Stolen Honor Chapter 05
By the time Denise reached the rooftop, she was too late. She lunged forward, desperately reaching for Graham as he went over the edge.
Her fingers closed on empty air. She could only watch as Graham vanished from sight.
Bracing herself against the rooftop railing, Denise looked down and let out a heart-wrenching scream.
“Graham!”
But there was no one left to answer her.
She raced downstairs just as Graham’s parents, Eddy and Faith Rodriguez, arrived with Lily. All three froze at the scene before them.
Denise collapsed to her knees in the pool of blood. She reached out with trembling hands, desperate to hold Graham one last time, even if it was only his body.
Sadly, there was no body left to hold. The fall from more than three hundred feet had left behind nothing but a spreading pool of blood and shattered bone.
Eddy and Faith stared in disbelief at the carnage. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t reconcile the scene before them with the son they knew.
The little boy who’d been thoughtful beyond his years, washing dishes and helping cook from the time he was five just to lighten the family’s load.
The son who never forgot a birthday, always making sure they had a present every year.
The son who started working part-time in high school because he never wanted to be a financial burden.
The son who barely made enough money himself, yet still bought them clothes and vitamins every month.
Was he really gone?
Faith threw herself over the bloodstained concrete, sobbing so hard she could barely force the words out.
“Graham, don’t do this to me. I know I was wrong.
“You wanted the same sneakers as August? I’ll buy them for you. You wanted enchiladas? I’ll make them whenever you want.
“You wanted to go to the police academy? I’ll pay for it. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.
“Please, Graham, come back. Just come back and look at me one more time.”
August arrived several minutes later. The sight of Denise and his parents kneeling there like they’d lost their minds filled him with sudden resentment. Even in death, Graham still had to compete with him.
Why did everyone care so much about a dead man?
August walked over, picked up Lily, and frowned at the others. “Mom, Dad, why would you bring Lily somewhere scary like this? She’s just a kid.
“Lily, don’t be scared. Daddy’s taking you for fried chicken.”
Lily sank her teeth into August’s arm. Crying, she shoved him away. “There’s nothing scary about this place! My daddy’s here.
“You’re not my daddy! Graham Rodriguez is my real daddy! You’re the bad guy! You killed my daddy!”
August yanked his arm back with a hiss of pain. He glared at Lily, a chill creeping through him. He’d been the one raising Lily all these years, yet she still couldn’t let go of her real father.
So much for raising someone else’s kid.
August turned to Denise, his face dark with irritation. “Denise, look at her. If we don’t get this behavior under control now, she’s going to grow up to be a criminal just like her father.”
