Page 23 of Chaos & Corruption

I force myself to return the gesture.

Friends, Victoria.

You need to make friends.

He pushes up from the bench and starts for me. I roll my neck and focus on my form, continuing my arm curls. Panic sets in and I try to think what I will say when he reaches me. Do I ignore him? Do I follow his lead? What if he’s one of them? What if he’s not?

I’m not usually this socially awkward, I swear.

“You’re new here,” he says, coming to a stop in front of the weights. His eyes find mine in the mirror again and I watch as he lifts a pair of dumbbells.

It’s not a question so I don’t answer, and he moves to stand next to me.

Curling his arm, he flashes me another smile.

“I’d remember a face as pretty as yours.”

There is something about those words that make me go still. Alex said something similar to me when he rescued me from falling that night at Dizzy’s.

“So does the pretty have a name to go with it?” he asks.

I lower the weight and tear my eyes away from the mirror. Turning to him, I remain completely silent for another moment.

It’s a coincidence.

Nothing more.

“Victoria.”

He sets the dumbbells on the floor and closes the distance between us.

“Well, Victoria, I’m Matt.” He grins, letting his eyes rake over me. I’m about to tell him that my eyes are twelve inches up from where he’s looking when I feel two hands grip my hips. My body goes still, and Matt brings his gaze to mine, his eyes narrowing as he peers over my shoulder.

“There you are.”

Alex.

He pulls my back to his chest and wraps his arms around my waist, splaying his palms flat against my bare stomach. My defenses kick into gear and I contemplate dropkicking him but then I notice the vicious gleam in Matt’s eyes.

“Jennings,” Alex grinds out. “I see you met my girl.”

His girl?

Matt clucks his tongue against the roof of his mouth before bringing his eyes back to mine.

“It was nice to meet you, Victoria. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

Alex’s grip tightens around me.

“Buy you a drink at Dizzy’s,” Matt adds.

“That would be nice,” I reply, although I’m fairly certain that was the wrong thing to say. For one, he grins like a Cheshire cat and two, Alex grunts against my ear.

“Later, Reggiano,” Matt says smugly. He barely turns his back to us before Alex drops his arms from around my waist and grabs my hand. I start to protest but he pulls me through the gym, leading me inside the men’s locker room. Ignoring the chatter and cat calls, he pushes me inside one of the shower stalls and closes the curtain behind him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I spat.

“Shut up and listen,” he growls. Then he completely loses his mind and reaches for the shower knobs, twisting them on. Freezing cold water rains upon us, drowning out the noises inside the locker room.

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