Fantasy Lover

Chapter 12

Grace reached her house at the same time the police arrived.
The young, heavy-set officer cast a suspicious glare at Julian. "Who's he?"
"A friend," she said.
The officer held his hand out to her. "All right, give me the keys, and let me search the place. Officer Reynolds will stay out here with you until I finish."
Grace dutifully handed over her house keys.
She chewed her thumbnail as she watched him enter. Please let Rodney be in there.
He wasn't. The police officer came out-a short time later, shaking his head.
"Damn," she breathed.
Officer Reynolds walked her to her house with Julian one step behind. "We need you to come in, and take a look around, see if anything's missing."
"Did he make a mess?" Grace asked.
"Only in the bedrooms."
Heartsick, Grace walked into the house and up the stairs to her room.
Julian trailed behind, and watched the way she held herself rigidly cool. Her face was so pale that it made her freckles all the more apparent. He could kill the man responsible for this. No woman should ever be this afraid, especially not in her own home.
When they reached the top of the stairs, he saw the door at the end of the hallway ajar. Grace ran to it.
"No!" she gasped.
Julian rushed in behind her.
The grief on her face made him see red. He felt her pain in his heart as if it were his own.
Tears streamed down her face as her gaze darted over the shambles. The bed had been torn apart and drawers overturned as if Zephyros had come through on a tirade.
Julian put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
"How could he do this to their room?" she asked.
"Whose room?" Officer Reynolds asked. "I thought you lived alone."
"I do. This was my parents' room before they died." Grace looked around in disbelief. It was one thing to go after her, but why would he have done this?
She looked about at the scattered clothes, clothes that reminded her of so many wonderful moments. Her father's shirts that he'd worn every day to work. Her mother's favorite sweater that Grace used to beg to borrow. The earrings her father had given her mother the anniversary before they died. All of it was now tossed about as if it were worthless.
But it wasn't worthless to her. It was all she had left of them. The hurt stabbed deeply into her heart.
"How could he do this?" she asked as rage tore through her.
Julian pulled her into his arms and held her tight. "It's okay, Grace," he breathed against her hair.
But it wasn't okay. Grace doubted if it would ever be okay again. She couldn't stand the thought of that animal running his hands through her mother's clothes. Of him stripping the sheets off their bed. How dare he!
Julian looked at the police officer.
"Don't worry," the man said, "we'll find the guy."
"And then what?" Julian asked.
"That's for the courts to decide."
Julian raked him with a disgusted sneer. Courts. He had no use for modern courts that could turn such an animal loose.
"I know this is hard," the officer said. "But we really need you to keep looking around, Dr. Alexander, to see if he took anything."
She nodded.
Her courage amazed Julian as she withdrew from his embrace, and brushed the tears from her cheeks. She started looking through the debris. Julian knelt by her side, wanting to be close should she need him again.
After a thorough search, Grace crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the officer. "Nothing's missing," she said, then went to her own bedroom.
Grace stepped tentatively inside. A quick perusal showed the same kind of damage in here. Both her and Julian's clothes had been thoroughly searched. Underwear was scattered all about, and her bed had been stripped and the mattress was askew.
How she wished the beast had found Julian's sword beneath the bed and made the mistake of touching it. Now that would truly have been justice.
But Rodney hadn't found it. In fact, Julian's shield was still where he'd left it, propped against the wall beside the bed.
Looking around at her scattered clothing, Grace felt so violated, as if Rodney's creepy hands had touched her body.
Grace saw the door to her book closet slightly ajar. Her heart stopped beating as she walked to it, and opened the door wider. In that moment, she truly felt as if Rodney had ripped her heart out and stomped on it.
"My books," she whispered.
Julian crossed the room to see what she was looking at. His breath caught in his throat as he stood behind her.
Every single book she owned had been torn to pieces.
"Not my books," she said, falling to her knees.
Grace's hand shook as she touched the pages of the books her father had written. They were irreplaceable. Never again would she be able to open them up and hear his voice speaking to her from the past. Nor would she be able to open up Black Beauty and hear the faint memory of her mother reading it to her.
It was all gone.
In one move, Rodney Carmichael had killed her parents all over again.
And then her gaze fell to the shredded pieces of The Iliad. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the way Julian had looked when he'd seen it. The hours they had spent with each other as she read.
Those hours had been so special. So magical as they lay in front of the couch lost in the words of the story. It was their own little realm. Their own special heaven.
"He decimated all of them," she whispered. "Oh, God, he must have been here for hours."
"Ma'am, they're just-"
Julian grabbed Officer Reynolds by the arm, and pulled him back into the bedroom. "They're not just books to her," he said between clenched teeth. "Don't mock her pain."
"Oh," he said sheepishly. "Sorry."
Julian returned to Grace inside the closet.
She was sobbing uncontrollably as she ran her hand over the shredded pages. "Why would he do this?"
Julian picked her up and carried her out of the closet, then laid her on the bed. She held on to him so tightly that he could barely breathe, and she sobbed as if her heart were splintering.
In that moment, Julian wanted to kill the man who'd done this to her.
The phone rang.
Grace screamed and struggled to get up.
"Sh," Julian said, wiping her tears with his hand while holding her steady. "It's all right. I'm here. I've got you."
Officer Reynolds handed her the phone. "Answer it in case it's him."
Julian glared at the man. How could he be so insensitive as to ask her to talk to that rabid mongrel?
"Hi, Selena," Grace said, then she burst into tears again as she told Selena what had happened.
Julian's thoughts whirled as he considered the man who had invaded her home and wounded her so deeply. What concerned him most was the fact that the man knew what to go after. He knew Grace. Knew what was important to her.
And that made him far more dangerous than the police realized.
Grace hung up the phone. "I'm sorry for the outburst," she said, wiping her tears away. "It's been a long day."
"Yes, ma'am, we understand."
Julian watched as she pulled herself together with a strength of will he had known few men to possess.
She led the police through the rest of her house.
"He must not have seen this book," one of the officers said as he handed Julian's book to her.
Julian took it from Grace's hands. Unlike the officer, he wasn't so sure. If the bastard had tried to tear it up, then he had been in for one nasty surprise.
The book could never be destroyed. Over the centuries, he had tried to do it himself, countless times. Not even fire could mar it. But the book served to remind him of just how true Grace's earlier words were.
In a few days, he would be gone and she would have no one to protect her.
That thought made him ill.
The police were finally leaving as Selena pulled into the driveway. She got out of her Jeep with a tall, dark-haired man who had his arm bound in a cast, and came running to the door.
"Are you okay?" she asked Grace as she hugged her.
"I'm fine," Grace said, then looking over Selena's shoulder, she greeted the man. "Hi, Bill."
"Hi, Grace. We came to help."
Grace introduced him to Julian, then the four of them went inside.
Julian stopped Selena as soon as they entered, and pulled her aside. "Can you keep her downstairs for a bit?"
"Why?"
"I have something I need to take care of."
Selena frowned. "Sure, okay."
Julian waited until Selena and Bill sat Grace down on the couch. Then he went to the kitchen, grabbed a couple of trash bags, and headed upstairs to the closet.
As quickly as he could, he started cleaning up the mess so Grace wouldn't have to see it again. But with every piece of paper he touched, his rage grew.
Over and over, he saw the tender look on her face as she had looked through her collection, searching for a book to read. Closing his eyes, he could see her hair falling over his chest as she read to him.
And in that moment, he wanted blood.
"Jeez," Bill said from the doorway. "He do all this?"
"Yes."
"Man, what a psycho."
Julian didn't say anything as he continued to shove papers into the bag. All he could focus on was the scream in his soul that demanded vengeance. It made a mockery of the one that called out for Priapus.
It was one thing to wound him. But to hurt Grace...
The Fates had better have mercy on the man, because Julian wouldn't.
"So, you been dating Grace long?"
"No."
"Didn't think so. Selena hasn't mentioned you, but come to think of it, she hasn't been so worried over Grace being alone since her birthday, either. You must have met her then."
"Yes."
"Yes, no, yes. You're not much on talking, are you?"
"No."
"Well, I can take a hint. See ya later."
Julian paused as his hand brushed the cover to Peter Pan. He picked it up and ground his teeth. Pain assailed him. She'd loved this book most of all.
He clenched it tight in his hand, then added it to the bag, as well.
Grace didn't know how long she sat on the couch unmoving. All she knew was how much she hurt. Rodney had struck deeply in his violation of her.
Selena brought her a cup of hot chocolate.
Grace tried to drink it, but her hands still shook so badly that she was afraid she'd spill it. She set it aside. "I guess I need to go clean up."
"Julian already did that," Bill said from her armchair as he flipped channels on the TV.
Grace frowned. "What? When?"
"He was up there a little while ago, cleaning out the closet."
Gaping at the news, Grace went to find him.
Julian was in her parents' room. She watched him from the doorway as he straightened the last of the mess. He folded her father's pants in a way that would have made Martha Stewart cringe, then placed them in the drawer and slid it shut.
Tenderness flooded her at the sight of a once legendary general cleaning up her house to keep her from having to do it. His kindness touched her all the way to her heart.
He looked up and met her gaze. The warm concern in those deep blue eyes warmed her deeply.
"Thank you," she said.
He shrugged. "Didn't have anything else to do." Though he'd said the words casually, there was a note in his voice that belied his nonchalance.
"I'm still grateful." She walked into the room, looking around at all his hard work. Her throat tight, she placed her hand on the mahogany footboard. "This was my grandmother's bed." she told him. "I can still hear my mother telling me how my grandfather made it for her. He was a carpenter."
His jaw rigid, he stared at her hand. "It's hard, isn't it?"
"What?"
"Letting go of the ones you love."
She knew he spoke from his heart. From the heart of a father who missed his children.
Though he no longer thrashed about at night, she still heard him whisper their names, and she wondered if he knew how often he dreamed of them.
And she wondered how many times a day he must think of them and ache for the loss.
"Yes," she said quietly, "but then, you know that better than I do, don't you?"
He didn't speak.
Grace let her gaze drift around the room. "I guess it's time I move on, but I swear I can still hear them, feel them."
"It's their love you feel. It still warms you."
"You know, I think you're right."
"Hey," Selena said from the doorway, interrupting them. "Bill's calling for a pizza. You feel up to eating?"
"I think so," Grace said.
"What about you?" Selena asked Julian.
Julian cast a knowing smile to Grace. "I'd love some pizza."
Grace actually laughed as she remembered him asking for it the night she'd conjured him.
"Okay," Selena said, "pizza it is."
Julian handed Grace her mother's wedding rings. "I found those on the floor."
Grace started to put them back on the dresser, but she couldn't. Instead, she placed them on her right hand, and for the first time in years, she felt comforted by them.
As they left the room, Julian started to close the door.
"No," Grace said softly. "Leave it open."
"You sure?"
She nodded.
As she entered her bedroom, she realized he'd cleaned it as well. But when she saw the empty shelves where her books had once been, her heart broke again.
This time, when Julian closed the door, she didn't argue.
Hours later, after they had eaten, Grace finally convinced Bill and Selena to leave.
"I'm fine, really," she assured them for the umpteenth time at the door. Reaching out, she placed her hand on Julian's arm, grateful for the strength of his presence. "Besides, I have Julian."
Selena gave her a stern look. "You call if you need anything."
"I will."
Still unable to feel completely at ease, she locked the door and led Julian upstairs to her room.
She lay in bed with Julian at her side.
"I just feel so vulnerable," she whispered.
He stroked her hair. "I know. Just close your eyes and know that I'm here. I'll keep you safe."
He wrapped his arms around her. Grace sighed at the comfort he gave. No one else had ever soothed her the way he did.
They lay for hours before she finally fell into an exhausted sleep.
Grace came awake with a scream lodged in her throat.
"I'm right here, Grace."
She heard Julian's voice beside her and instantly calmed. "Thank God, it's you," she whispered. "I had a bad dream."
He kissed her lightly on the shoulder. "I understand."
She gave his hand a squeeze before leaving the bed to get ready for work.
As she tried to dress, her hands shook so badly she couldn't even button her shirt.
"Here," Julian said, moving her hands away so that he could button it for her. "You don't have to be scared, Grace. I won't let him hurt you."
"I know. I know the police will get him and it'll be over."
He said nothing as he helped her dress.
Once they were ready, she drove them to her downtown office. Her stomach was so knotted that she could barely breathe. But she had to do this. She wasn't about to let Rodney control her life. She was in charge and no one would take that away from her. Not without a fight.
Still, she was glad for Julian's presence. It comforted her in a way she didn't want to think about.
"What is this called?" Julian asked as she led him into the huge antique elevator in her turn-of-the-century office building.
Grace showed him how to pull the door closed and noted his immediate discomfort as they were sealed inside it.
"It's an elevator," she explained. "You press these buttons to reach whatever floor you want. I'm on the top one, which is eight." She pressed the old knob-style button.
Julian tensed even more as the elevator moved. "Is it safe?"
She arched a curious brow at him. "Surely the man who fearlessly faced down Roman armies isn't scared of an elevator?"
He gave her a peeved glare. "Romans I understand, this thing I don't."
She wrapped her arm around his. "There's not much to it." She pointed up at the trap door. "Outside that door are cables that lift it up and down, and there's a phone." She pointed to the call box below the buttons. "If you get stuck in the elevator all you have to do is pick up the phone and you're connected directly to an emergency staff."
His eyes darkened. "Does the elevator get stuck a lot?"
"Not really. I've had my office here for four years and so far it's never once gotten stuck."
"If you weren't on it, how would you know if it got stuck or not?"
"Elevators let out this piercing alarm when they stop. Trust me, if it got stuck, someone would know."
He swept his gaze around the wide space of the elevator, and by the light in his eyes, she could tell naughty things were on his mind. "Could you make it stop on purpose?"
She laughed. "Yes, but I really don't want to be caught ftagrante delicto at work."
He dipped his head down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "But being caught flagrante delicto at work could be a whole lot of fun."
Grace hugged him close. What was it about him that made her feel better? No matter what, he always seemed to make things more fun. Brighter. "You are bad," she said, reluctantly letting go of him.
"True, but you love that about me."
She laughed again. "You're right. I do."
The doors opened, and Grace led him the short distance to her office.
Lisa looked up as they entered and widened her eyes. A smile spread across her face as she gave Julian a thorough once-over. "Dr. Grace," she teased, toying with a strand of her blond hair. "You got a hot boyfriend."
Shaking her head, Grace introduced them, then she showed Julian her office. Julian stood by the windows as she turned on her computer and placed her purse in her desk drawer.
She paused as she caught him staring at her. "You're really going to spend all day hanging around my office?"
He shrugged. "I have nothing better to do."
"You'll be bored."
"I assure you, I'm used to be being bored."
The bad thing was, Grace knew just how much experience he had in that department. She placed her hand against his cheek as she thought of him inside the book, alone, and encased in darkness.
Rising up on her tiptoes, she gave him a gentle kiss. "Thank you for coming with me today. I don't think I could be here without you."
He nibbled her lips. "My pleasure."
Lisa buzzed her. "Dr. Grace, your eight o'clock is here."
"I'll wait outside," Julian said.
Grace gave his hand a squeeze before she let him leave.
For the next hour, she barely paid attention. Her thoughts were on the man outside and how much he meant to her.
And how much she hated the thought of him leaving.
As soon as she finished her session, she walked her patient out.
Lisa was showing Julian how to play solitaire on her computer. "Hey, Dr. Grace," she said. "Did you know Julian never played solitaire before?"
Grace exchanged an amused smile with Julian. "Really?"
Lisa scooted away from Julian to look at her appointment book. "By the way, your three o'clock canceled. And your nine o'clock called and said he'd be a few minutes late."
"Okay." Grace gestured to the door with her thumb. "While you two play, I'm going to make a dash out to my car to get my Palm Pilot."
Julian looked up. "I'll go."
Grace shook her head. "I can do it."
Without pausing, he came around Lisa's desk and held his hand out for her keys. "I'll go," he said in a voice that let her know he wasn't about to concede.
Not willing to argue, she handed her keys over. "It's under the driver's seat."
"Okay, I'll be right back."
Grace gave him a military salute.
Unamused, Julian left her office and headed toward the elevator at the end of the hallway.
He reached for the button, then paused. Gods, how he hated that tight, square thing.
And the thought of being in it alone...
Looking around, he saw a flight of stairs. Without a second's hesitation, he headed for them instead.
Grace was trying to find Rachel's file in her briefcase when she remembered she'd left a couple of folders in her backseat.
"Where is my mind?" she snapped at herself. But then, she knew. Her thoughts were scattered between the two men who had completely altered her life.
Aggravated at herself for not being able to focus, she took her briefcase and followed after Julian.
"Where are you going, Dr. Grace?" Lisa asked.
"I left a couple of files in my car, too. I'll be right back."
Lisa nodded.
Grace went to the elevator. She was still rummaging through her briefcase in search of the missing files when the doors opened.
Without looking up, she stepped inside, and automatically pushed the lobby button.
It wasn't until the doors closed that she realized she wasn't alone.
Rodney Carmichael stood on the opposite side, staring at her.
"So, who is he?"
Grace froze as waves of fear and rage tore through her. She wanted to tear him to pieces! But even though he was small for a man, he was still a head taller than her.
And very unstable.
Hiding her rising panic, she spoke calmly. "What are you doing here?"
He curled his lip at her. "You didn't answer my question. I want to know whose clothes were in your house."
"That's none of your business."
"Bullshit," he shrieked. He was teetering on the brink of insanity, and the last thing she needed was for him to fall over it while they were trapped in the elevator. "Everything that concerns you is my business."
Grace tried to take control of the situation. "Now listen to me, Mr. Carmichael, I don't know you and you don't know me. I can't imagine why you're fixated on me, but I want it to stop."
He pushed the button to stall the elevator. "Now you listen to me, Grace. We're perfect for each other. You know it as well as I do. We were meant to be together."
"Okay," she said, trying to calm him down. "Let's discuss this in my office." She pressed the button to start the elevator.
He stopped it again. "We'll talk here."
Grace took a deep breath as her hands started shaking. She had to get out of here without making him any angrier. "We'd be more comfortable in my office."
This time when she reached for the button, he grabbed her hand.
"Why won't you just talk to me?" he asked.
"We are talking." Grace inched toward the call box.
"I bet you talk with him, don't you? I bet you spend hours laughing and doing God only knows what with him. Now, tell me who he is."
"Mr. Carmichael-"
"Rodney!" he shouted. "Dammit, my name is Rodney."
"Okay, Rodney. Let's-"
"I bet he's had his filthy hands all over you, hasn't he?" He cornered her by the buttons. "How many times have you slept with him since you met me, huh?"
Grace trembled at the feral look in his beady eyes. He was slipping. She reached behind her to pick up the phone, but before she could get it to her ear, he grabbed it.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.
"You need help."
He smashed the phone against the buttons. "I don't need help. I just need you to talk to me. Do you hear me? I just need you to talk to me!" He punctuated each word by bashing the phone into the control panel.
Terrified, Grace watched as the phone splintered. Then, he started pulling at his hair.
"He's kissed you, I know he has." He repeated the words over and over again as he wrenched his hair out by the handfuls.
Oh, God! She was trapped with a lunatic.
And there was no way out.
Julian returned to Grace's office with her Palm Pilot. "Where's Grace?" he asked Lisa when he didn't find Grace at her desk.
"Didn't you see her? She went down to the car a few minutes after you left."
He frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. She said she left some files or something."
Before he could ask anything else, an attractive African-American woman walked into the office dressed in a conservative black suit and holding a briefcase.
She paused inside the doorway to kick off a shoe and rub her heel. "It's definitely a Monday," she said to Lisa. "I just had to walk up eight flights of stairs because the elevator is stuck between floors. Now what wonderful news do you have for me?"
"Hi, Dr. Beth," Lisa said cheerfully, running her hand down the book on her desk. "Your nine o'clock is with Rodney Carmichael."
Julian went cold.
"Oh, no, wait," Lisa said, "that's Dr. Grace. Yours-"
"Did you say Rodney Carmichael?" he asked.
"Yeah. He called to reschedule."
Julian didn't wait for her to finish. He tossed the Palm Pilot on Lisa's desk, then ran out of the office toward the elevator. His heart hammering, all he think of was getting to Grace as fast as he could.
It was then he realized the buzzing he'd been hearing was an alarm bell ringing.
A cold shiver went down his spine as every instinct he possessed told him what had happened. Rodney had stopped the elevator with Grace inside. He was sure of it.
Suddenly, a muffled scream sounded from behind the closed elevator doors.
His vision clouding with anger and fear, he wrenched open the door to the shaft.
Julian froze.
He couldn't see the car. All he could see was the black cavern. And it looked just like the book. Worse, going down it would feel like being sucked into his hell. Of darkness. Cramped. Tight.
He struggled to breathe as terror washed over him.
In his heart, he knew Grace was down there. Alone with a madman and with no one to help her.
Grinding his teeth, he stepped back and jumped to the cables.
Pushing violently, Grace forced Rodney off her.
"I'm not going to share you!" he snarled, grabbing her arms again. "You are mine."
"I don't belong to anyone except me." Grace kneed him in the groin.
He sank to the floor.
Desperate, Grace tried to climb up the side rails to reach the trapdoor above her head. If she could get to that...
Rodney grabbed her about the waist and slung her back into the corner.
His face contorted with rage, he braced his arms on each side of her. "Tell me the name of the man who has been inside you, Grace! Tell me so I will know who I have to kill."
His eyes empty and terrifying, he started clawing at his face and neck so fiercely that he made bloody welts. "Don't you know, you're my woman? We are going to be together. I know how to take care of you. What you need. I am so much better than him!"
Grace ducked away from Rodney, then kicked her high heels off and grabbed them in her hands. They weren't the best weapons, but they were better than nothing.
"I want to know who you've been with!" he shrieked.
At the same moment Rodney took a step forward, the trapdoor above her head opened. Grace looked up.
Julian dropped through the hole and landed in a deadly crouch like some sleek predator. An aura of dangerous calm surrounded him, but it was his eyes that were terrifying. Snapping fire and hell-wrath, they focused on Rodney with murderous intent.
Then, slowly, methodically, Julian rose to his full height.
Rodney stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the size of Julian. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm the man she's been with."
Rodney's jaw dropped.
Julian passed a quick glance over Grace to assure himself she was safe and whole, and then he turned on Rodney with a roar.
He slung Rodney against the wall with such force, she was amazed it didn't leave a dent in the wooden panels.
Julian grabbed him by the shirt and held him against the wall.
When Julian spoke, the coldness of his voice sent a shiver over her. "It's a pity you're not big enough for me to kill, because I want you dead." He tightened his fist. "But little or not, if I ever find you near Grace again, if you ever cause her to shed another tear, there is no power on this earth or beyond that will keep me from crushing you. Do you understand?"
Rodney fought uselessly against his hold. "She's mine! I'll kill you if you come between us."
Julian cocked his head as if he couldn't believe his ears. "Are you insane?"
Rodney kicked Julian viciously in the stomach.
His eyes darkening, Julian slugged him hard against the jaw. Rodney crumpled to the floor.
As Julian knelt down by Rodney's side, Grace shook in relief. It was over.
"You better stay unconscious," Julian said ominously to Rodney.
Rising to his feet, Julian pulled her to him in a crushing embrace. "Are you okay, Grace?"
She couldn't breathe, but at the moment, she didn't care. "I'm fine, and you?"
"Better now that I know you're all right."
It was a few minutes later when the police finally pried open the door of the elevator, and Grace saw they were trapped between floors.
Julian lifted her from her waist as Grace took the policeman's extended hand and let him pull her up to the floor above them.
Once she was out of the elevator, she frowned at the three officers who were helping Julian with Rodney's unconscious body. "How did you know to be here?"
The older policeman stood back as the other two officers lifted Rodney's unconscious body out. "The emergency phone operator called us. She said it sounded like a war was going on in the elevator."
"It was," she said nervously.
"So, who do we handcuff?"
"The unconscious one."
While Grace waited for Julian to rejoin her, she noticed the darkness of the elevator shaft he had climbed down to reach her. The smallness of the space.
And she remembered the look on Julian's face the night she'd turned off the lights. The nervous look he'd had earlier when they rode the elevator up to her office.
Still, he had come for her.
Overwhelmed, she felt tears sting her eyes. He went through it to protect me.
As soon as he was out of the elevator car, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.
Julian trembled from the force of his emotions. He was so grateful she was alive and unhurt. Picking her up, he kissed her.
"No!"
Julian released her at the same moment Rodney kicked the policeman away from him. The handcuffs dangled off one of his wrists as he grabbed the policeman's gun and aimed.
His reactions honed by battle, Julian grabbed Grace and forced her to the left as the gun went off.
Rodney's shot missed them, but was followed by two more as the older officer opened fire on Rodney.
Grace tried to pull away. Julian refused to let her.
He kept her face against his chest as he saw Rodney die. "Don't look, Grace," he whispered. "There are some memories you don't need."