Page 126 of Shattered By Grace

He led her to the black car parked in front of the gym, but before opening the door, he backed Victoria into it, his body caging her in. His eyes were dark, black holes swallowing every ounce of light.

“Never put yourself in danger because of me. Do you understand?” His voice was low, rough, edged with something lethal.

Victoria met his gaze, unflinching, the fire in her eyes matching his fury. “You don’t get to decide that, Tristan,” she said, her voice steady despite the rapid beat of her heart.

Tristan exhaled sharply, his forehead dropping to hers for the briefest second before he pulled back, his voice lower, rougher. “Damn it, Victoria.”

Victoria drew in a slow breath, steadying herself. “Besides,” she added, a new edge creeping into her tone, “if I wasn’t a target already, I am now. Justin just called me Victoria in the gym…for everyone to hear.”

Tristan stilled. His expression darkened, the weight of her words sinking in.

Everything had just gotten worse.

Victoria slid into the car, watching as Tristan moved around the hood and got in effortlessly. He pressed the start button, the engine purring to life, but the tension between them remained thick.

She turned toward the window, trying to steady her thoughts, to clear the chaos in her head.

“What the fuck was that about?” Her voice was quiet, distant, but edged with curiosity. She didn’t look at him, just kept her gaze fixed outside as he pulled onto the street. “Why were you and Tyson fighting?”

Tristan let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Because my dear brother is throwing a tantrum over the fact that I told our father he should’ve fought tonight,” he sneered with mockery, but there was an edge beneath it. “Tyson wants the business. Desperately. I don’t. But I’m the oldest by four minutes and, unfortunately for him, that means it’s mine,” he smirked, tapping his fingers against the wheel. “Really, he should be thanking me for the opportunity to prove himself.”

“What do you mean?”

Tristan glanced over, but in the darkness, she couldn’t make out his face or his eyes. “Tyson is a lot of things. Controlled, emotionless, more than capable of running the business. But he lacks fear. He doesn’t carry the weight of his name like I do.”

His fingers flexed against the wheel. “People fear me. I earned that. Do I want to follow my father? No. But in this world, fear is power. And Tyson doesn’t have it.”

Victoria’s gaze snapped to him. “So telling Cassian that Tyson should’ve fought tonight, what exactly was that supposed to do? I know you don’t want the business, and trust me, if I have any say, you’re not staying in this world.”

Tristan exhaled sharply, his grip tightening on the wheel. "You think I don’t know that?" He seethed. "You think I don’t know exactly what my father is capable of? What he’ll do the second he sees an opportunity?"

He shook his head, jaw clenching. "I pushed Tyson forward because it buys me time. If Cassian sees him as an option, as someone who can take my place, then maybe, just maybe, I get a way out before he realizes I’m already gone."

His knuckles went white as he flexed his fingers against the wheel. "But shutting it down?" A humorless laugh escaped him. "You don’t shut down an empire like this, Victoria. You either take it or you die trying."

His gaze flicked toward her, just for a second, before settling back on the road. "And I don’t plan on dying. Not yet."

Victoria scoffed, crossing her arms. "You and I both know you’re not walking away clean. Your father kills for less. And let’s be real, he already knows exactly who I am. He’s got something planned. Probably already set it in motion."

She turned toward him fully now, her voice composed. "Hell, let’s take it a step further. The second someone at that gym confirms my real identity, and he finds out you’re with me? That you’re willing to throw all of this away for me?" She let the weight of her next words settle between them. "We’re both dead."

Tristan’s jaw clenched, his grip tightening until his knuckles blanched. He didn’t argue. Didn’t offer some cocky remark to brush it off.

Because she was right. And they both knew it.

Chapter Fifty-Six

The car ride back to Victoria’s apartment was silent, but it wasn’t empty. It was charged, heavy with unsaid things. Tristan sat beside her, fingers drumming against his thigh, his other hand resting on her knee. Not absentmindedly but possessively. Like a silent claim. A reminder.

Justin’s taunt still clung to the air like smoke, but Tristan had already made his point. Fear was a powerful weapon, and he had wielded it flawlessly.

As the car rolled to a stop in front of her building, Tristan finally moved, turning to face her, his gaze burning into hers. “I have something to handle.” His voice was low, firm, controlled. But there was something else there.

Victoria met his stare, tilting her head slightly. “Something, or someone?”

The corner of his mouth lifted, but it wasn’t from amusement. “You don’t want to know.”

And she didn’t. Not really.

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