapter Twenty

V ictoria glanced at her phone to check for any hospital messages. Nothing.

“Damn, it’s already seven? I’ve been here for two hours.” Her heart was still racing, her mind a tangled mess.

The gym was alive with energy, the clang of weights and hum of machines filling the space. It was a stark contrast to the storm still raging inside her. She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to focus.

Her gaze flicked toward Tristan. To her surprise, he was back at the machines, lifting with a focused intensity, like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t just seen her completely exposed, at her most vulnerable.

How can he act like that meant nothing? Her fingers curled into fists as she wrestled with the urge to march over and demand answers. But her feet felt rooted to the spot, caught between confrontation and escape.

Before she could decide, Tony and Casey approached, their faces lit up with enthusiasm.

“Hey, Grace!” Tony greeted, grinning. “You really went all out today. I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed. Ever thought about competing?”

Victoria blinked, momentarily thrown. Competitions? She barely processed his words, her mind still trapped in the aftermath of the showers. “What?”

Casey chuckled. “You’ve got talent. You should consider fighting in the ring.”

She stared at them, feeling like they’d just grown five heads. “Umm… no, I haven’t.” Her voice carried more disbelief than she intended.

Tony exchanged a look with Casey before turning back to her. “Well, there’s an amateur fight night at the Crimson Veil coming up.” His excitement was unmistakable. “Casey, hand her a flyer.”

Casey pulled a crumpled flyer from his pocket and passed it to her. The paper crinkled slightly in her grip as she forced herself to focus on the details.

“They run fight nights a couple of times a month,” Tony continued. “It’s a great way to get experience and maybe even catch some attention if you’re serious about this.”

Grace let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. “Could you imagine? Me showing up to deliver a baby with a black eye and bruised ribs? ‘Congrats, it’s a boy. Don’t mind the fact that I look like I lost a fight with a brick wall.’”

Casey snorted. “I mean, it would definitely make for an interesting conversation starter.”

Tony grinned. “Or make the dads twice as nervous.”

Victoria smirked, but her fingers still toyed with the edge of the flyer. Despite her sarcasm, something about the idea had hooked her.

Maybe this is exactly what I need. A distraction. A way to take back control.

She sighed, slipping the flyer into her bag. “Alright, I’ll think about it.”

Tony and Casey exchanged a knowing look but didn’t push her.

As they continued chatting about the upcoming fights, Victoria’s attention drifted back to the gym’s heavy atmosphere, the unresolved tension clinging to her like a second skin.

When she finally glanced toward the weight section again, Tristan was gone.

Saved by the bell , she thought, though she wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or frustrated.

Shaking off the feeling, she slung her bag over her shoulder and turned toward the exit. Maybe stepping into the ring was exactly what she needed.

Outside, the distant hum of traffic echoed through the streets, but her attention was locked on the shadows stretching across the pavement.

She scanned the area, her senses on high alert.

The hoodie guy…was he still out there? The car that had been tailing her earlier, was it waiting just around the corner?

Her pulse quickened as she picked up her pace, shoes shuffling against the concrete. Her apartment was ten minutes away. If she ran, maybe five. Every instinct screamed at her to move, to get off the open street before?—

A motorcycle roared to life, cutting her off with a growl.

Victoria’s breath hitched, her body tensing. She stumbled back a step, heart pounding, prepared to bolt in the opposite direction. But then the helmet lifted, revealing a face she knew all too well.

Justin.

“Get on,” he said, his voice steady but urgent. He held out a spare helmet, his expression unreadable beneath the glow of a nearby streetlamp.

Victoria hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. The city around them felt too open, too exposed. But climbing onto the back of a motorcycle with Justin, riding off into the unknown? That didn’t feel much safer.

“I’ve had enough excitement for a lifetime today,” she muttered, shaking her head. “I’m going home.”

Justin’s jaw tightened. “You’re in danger, Victoria. I need you to get on the bike. We need to talk, and it’s not safe for you to be out here alone.”

Something in the way he said it sent a shiver down her spine. There was no teasing, no attempt to charm her into compliance. Just raw, unwavering seriousness.

She didn’t trust easily, not anymore. But this was Justin. He’d been there before the chaos, before the twins, before her world had started spinning off its axis. And yet… something about this didn’t sit right.

Still, she grabbed the helmet.

The bike’s engine rumbled beneath her as they took off, weaving through the streets at a speed that made her grip tighten around Justin’s waist. The city lights blurred past them, her thoughts racing even faster.

Where is he taking me?

Minutes stretched into nearly twenty. The further they rode, the more familiar streets gave way to isolated roads, dark and empty. The buildings thinned, replaced by looming warehouses and vacant lots.

Victoria leaned forward, raising her voice over the wind. “Justin! Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer right away. That hesitation made her stomach twist.

“Just hang on! We’re almost there!”

The reassurance in his tone didn’t quite match the unease curling in her gut.

Finally, the bike slowed, gravel crunching beneath the tires as they pulled up to a rundown warehouse. The place was lifeless, forgotten. Rusted metal. Shattered windows. A silence so vast it made the hair on her arms stand up.

Justin cut the engine. Victoria swung her leg off the bike, stepping back immediately. She folded her arms, leveling him with a glare.

“This is where we needed to talk?” Her voice was sharp, edged with suspicion. “Not, I don’t know… a coffee shop?”

Justin exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I needed to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere private.”

“Private?” She scoffed. “Justin, this looks like the setting of a horror movie.”

He ignored the jab. “There’s a lot you don’t know, Victoria. And I didn’t want anyone listening in.”

The weight of his words settled in, pressing against the walls of her mind. She took a slow breath. “Then talk.”

Justin studied her for a long moment, his expression carefully blank. “You’re being watched.”

A cold weight settled in her stomach, but she forced herself to stay composed. “I know,” she said, keeping her voice steady. “Yeah. I noticed. Black hoodie. Black car. Real subtle.”

Something shifted in his eyes. Not shock, not worry. Something she couldn’t quite place.

She stepped closer, her pulse hammering as she searched his face. “Do you know who’s following me?”

There was the briefest hesitation, just enough to set off alarm bells in her head. “No,” Justin said. Too late. Too measured.

Liar.

She saw it in his eyes, the way they didn’t quite meet hers. The way his body held just a fraction too still.

Her pulse thundered in her ears. He was hiding something.

She swallowed, her voice steady despite the tightness in her throat. “Have you heard anyone put an order out?”

Another pause. “No.”

And yet… his eyes told a different story.

Something cracked inside her. Justin, the one person she’d always thought she could trust, was he playing her?

She forced herself to stay calm, to keep her breathing even, her expression controlled. “Then why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything?”

Justin sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “Victoria, I’m trying to protect you.”

She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “By lying to me?”

“I’m not?—”

“Don’t.” She took another step back, the chill in the air finally settling into her bones. “You brought me out here for a reason. So tell me the truth. All of it.”

He hesitated. Too long.

And in that moment, Victoria knew. Whatever Justin wasn’t saying?

It was big.

And it was going to change everything.