Chapter 58 – Family Conversations
Dunphy House – Los Angeles, California
The atmosphere in the Dunphy house was a mix of relief, curiosity, and a certain quiet tension. Everyone was there: Mitchell, Cam, Lily, Jay, Gloria, Manny, Joe, Claire, Phil, Hailey, Alex, Luke… the whole family, gathered after the news of what had happened that night.
Hailey, Alex, and Luke wasted no time in telling everyone about the tense situation they'd experienced and how Grant had dealt with the robbers quickly, accurately, and completely surreally.
Grant was sitting on the couch, drinking a bottle of water, looking relaxed—but he knew he wouldn't escape the questions.
And he was right.
"So… can you explain to us exactly what happened?" Claire asked, crossing her arms and looking at him with that stern, maternal expression.
Grant sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to avoid it.
"We were leaving when we saw a robbery. There were four guys, all armed with automatic rifles. They were running toward the getaway car. I told Hailey, Alex, and Luke to hide, drew my gun, and ordered them to stop. They didn't stop. They started shooting, so I did what I had to do."
"What did you have to do?" Mitchell asked, raising his eyebrows.
Grant shrugged.
"Neutralized the threat."
"You mean you shot them?!" Cam exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Not exactly. They shot first."
"And you shot back," Jay said, his voice steady and unsurprised.
Grant looked at his grandfather and simply nodded.
Jay took a deep breath, staring at his grandson for a long moment before murmuring,
"Good job."
Gloria's eyes widened and she looked at Jay.
"Jay!"
"What? He saved lives!"
"Yeah, but he could have died!"
"He knew what he was doing."
As Jay and Gloria debated the danger Grant faced, Hailey finally intervened.
"Look, I don't know anything about weapons or combat, but I know if Grant hadn't been there, we could have been dead or—I don't know—held hostage. So… thanks?"
She looked at Grant, who just smiled slightly and shrugged.
"It was nothing."
Alex still looked shocked.
"It was nothing? Grant, that was insane! You reacted like one of those guys in an action movie!"
"It wasn't like a movie," Grant corrected. "It was real."
Luke, who had been silent until then, finally spoke.
"It was the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life!"
Claire immediately turned to him.
"Luke!"
"What? It was!"
Mitchell ran his hand over his face.
"Okay, let's recap. Four guys with guns, automatic rifles, and you alone with a pistol—and you still won? How?"
Grant stared at him, expressionless.
"Training."
The silence in the room grew.
Jay nodded, understanding exactly what Grant meant.
Mitchell, however, didn't look satisfied.
"What kind of training exactly?"
Grant knew where this was going.
He took a deep breath before answering, as vaguely as possible:
"What's necessary."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I can give."
Mitchell frowned, but before he could continue, Phil interrupted.
"But the police let you go, right? You're not in trouble or anything?"
Grant nodded.
"Everything's legal. Carrying a gun, justified use of force. It's all good."
Jay smiled.
"That's what happens when you do things right."
"Well, I still think it was dangerous," Gloria said, shaking her head.
"Of course it was," Grant agreed. "But I did what I had to do."
Hailey crossed her arms and looked at him.
"And are you okay? Like, emotionally?"
Grant stared at her for a moment before giving a small smile.
"I've been through worse."
"That doesn't answer the question."
Grant sighed.
"I'm fine, Hailey. Really."
Hailey watched him for a moment before finally nodding.
— "Okay. But if you need to talk, you know we're here, right?"
— "I know."
Phil smiled and clapped his hands.
— "Well, at least we know that if we ever need a bodyguard, we have one in the family!"
Everyone laughed, but they knew Grant wasn't joking.
He wasn't just a bodyguard.
He was a former member of the Delta Force.
And that night was just another day in the life of him.
Chapter 59 – Uncovered
Los Angeles, California
Grant wasn't a man who liked to attract attention. He'd spent years operating in the shadows, doing what needed to be done without expecting recognition or applause. But now… that had changed.
Videos of the shooting began circulating on social media before Grant even arrived home that night. Someone on the street recorded everything, from the moment Grant drew his gun and ordered the criminals to stop, to the exact moment he returned fire with lethal precision.
The images were stunning.
His demeanor, his absolute calm amidst the chaos, the accurate shots that took down the four assailants without him getting a single scratch.
What began as a video posted on a security and tactics forum quickly spread to Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. And then… the newspapers picked up the story.
Grant Tucker-Pritchett was no longer an anonymous man.
Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker Family Home
The TV was tuned to CNN.
Mitchell and Cam sat on the couch, staring open-mouthed at the screen as an anchor commented:
"The man seen in the footage has been identified as Grant Tucker-Pritchett, a former elite United States military officer. According to sources, he is a former member of the notorious and highly classified Delta Force, having served on numerous top-secret missions around the world."
Mitchell felt his heart race.
"Damn. This is not good."
Cam covered his mouth with his hand in disbelief.
"They know he was Delta? But how?"
The answer came quickly, as the TV image switched to a video from 2020.
It was Sergeant Major Thomas Payne's Medal of Honor ceremony.
And there was Grant.
Standing in his dress uniform, alongside other Delta Force operators.
The narrator continued:
"While the identities of Delta Force operators are traditionally protected, Grant was seen at the Medal of Honor award ceremony for then-Sergeant Major Thomas Payne, an event broadcast live from the White House. This led military analysts and former members of the special operations community to confirm that Grant served with Delta before his retirement."
Cam looked at Mitchell, his eyes wide.
"Is this bad, Mitch?"
Mitchell ran a hand over his face.
"This is terrible, Cam."
Jay and Gloria's House
Jay held a glass of whiskey, watching the news with an unreadable look.
Gloria stood beside him, her arms crossed.
"Jay… is this dangerous?"
Jay took a deep breath, thinking.
"Grant is no longer in the military. He's no longer under government control. But now he's a target."
Gloria frowned.
"Target?"
Jay turned to her, serious.
"Terrorists. Groups that hate the US. Criminals who want to prove themselves. When a guy like him makes the news, there's always someone wanting to test if he's really all that."
Gloria swallowed hard.
"But he didn't do anything wrong."
Jay laughed humorlessly.
"The world doesn't care about that."
Claire and Phil's House
Phil was in the kitchen, making a sandwich, when he heard a scream coming from the living room.
"OH MY GOD!"
It was Alex.
Phil ran into the living room, finding Alex holding her phone, eyes wide.
Hailey and Luke were beside her, equally shocked.
"What is it?" Phil asked, concerned.
Alex turned the phone toward him.
On the screen, Twitter was ablaze with posts about Grant.
"He's everywhere, Dad," Alex said, still shocked. "Some people are calling him a hero, some people are saying he's a killer, and some people are asking how to hire him as a private security guard."
Phil picked up his phone and looked at the screen.
"Wow… That's really…"
Hailey added:
"Intense?"
Luke smiled.
"Amazing!"
Claire, who had been listening from the hallway, walked into the living room with her arms crossed.
"We need to talk to him."
Grant's Apartment
The phone wouldn't stop ringing.
Texts, calls, emails…
Grant was leaning against the couch, staring at the TV, where his own face was plastered across the news.
He knew this could happen. But not so soon.
The phone rang again.
He answered.
"Grant?"
It was Claire.
— "Hi, Claire."
— "Are you seeing this?"
— "Yes."
There was silence on the other end of the line before Claire sighed.
— "Are you okay?"
Grant smiled slightly.
— "I am. But I think my life just got a little more complicated."
Claire sighed again.
— "Do you want to come over? The whole family wants to talk to you."
Grant thought for a moment before answering.
— "I'm coming."
He grabbed his jacket, clipped his gun into its concealed holster, and walked out the door.
After all, if he was going to face this… he'd rather do it with his family by his side.
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