CHAPTER FOUR #2
Angela shrugged. “I’m not going to say it’s wrong to make some preparation. I mean, there are catastrophes that happen where people might benefit from having stockpiled food and water. Like storms. And I think it’s a good idea to know how to plant a garden and be somewhat self-sufficient.”
“But he takes it too far,” Kiara said. “He’s preparing to protect what he’s stockpiled. In addition to the weapons, he’s built walls around the homestead, and parts of the property are booby-trapped.”
Jude’s brows lifted at that revelation. So, it appeared that going after Jim was going to take some careful planning.
“Is there anything you can tell me about the woman in the photo?” Angela asked, clearly done with the discussion about Jim and his weapons.
Jude still had questions, but he was willing to put them aside for the time being. “Let me make a phone call to see how they want to move forward.”
“We’ll let you have the room for the call,” Kiara said.
Angela looked from Jude to Kiara, then the two of them stood up. “Um… come get us when you’re done.”
Jude also got to his feet. “Will do.”
He watched as Kiara led Angela from the room. As the door closed behind them, he pulled out his phone.
He spent a moment gathering his thoughts about everything he’d learned from the two women. None of it was a total surprise.
It made sense that Jim and Sandra would create a life for themselves and Angelica that was out of the public eye. Had he considered that the pair would turn into weapon’s stockpilers preparing for the end of the world? No, that definitely hadn’t crossed his mind.
But everything Angela and Kiara had shared revealed a level of paranoia that made sense for someone who had kidnapped a wealthy man’s children and only returned one of them, and then absconded with a million dollars of his money.
Turning his attention to his phone, he placed the call to Duncan, then walked over to the narrow windows that looked out on the small patch of grass that lay between the library and the building next to it.
Duncan answered on the first ring. "How did it go?"
"It's her," Jude said without preamble. "No question about it. The resemblance to Annie is remarkable."
The silence on the other end stretched for several seconds before Duncan's voice came through, thick with emotion. "Are you certain?"
"Absolutely. We have the DNA sample, but I don't need it for confirmation. She has some of the same mannerisms, the same eyes."
"How is she?" Duncan's voice was low and full of emotion.
Jude turned away from the window, his jaw tightening as he considered how to answer. "Physically, she appears healthy. Emotionally…" He paused, choosing his words carefully. "She's been through a lot, Duncan. Jim and Sandra—Jim especially—weren't kind to her."
"Tell me."
"Not over the phone. But I will say this—she and another adopted daughter managed to escape the homestead two years ago, though they didn’t get far.
They're living in a basement apartment in Briar Hollow, not far from the homestead.
Sandra is dead, but Jim and his adopted son are still harassing them to return. "
Duncan's sharp intake of breath was audible. "Are they in immediate danger?"
"Hard to say. The threats seem to be for intimidation rather than actual physical violence." Jude ran a hand through his hair. "There's something else you need to know. Jim Reynolds apparently has turned into a survivalist.”
“A survivalist?”
"It sounds like he’s gone completely off-grid. He's stockpiled weapons and food, built walls around the property, and, according to Angela, booby-trapped parts of it. He's preparing for some kind of apocalyptic scenario."
Duncan was quiet for a long moment. "That explains why he's managed to stay hidden for so long. And why our investigators never found any trace of them."
"It also makes approaching him directly more complicated," Jude said, his voice grim. "We need to be strategic about this."
"What's your assessment of Angelica's state of mind? Is she ready to learn the truth?"
Jude considered the question carefully, picturing Angela's guarded posture, the way she seemed to look to Kiara for support.
"She seems… fragile, but I suspect she’s stronger than she comes across. It seems that she’s been conditioned to expect the worst, but I think there's still hope in her. The fact that she reached out at all tells me that at least a part of her wants to find her family."
"And the other young woman? Kiara?"
"Protective of Angela. Fiercely so, actually. I doubt Angela would go anywhere without her,” Jude said. “And honestly, I don't think she should have to. From everything they said, they've been each other's lifeline."
"I wouldn’t ask her to leave Kiara behind." Duncan's voice softened. "If Angelica considers her family, then she is family. What do you recommend for the next step?"
Jude moved back to the window, catching a brief glimpse of people passing by on the sidewalk at the front of the building. "We need to move carefully. Angela's been hurt by the people who were supposed to protect her.”
“And let down by people who loved her but didn’t protect her,” Duncan said, a sad edge to his voice.
“I don’t think she’ll blame you for what happened.” Though in all honesty, Jude didn’t know for sure how she’d react to the revelations about her past.
“Do you think they’d be willing to leave the area? Permanently?” Duncan asked. “If they seem willing to leave their lives there, go ahead and tell them who we are.”
“And if they’re not?” Jude prompted.
Duncan sighed. “I don’t really even want to contemplate that.”
"I'll find out," Jude promised. "But I think we need to consider our approach to Jim Reynolds as well. If what Angela and Kiara say is true, he's potentially more dangerous than we realized."
"I agree. We'll need to involve law enforcement eventually, but I want to get Angelica safely away first." Duncan's voice hardened. "I've waited twenty-four years to get my daughter back. I won't risk losing her again."
"Understood." Jude watched as a few snowflakes began to drift past the window, dropping out of the gray clouds that hung heavy in the sky. "I'll call you after I speak with them again."
"Thank you, Jude." The gratitude in Duncan's voice was palpable. "For everything."
After ending the call, Jude took a moment to collect himself. There was a lot of emotion in the situation as a whole, and not just for Duncan and his family.
Jude’s thoughts turned to his dad. He’d prayed every day that they would find the “little angel,” as he’d called her. And Jude had continued with that prayer even after his dad’s death.
Though his dad hadn’t been the head of security at the time of the kidnapping, he’d still felt responsible since he’d been part of the security team. Who would have thought that it would take twenty-four years to finally get Angelica—Angela—back?
As positive as this was for Duncan, the weight of what he was about to do—potentially upending Angela's entire understanding of her life—settled heavily on Jude’s shoulders. But there was no gentle way to deliver this kind of news.
He found Angela and Kiara sitting at a table in the reading area, heads bent close together in hushed conversation. They looked up simultaneously as he approached, their expressions a mixture of hope and apprehension.
"Can you both come back to the study room?" he asked quietly.
They followed him without question, and once they were seated, Jude closed the door firmly behind them.
"I spoke with my employer," he began carefully, sitting across from them. "And I need to ask you both something important before we proceed further.”
“Okay…” Kiara said, suspicion on her face.
"If the DNA test confirms what we believe," Jude said, "would you be willing to leave Briar Hollow? Permanently?"
Angela's eyes widened, and she glanced at Kiara, who leaned forward with interest.
"Leave?" Angela repeated, her voice soft with apprehension. "You mean… just me? Or us together?"
"Together," Jude confirmed, noting how her first concern was for her sister. "Both of you."
Kiara's expression brightened immediately. "Where would we go?"
"Idaho," Jude said, watching Angela's reaction closely. "To a private estate where you would be safe."
"Idaho?" Angela's brow furrowed. "That's… far."
"That's the point," Jude said gently. "Distance from Jim Reynolds would be beneficial, don't you think?"
Angela wrapped her arms around herself, her shoulders hunching. "But our jobs… our apartment…"
"Those can be replaced," Kiara said, squeezing Angela's arm. "Angie, this could be our chance. Remember our plan? Getting away from here for good?"
"I know, but…" Angela's voice trailed off as she stared down at the table.
Jude leaned forward slightly. "Angela, I understand this is overwhelming. But I need to be honest with you now about why we're here."
She looked up, those blue-green eyes filled with wariness and a flicker of fear. "What do you mean?"
Jude took a steadying breath. There was no easy way to say this. "The woman in the photograph—her name is Annalisa. Annie. She's not just someone who looks like you. She's your twin sister."
Angela's face went completely white. Kiara's hand flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp.
"My… my twin?" Angela's voice was barely audible. “We wondered if that was possible, but we couldn’t figure out why we weren’t kept together.”
"There’s a reason for that,” Jude said, hating that he had to completely upend her belief about her past. “Twenty-four years ago, you and Annie were kidnapped from your family's home in upstate New York by your nanny and her husband, a member of the security team.
A ransom was paid, and Annie was returned to the family.
You…" Jude's voice gentled. "You were never found. "
The silence in the small room was deafening. Angela sat frozen, staring at him as if he'd spoken in a foreign language.
"That's impossible," she whispered finally. "Jim said my birth parents couldn't take care of me. That they were… that they were bad people."
"Jim Reynolds lied to you." Jude's voice carried quiet conviction. "Your birth father is Duncan Burke. He's spent the last twenty-four years searching for you. Your family never stopped looking, never stopped hoping to one day find you."
Tears spilled down Angela's cheeks. "I don't… I can't…"
Kiara moved closer, wrapping her arms around Angela's shoulders. "It's okay, Angie. Breathe."
Jude could see that Angela's hands were shaking as she pressed them against her mouth as if trying to hold back sobs. The revelation had obviously taken her totally off-guard.
He fought the urge to offer her comfort, knowing it wasn’t his place. Plus, Kiara was there for her.
"I was… I was stolen?" The words came out broken, fractured by the weight of understanding. "You're saying that Jim… that Jim kidnapped me?"
"Yes." Jude kept his voice steady, hoping to help calm her. "Along with your nanny."
"Sandra was our nanny?" The words came out strangled. Angela pressed a hand to her chest. "But she… she was my mother."
"She was the woman who raised you," Jude corrected gently. "But she wasn't your mother. You were taken from your family, who loved you deeply. Who has never stopped loving you."
"But Jim said…" Angela's voice cracked. "He said they didn't want me. That they couldn't take care of me properly."
"He lied." Jude's voice carried a gentle firmness. "Everything he told you about your birth family was a lie designed to keep you from questioning your situation or trying to find them."
Kiara wrapped her arms around Angela, her own eyes bright with unshed tears. "Angie, this is good news. This means you have a family out there who wants you."
Angela pulled back slightly, looking at Kiara with panic in her eyes. "But what about you? If I have a real family, where does that leave you?"
"Hey." Kiara cupped Angela's face in her hands. "You're my sister, no matter what. That doesn't change."
Jude watched the exchange, struck by the depth of their bond. "Kiara would be welcome as well. Your father—Duncan—made that very clear. He understands that family isn't just about blood."
Angela's breathing was still coming in short, panicked bursts. "But why would they do this? Why would Jim and Sandra take me away from my family?"
"Money," Jude said simply. "Your father is a wealthy man. They demanded a ransom of a million dollars for the return of both you and your sister."
"But they only returned Annie," Kiara said, her brow furrowing. “If they only wanted the money, why would they keep Angie?”
“We think the money was for Jim, and you were for Sandra.”
Jude could see how lost Angela felt at the news and wished he could do something to help her.
She called to the part of him that made him so good at his job.
His desire to protect. He wanted to shield her from the pain this revelation was causing her, but there was nothing he could do. She needed to have this information.
“We believe that they used the money to establish their homestead,” Jude continued. “By staying off the grid and isolating them and you, they made it difficult for us to trace them.”
Angela shook her head, tears still streaming down her face. "All these years… I thought no one wanted me. That I should be grateful that Jim and Sandra took me in."
"That's what they wanted you to believe," Jude said, his voice softening. "It made you easier to control." Jude hesitated, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Would you like to see some photos? Of your family?"
Angela stared at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly.
Jude opened an album of images Duncan had sent him and passed the phone to her. "That's your father, Duncan Burke. Your twin sister, Annie. Your brother, Julian. Your stepmother, Elizabeth, and your half-brother, Benjamin.”
“And my birth mother?” Angela asked as she stared down at the phone.
“She left your dad when Annie was around five years old.” Jude hesitated to reveal more.
It wasn’t his place to give those details, but Angela deserved to know at least a little about the woman who had given birth to her.
“She had a hard time with the fact that they hadn’t been able to find you.
Jill will be very happy to hear that you’re alive and well. ”
Jude wasn’t sure how that reunion would go, but really, at the end of the day, all that mattered was getting her back to the safety of Duncan’s estate.
That was his job. And even though he felt emotionally invested in what was happening with Angela, his only responsibilities were to secure her safety and get her back to her family.