Chapter 9
GRANT
“ J ulia!” he screamed at the raging fire, his eyes wide with panic.
“I can’t get a hold of Alex to get an ETA on the police,” Alicia said, alarm lacing her voice.
Grant stared at the flames, his mind racing with fear and worry. The entire house seemed to be engulfed. Was she trapped inside? Was he already too late?
Despite the danger, his resolve hardened. The risk of losing Julia outweighed the peril. He couldn’t just stand by, he had to act. He had to do everything within his power to save her. A life without her was something he couldn’t face.
“I’m going to find her.”
“Grant!” Alicia called as he took a step toward the inferno.
“Whoa, that’s not a good idea. Let’s wait for fire rescue. They are the best ones to go in,” Ethan said, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
Grant yanked it free. “I’m going. You can’t stop me. I won’t let her die in there.”
“You could make things worse. You could get hurt or trapped. And you have no idea where she is. We need to wait,” Ethan said, placing himself between Grant and the house.
Sirens rang out through the night, growing ever closer. “They’re almost here. Don’t do something stupid.”
“Get out of my way,” Grant growled at him.
“Mr. Harrington,” James began, joining Ethan to block him.
“Damn it, James, get out of my way.”
“Sir–“
“Would you leave Sierra in there?!” he shouted.
James swallowed hard as he shook his head. “No. I’m coming with you.”
“No,” Grant argued. “You wait here. If something happens…Sierra will need you.”
“Good luck,” James said as he stood aside. Grant pushed past Ethan and ran toward the flames. The heat nearly drove him back, but his desperate desire to find Julia kept him moving forward.
He skidded to a stop when he reached the foyer. Flames danced all around him. He searched the smoky air for any sign of her. “Julia!”
He didn’t receive an answer. “Julia!”
The smoke clawed at his throat, making it raw as he choked out a cough. “Julia!”
He raced into the living room off the foyer, dropping to his knees as his eyes burned and stung. He searched for her. Was she lying unconscious somewhere? Was she tied to a chair like Kyle had been?
“Julia!” he choked out, crawling further into the room. He spotted nothing amidst the burning furniture.
He cursed under his breath as he climbed to his feet, throwing an arm across his mouth and nose and raced back to the foyer. He hovered, trying to decide if he should climb the stairs or head in the opposite direction.
He chose the other room, hoping she wasn’t up the stairs that were nearly consumed by flames. He scanned the space, the smoke so thick he could barely see through it. “Julia!”
His heart sank with every utterance of her name that didn’t produce a response. Tears stung his eyes as he stepped further into the room, desperate for any clue to her whereabouts.
“Julia!”
“Grant!” Her voice, strained and weak over the roaring flames, lifted his heart. She was alive.
“Julia!” he called to her again, straining to make sense of a location.
“Grant!” she shouted, sounding closer.
He twisted as he scanned the room in search of her. The smoke swirled near the entrance, and he moved toward it.
“Julia!” The relief in his voice shined through as he finally spotted her.
He cupped her face, his fingers trembling with relief and fear, and kissed her forehead, a silent prayer of thanks escaping his lips for finding her alive.
“Grant!” She flung her arms around his waist as she pressed closer to him.
He held her tightly again for a second before he said, “Let’s get out of here.”
“Right,” she said with a nod as she slid her hand into his and tugged him toward the door.
He followed her through the smoke into the foyer as the stairs collapsed in a flaming heap.
As they stumbled onto the porch, the cool night air felt like a balm against his scorched skin.
Each breath was a painful cough, a reminder of the smoke-filled lungs, yet the relief of escaping the inferno was overwhelming.
Stepping onto the stairs, a loud crash sounded behind them. The front door collapsed, barring any entrance or escape from the blazing inferno.
Police cruisers, fire trucks and ambulances barreled closer.
He wrapped an arm around her as he led her down to the grass below and pulled her closer to him, his voice laced with concern as he spoke. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, her breaths still shallow and labored, her eyes meeting his with a mix of fear and gratitude. “Why would you run into a burning building?”
“To save you,” he answered. “Julia, you’re everything to me. I had to find you.”
She clung to him, wrapping her arms tightly around him.
“Juju, thank God you’re okay,” Alicia said as she approached them. “I have never seen someone escape from a fire only to run back into it.”
Grant crinkled his brow. “What?”
“I was out. I climbed out of a window. Then I found you went inside.”
“And you ran in after me?” he asked.
She nodded, her arms still holding him tight.
“Why would you run into a burning building?” he asked.
“Same reason as you,” she answered.
“You two are crazy,” Alicia said. “And you both need to be checked out by the paramedics. Especially you, Juju. We have no idea how much smoke you inhaled.”
“Fine. Oh, and we should update Alex.”
“Sierra and Kyle probably think I ditched them,” Grant said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the waiting ambulance.
“No, I sent Alex over…I hope he’s still alive.” Her features pinched as she glanced up at him.
He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “Well, Kyle is still laid up, so there’s only one he’d have to fight off.”
“Don’t kid yourself. He’s got a fresh set of pain meds in him.”
The paramedics descended on them both, assessing vitals and providing oxygen. She tugged her oxygen mask away. “Ally, go back to the house and check on Alex, Sierra, and Kyle.”
“No, Juju, I’m going to the hospital with you.”
“I’m not going to the hospital,” Julia argued.
“Yes, you are,” Grant answered. “You were just in a fire. You need to get checked out.”
She frowned at him. “Are you going to the hospital?”
“I…will go with you.”
“I’m not going. I’m fine,” Julia said as she rose.
“You’re going if I have to handcuff you to the gurney,” Alicia answered. “Both of you.”
She jabbed a finger at the bed. “Now, sit down.”
Julia heaved a sigh as she plopped onto the bed, pulling the blanket tighter around her. “I just want to go home.”
“We’ll call the kids on the way. I’ll ride with you. Ethan, you go with Grant.”
“I’ll check on them when I go back to the house before I head to the hospital to pick you up,” James offered.
“Wait, he can’t drive both cars,” Julia protested. “We’ll just drive ourselves to the hospital.”
“You’ll sit down right there. We will get the car later,” Alicia said. “The faster you give in, the faster you’ll be home.”
With a sigh, Julia let her head fall back against the bed. She shot Grant a pleading glance as they loaded her into the back of the ambulance. With a wave, they closed the doors on her.
He hated being away from her after what had just happened, but he’d see her again at the hospital. Until then, he eyed his riding partner.
“You don’t have to go with me, Ethan,” he said.
“Uh, I’d really rather not drive in anything even remotely close to a city, so this is fine.”
Grant shifted on the bed as the ambulance started its trek to the hospital. “So, uh, how are things going with Alicia?”
“Hoping to get her out of your hair soon?” Ethan asked with a half-laugh.
“No,” he lied. The relationship between him and Alicia was difficult, but she’d been helpful on several occasions, including the search for his son and the protection of his wife. “Honestly, no. She…hasn’t been that bad. Just a few…arguments.”
“Yeah, Alicia’s…tough.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
Ethan pressed his lips together. “We’re still working on things. It seems like your marriage to Julia is going well. Alicia told me you two are together…like really together.”
Grant nodded, his tension ramping up. His marriage to Julia wasn’t a popular topic with the Whitmores. “Yeah. Yes. We, uh, are. I love her very much. She changed my life.”
Ethan shot his eyebrows up. “Wow, that’s…I’m not sure I changed Alicia’s life.”
“You don’t have the track record I do,” Grant said with a chuckle. “I’m lucky Julia stuck with me.”
Ethan huffed out a laugh. “That we can agree on. Julia is…a catch. She’s a sweet woman.”
Grant furrowed his brow at the man’s reaction to her.
“Oh, uh, don’t go getting jealous. She’s like my little sister. I…only have eyes for Alicia.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then you need to fight for her.”
“Yeah? Do you have any tips?”
“No,” Grant said with a shake of his head. “I barely made it through with Julia. She almost left me before I told her how I felt. And then she said no.”
“Wow, really? Was it Luke? Hey, I’m really sorry about what happened in Harbor Cove–”
“No, no, that’s…it’s all in the past. And no, it wasn’t Luke. It was me. But I knew she was the woman for me. And I fought for her.”
Ethan puckered his lips, bobbing his head up and down. “Well, I guess I have my work cut out for me.”
“Hey, I’ve got a cabin a few hours from here. Why don’t you take Alicia up there for a few days and spend some time together.”
“Man, you really want her out of the house, huh?”
“Not at all,” Grant said. “With everything going on, I actually prefer to have two people who carry guns in the house. But…I also know Julia’s worried about you both. I’d like to help.”
“I appreciate that. Uh, I’ll talk to Alicia–”
“If you love her, just take her. Sweep her off her feet.”
“Is that what you did with Julia?”