Page 28 of Shattered by Grace (The Locke Empire Duet #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

V ictoria’s alarm blared, yanking her from sleep like a punch to the gut. She jolted upright, her heart hammering as the ghost of a voice echoed in her ears. Victoria.

Tristan’s voice.

The dream clung to her, thick and inescapable. The way his hands had gripped her hips. The heat of his breath against her skin. The way he whispered her name like a secret. Her real name. No one had called her that in years.

Her pulse was still racing as she shoved off the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

The weight of exhaustion pressed down on her, heavier than the night before.

She’d spent hours cleaning up after the break-in, trying to put her apartment back together, like rearranging shattered pieces of herself.

The door had been reinforced, the furniture returned to its usual places, but nothing felt the same.

And there were gaps. Empty spaces that screamed at her.

She dragged her gaze toward the shelf where her favorite picture of her father used to sit. It was gone, along with the necklace he’d given her when she turned thirteen. The loss hit her like a gut punch all over again.

A flicker of movement caught her eye, and she turned to see Clawdia perched on the windowsill, her large green eyes fixated outside. Watching. Guarding.

“Holding down the fort, huh?” Victoria muttered, crossing the room to scratch the cat behind the ears. Clawdia purred, but didn’t break her vigil.

Shoving aside the uneasy thoughts, Victoria pulled on her scrubs, plastered on a neutral expression, and headed out the door.

Act like nothing happened. Pretend everything’s fine. Easier said than done, s he thinks to herself, rolling her eyes as she walks down the steps.

Victoria walked to the hospital, her steps steady but her mind adrift. No rose. No car. No hooded figure lurking in the shadows. The city moved around her, indifferent, and for once, she was left alone with her thoughts.

By the time she reached the hospital, the usual morning chaos was in full swing.

Nurses bustled through the halls, doctors barked orders, and the sharp scent of antiseptic clung to the air.

It was the kind of routine Victoria usually found comforting, a steady rhythm to anchor her spiraling thoughts.

As she rounded the corner toward the break room, the rich aroma of coffee met her first, warm and inviting. Taylor stood leaning against the counter, her hands wrapped around a steaming cup, eyes scanning something on her phone.

“Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence,” Taylor teased, her eyes flicking up from her phone with a smirk, her smile quickly faded. “You look like you barely slept.”

Victoria managed a small smile, though it felt too tight, too forced, as she reached for the coffee pot. Her fingers trembled slightly, the nerves from last night lingering like a shadow she couldn’t shake off.

Just need caffeine. Just need to get through the day , she thought, hoping the jolt of coffee would push the fog from her mind.

“Something like that,” she murmured, voice distant, her eyes focusing on the stream of coffee filling her cup. She kept her movements deliberate, steady, to hide the internal chaos.

If I can just get through the next few hours… maybe I can breathe again.

Taylor’s gaze softened, her brows furrowing with genuine concern. “You okay, Grace? You seem… off.”

Victoria’s heart squeezed at the soft, unspoken worry in Taylor’s voice. She hated how easily it cut through the numbness, but it was safer to lie.

Her smile widened, though it felt like a mask slipping over her real self. “I’m fine,” she said quickly, the words spilling out like a reflex. “Just a long night. Nothing a strong cup of coffee can’t fix.”

If only it were that easy.

Wanting to move the focus off of her, she asked the one question she knew would change the subject. “By the way, who was that guy at the club the other night? The one you practically jumped?”

Taylor’s brows shot up, her face shifting with a mix of annoyance and amusement.

“Oh, him. That was Jax, my ex. Ugh, we’re like fire and gasoline.

When it’s good, it’s scorching hot, but when it’s bad, it’s an inferno that burns everything to the ground,” she sighed, rolling her eyes as she leaned back against the counter.

“Honestly, it’s mostly bad these days, and I should know better than to even be in the same room as him.

But you know how it goes. Old habits, toxic attachments…

and a tiny part of you wondering if maybe, just maybe, this time will be different.

” Taylor laughed bitterly, shaking her head like she couldn’t believe her own weakness.

Victoria nodded along, pretending to stay in the conversation, but her mind was already slipping. Toxic attachments, huh? Sounds familiar.

Her thoughts drifted to Tristan. He was a drug, the kind that worked fast, sinking into her system before she even knew she’d taken a hit.

One smirk, one touch, and she was already chasing the next.

Does he even know what he’s doing to me?

Or am I just another casualty, another girl mistaking the high for something real?

“ Doesn’t matter what you choose, love. I’ll ruin you either way.”

His voice echoed in her head, smooth and taunting, like he had already decided how this would end. And maybe he had. Maybe she was the only one still pretending this was a game she could win.

Then there was Tyson. Just as untouchable, just as fleeting, disappearing into the night like he’d never been there at all. Maybe she’d never figure either of them out. Or maybe the real problem was that she kept trying.

“Guys can be so frustrating,” Victoria muttered, the words slipping out before she could stop them, more to herself than Taylor.

“Preach,” Taylor replied with a laugh. “Is this about that guy you were dancing with at the club? What’s his deal, anyway?”

Victoria hesitated, fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. Do I really want to go down that rabbit hole?

“Tristan? He’s… complicated,” Victoria admitted, fingers tightening around her coffee cup.

“There’s something between us. I don’t know what, but it’s there.

One minute, he’s all in, making me feel things I don’t even want to feel, and the next, he’s pulling away like none of it ever mattered.

” She let out a frustrated sigh, raking a hand through her hair.

“And then there’s Tyson. He’s a mystery, yeah, but that’s all he is. Intriguing, sure, but we don’t have the chemistry Tristan and I do.” She shook her head. “Now he’s gone completely radio silent, and honestly? I don’t have the time or energy to figure him out.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow, smirking. “So, you’ve got two guys messing with your head? Damn, girl, no wonder you look stressed.”

Victoria let out a weak chuckle, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Yeah, I guess. But honestly, it’s just…

a lot right now.” Her voice trailed off, her mind spinning with everything she couldn’t say.

Justin, the break-in, the feeling that danger was closing in on her.

But dragging Taylor into that mess? That wasn’t an option.

If you only knew all the things messing with my head.

Victoria got lost in the spiral of her thoughts until Taylor snapped her fingers in front of her face with a playful grin. “Earth to Grace! I know you’re not a morning person, but that was next level.”

Victoria chuckled softly, forcing herself to focus. “Sorry, just thinking. What were you saying?”

“I was talking about the masquerade ball,” Taylor said, her eyes lighting up.

“It’s the hospital’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Super formal, fancy masks, the whole nine yards.

All the big donors and city elites will be there.

It’s a huge deal, and I’m practically counting the days until I get to dress up and feel like a queen. ”

Victoria raised an eyebrow, the shift in conversation almost a relief. “Sounds fancy. I take it you’re going?”

“Absolutely! And you’re coming too,” Taylor declared, as if it were already decided.

“It’s next weekend, so you better start thinking about what dress you’re going to wear.

Trust me, this is one night you don’t want to miss.

Plus, I bet a night of glitz and glamour will do wonders for whatever stress you’re carrying around. ”

Before Victoria could respond, the intercom crackled to life. “Nurse Scarlett, report to delivery room five, STAT.”

I can handle work. It was predictable, structured. Something she could control. She took a steadying breath. “Duty calls,” she said quickly, giving Taylor a nod before hurrying down the hall.

As she walked away, her mind lingered on the masquerade ball. The last thing she needed, but maybe the only thing that would give her a moment to breathe, away from the chaos.

The familiar buzz of the delivery room helped drown out her racing thoughts.

The chaotic flurry of action—commands shouted, instruments passed, the raw determination in a mother’s eyes—kept her grounded.

Here, she was in control, capable, confident.

There was no room for fear or doubt when lives were in her hands.

Taylor joined her midway through, slipping seamlessly into the flow of the work. After the delivery, when the mother and baby were stable, Taylor leaned over, her voice low. “You’re like a different person when you’re in here.”

Victoria offered a tight smile, her focus still on the task at hand. “It’s easier when the crisis isn’t mine.”

They finished up their rounds in a comfortable silence, but Victoria could feel Taylor’s watchful eyes, still trying to piece together what she wasn’t saying. The bond between them was strong, but not strong enough to break through the walls Victoria had built around herself.