Grant shook it.
“Thank you for your service.”
“Thank you,” Grant replied.
The detectives came in with the EMT, and a bomb squad was called to sweep the clubhouse. Kate helped several of the elderly members out to the lush lawn then went over to stand near Grant. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was supposed to do. She had never been in a situation like this before.
Grant had to give a play-by-play of the event over and over whenever a new department showed up.
“And here come the vultures,” the FBI investigator said as news vans pulled into the parking lot. “Do me a favor and don’t talk to them,” she said to Kate and Grant, tucking her notebook under her arm.
“Yes, ma’am,” Grant replied.
“If we wanted everyone to love you again, this probably does the trick,” Kate said and started laughing hysterically. Everything could have turned out horribly wrong—Grant could have been killed. Her grandmother could have been killed. “Unless…” She gasped. “Unless they blame you for tearing up the building.”
Grant looked at her, concerned. “Are you all right?” he asked as he pulled her close to him.
She relaxed as he held her tightly to his chest, trying not to cry but failing. Grant wiped away her tears with his thumb.
“It’s okay,” he told her. “You’re safe. I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt you.”
Chapter 34
Grant
Grant had stayed with Kate at the clubhouse for several hours after the incident, keeping her by his side the entire time. She still seemed a bit in shock when he had the driver take them all home after they had finally spoken with the last law enforcement official.
He couldn’t sleep that night. He was too hyped on adrenaline, so he ran laps around the estate instead. Grant made sure he had his gun on him before he stepped out into the dark. If Luigi, his mother’s friend, jumped out at him, he was probably going to shoot him and bury his body in the woods somewhere.
After a run and a brutal weight-lifting session, Grant sat on the terrace of his balcony and watched a car pull up and his father step out.
“Grant!” he called.
Grant climbed over the edge of the balcony, stepped onto a narrow stone ledge on the side of the building, then jumped down, landing in a crouch on the ground.
“So you figured out how that works!” his father said, coming toward him. “My brother and I used to sneak out of the house that way.” His father wrapped him in a hug. “I’m glad you’re alive. I saw the video.”
“What video?”
“The assailants live-streamed the whole situation on Facebook. They wanted it to be the start of a revolution. But we all see how that worked out.” His father shook his head incredulously. “You really are something else. I’ve had calls from the governors of multiple states, several congressmen, and various business leaders, not to mention the press.”
“Oh,” Grant said with a grimace. “Sorry about that.”
His father laughed. “It’s fine. It’s good. People want to know what happened and what your plans are now. Have you thought about it?”
“Not really.”
His father patted him on the shoulder.
“Not a problem. You still have time. How’s Kate, by the way? And her grandmother?”
“I don’t know. I was wondering if it was too early to go over there.”
“Her grandmother’s an early riser. I think it’s probably fine. The paper’s already here, and she’s up by then.”
Grant picked up the copy of that morning’s paper.
“Looks like you made the cover,” his father remarked as Grant unfolded the newspaper. There on the front was a huge picture of Grant and Kate, the two of them looking into each other’s eyes, Grant wiping away Kate’s tears.
