Page 18 of Shattered By Grace

Tyson arched a brow. “Something wrong?”

Tristan smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Nah, just business. Come on.” He smacked Tyson’s chest and turned to leave.

He glanced back. “Next time, love.”

Liar.

Chapter Seven

As Victoria emerged from the locker room, her bag slung over her shoulder, she couldn’t help but notice Tristan effortlessly charming the small crowd of women surrounding him. They laughed at something he said, their eyes fixed on him like he was the only man in the room. Annoyance prickled under her skin.

Of course.

Rolling her eyes, she stalked past, refusing to give him or his fan club another glance.

"Night, Tony. Night, Casey," she muttered as she approached the front counter, where the two men were deep in conversation.

Casey glanced up and smirked. "Hell of a fight tonight, Grace. You’ve got some serious grit."

Tony nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you keep that up, and you might just give some of these guys a real run for their money."

Victoria allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

Just as Victoria reached for the door, the air shifted. A towering figure stepped inside, his presence suffocating. The sharp scent of smoke curled into her nostrils, dragging upmemories she wished stayed buried. Her eyes locked onto the tattoo around Razer’s neck, and a chill slid down her spine. The terror of that night came roaring back, raw and unrelenting. Jaw clenched, she willed the fear away, but it clung to her, heavy and unshakable.

"Razer, you're late," Tyson barked from behind her as he walked through the door.

Victoria whipped around to see Tyson standing so close to her that she could smell him.When the hell did he get here?Victoria thought as Tyson listened to Razer with such disgust.

"Sorry, Mr. Locke," Razer responded uncomfortably, shifting under the intense displeased look on Tyson's face. "Your father had me handle a few things before coming to the gym.” His deep voice brought her right back to her bedroom, when she was fighting for survival.

"Fine. Go warm up," Tyson commanded, turning to follow Razer.

His tone carried a trace of dry humor, but Victoria didn’t miss the tension coiled beneath it. “He won’t bite,” he added, though the cold intensity in his eyes suggested otherwise.

Victoria’s gaze locked with Tyson’s for a fleeting second, just long enough to feel the weight behind it. No words were needed.

Razer’s uneven steps scraped against the floor, a haunting echo of the past. The scarred reminder of what he’d tried to do to her all those years ago twisted the air between them. Her stomach clenched. The gym walls felt too tight, the air too thick. The memory crashed into her. Her bedroom door bursting open, hands reaching, the desperate fight to escape.

She needed out.

Victoria forced herself to walk, every step measured until she hit the night air. The cool breeze did little to stop the tremor in her limbs.

Breathe.

One, two, three, four.

The city was quiet, too quiet, her footsteps too loud.

You’re not being followed.

Still, her gaze flicked over her shoulder, pulse hammering, convinced that if she stopped, the past would finally catch up.

As she walked briskly toward her apartment, the thoughtYou should never have come back to this citylooped in her mind like a broken record. Each corner she turned, every darkened alley she passed, seemed to whisper her fears back at her, amplifying her sense of impending doom. Her heart pounded relentlessly in her chest, a constant reminder of her fear. Sweat beaded at her temples, and her hands trembled uncontrollably as she gripped her bag tighter. She fought to maintain composure, but the oppressive weight of her past seemed to press down on her with each step.

“Thank god,” she spoke out loud as she started taking her apartment front steps two at a time before getting to her door, dropping her keys several times because she’s so shaken. The feeling of someone standing around her kept her looking over her shoulder but no one was there.Get it together, you freaking yourself out for nothing.

With each frantic step, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in short gasps. She practically flew up the apartment front steps, two at a time, her hands shaking violently as she struggled to insert her key into the lock. The cool metal slipped from her grasp multiple times, adding to her anxiety. As she fumbled with the lock, she couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching her, causing her to constantly glance over her shoulder.

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