CHAPTER FIVE #2
Tanya moved away from them and sat down in a seat near the cockpit. She’d barely buckled her seatbelt when the plane jerked into motion.
Angela gripped the arms of her seat, trying to prepare herself for the next few minutes. She didn’t know if she had a fear of flying, but she had a feeling she was about to find out.
“It’ll be fine, Angie,” Kiara said, her hand landing on top of Angela’s. She gave Angela a reassuring smile as she squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry.”
Famous last words. Angela had a tendency to worry, and in her mind, there was good reason to worry about her current situation.
She took a deep breath as she looked away from Kiara, only to find Jude watching her with a furrowed brow.
“Kiara is right,” Jude said, his low voice gentle and almost lost to the sudden roar of the plane’s engines. “It’ll be fine.”
Angela nodded, then took a quick breath as the plane gathered speed. All too soon, it catapulted down the runway. When the plane lifted into the air, Angela could have sworn she had left her stomach on earth.
She closed her eyes, then opened them again when she felt Kiara lean across her. Automatically, she turned to see what Kiara was looking at. And wished she hadn’t.
The earth was dropping away from them at an alarming rate, and Angela felt as if her connection to everything she’d ever known was disappearing as quickly.
Kiara, however, was entranced by the view, remarking on how incredible it was. She had always been the more adventurous of the two of them.
Angela closed her eyes and tried to imagine being anywhere but on that plane, winging its way across the country to where her family waited. Would it be her new home?
No one had mentioned specifically what would happen once they got there. Would they have a home of their own? Would she and Kiara be able to find jobs nearby?
“I’m actually going to sit over there,” Kiara said, making Angela open her eyes to see what was going on.
The attendant stood next to their seats with a tray in her hands.
“Why are you moving?” Angela asked.
“I want to sit next to the window,” Kiara said as she undid her belt. “Plus, I’d like to read while I eat.”
Angela didn’t try to keep her from moving. She just watched as Kiara settled into a seat that was a short distance in front of the area where Angela sat on the opposite side of the plane.
Tanya showed Kiara how to lift a tray into position before she set her drink on it. Looking at Jude, Angela saw him doing something similar.
She felt totally out of her element as she struggled to get her own tray into position.
“Here, let me help you.” Jude had moved his tray and removed his seat belt and was now down on one knee in front of her.
With practiced ease, he had her tray out of the armrest and lowered into position in front of her. He gave her a quick smile as he got back to his feet and returned to his seat.
“Thank you,” she said. Both to him and to Tanya, who held out her cup of coffee.
Angela took a tentative sip of the hot beverage, her eyes widening as the taste of it filled her mouth. She and Kiara were both coffee drinkers, but they’d always settled for the cheapest brand they could find.
This was clearly not the brand they usually used. That had a bitterness to it that never completely disappeared after the first sip, even if she added some chocolate milk to it.
This one, however, had a more balanced taste and a velvety feel. And the flavor was incredible, with distinct notes that she’d never tasted in coffee before.
If this was the type of coffee she was going to get to drink as a result of being part of the Burke family, Angela had just found the first positive of her life’s upheaval.
“This is amazing,” Angela said as she watched Jude pick up his cup. “I’ve never tasted anything like it.”
The skin at the corners of Jude’s eyes crinkled as he smiled, softening his stern expression. He took a sip from his mug, then said, “Duncan insists on having the best coffee available anywhere he might drink it.”
“I can see why he’d want that.”
Tanya returned with large plates containing their breakfasts.
When Tanya set a plate down in front of her, Angela stared down at the plate in wonder.
Fluffy scrambled eggs, perfectly crispy bacon, golden hash browns, and fresh fruit artfully arranged on fine china.
It was more elaborate than any breakfast she'd ever been served, and certainly more elegant than anything she'd ever made for herself and Kiara.
"This looks incredible," she murmured, picking up the heavy silverware.
"Once again, only the best,” Jude said. “Duncan would have wanted you to have a delicious meal on the trip to Idaho. You’ll find that his motivation for most things is what is best for his family.”
Angela didn’t know how that would relate to her, but she had a feeling it was important since Jude had mentioned it. The man had dropped little tidbits here and there about life in Idaho, mainly about Duncan and the other members of the family.
She’d tucked away the bits of knowledge, assuming they’d come in handy at some point. But while the man had been willing to share information about the Burke family with her, he hadn’t shared much about himself.
“You said that you live on the estate,” she began. At his nod, she continued, “Does your family live with you?”
He froze with his forkful of scrambled eggs halfway to his mouth. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he said, “No. My only family is my mom and her kids, and they don’t live in Idaho.”
Angela couldn’t explain why she felt so relieved when he revealed he wasn’t married. That didn’t mean he didn’t have a significant other, however.
It shouldn’t matter, but she found herself curious about the details of his personal life in a way that surprised her. She figured it had to do with him being the one connection between her old life and new.
He also knew so much about her, it only felt fair to balance that out with her knowing about him. But realistically, she knew she was looking for a distraction.
"What about you?" Jude asked, turning the question back on her. "Any significant relationships you're leaving behind in Briar Hollow? Although I guess it’s probably a little late to be asking about that."
Angela felt heat creep up her neck. "No. There’s not. I've never really… I mean, there isn't anyone I’m really close to. Just Kiara." She took a bite of the eggs, hoping to hide her embarrassment behind the act of eating.
The eggs were as delicious as everything else on the plate, but she barely tasted them as she waited for Jude's response.
"That's probably for the best," he said simply. "It would have made this transition more complicated."
Angela glanced over at Kiara, who was absorbed in her book while she ate, completely oblivious to the conversation happening behind her.
"Can I ask you something?" Angela said, setting down her fork.
Jude nodded, his gaze focused on her with an intensity that made her stomach flutter.
"Why you? I mean, why did Duncan send you specifically to meet with us?"
Jude was quiet for a long moment, and Angela wondered if she'd overstepped somehow. Then he leaned back in his seat, his expression thoughtful.
"I've been with the family for a long time," he said finally. "Duncan trusts me to handle sensitive situations. And meeting with you… that was one of the most important things he's ever asked me to do.”
“When did you first meet them?”
“My dad took a job working on the security team for the family in New York when I was around nine years old. At the time, Duncan was still married to Jill, your mom. They only had Julian when Dad first started working for them, but a couple of years later, you and Annie arrived.”
“So you knew me back then.”
Jude nodded. “I was almost fifteen when you were kidnapped, and I saw the huge toll it took on everyone. Duncan fired the man who’d been the head of his security team and promoted my dad to the position. It was the one he held until he died when I was twenty.”
“And then you took over?”
Jude shook his head. “No. I didn’t have enough experience for that. But Duncan kept me on and gave me every opportunity to gain the knowledge and experience I would need to one day lead the team myself. I’ve been in charge of the family’s security for around eight years now.”
That explained a lot to Angela. It did give her a bit of pause, however. If there was a time when Jude had to choose what she wanted or what Duncan wanted, which way would he go? Something told her that his decision would not be in her favor.
She’d already sensed that he was devoted to his job and to the Burke family, but now she had confirmation of it.
With his latest revelation about his life, she’d come to realize that Jude was at least eleven years older than her.
“Angela?”
She blinked as she realized she’d zoned out thinking about the man seated across from her. “Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
Angela felt her cheeks warm. "Sorry, I was just thinking about everything you told me." She took another sip of her coffee, using the moment to gather her thoughts. "It's a lot to process."
"I imagine it is." Jude's voice carried a gentleness that made something in her chest tighten. "If you have other questions, I'm happy to answer them."
She wanted to ask him more—about himself, about what it had been like growing up with her family, about what he thought of her. But the words stuck in her throat, familiar hesitation holding her back.
"What are they like?" she asked instead. He’d told her bits and pieces about all of them, but she wanted more. Even though it was overwhelming. "Duncan and… and the others?"
Jude set down his coffee cup, considering her question. "Duncan’s a good man. He's made mistakes, but he loves his family fiercely. After you were taken, he never stopped looking for you. Never stopped hoping you'd come home."
The words hit her harder than she expected. She'd always assumed that her parents had been glad to let her go. That they had probably forgotten her as soon as Jim and Sandra had taken her. And yet, the opposite had been true.
All this time, she’d had people who would have loved and cared for her. Protected her.
"Annie is probably the one you'll connect with most easily," Jude continued. "She's got a gentle spirit, kind of like you.”
Angela hadn’t spent much time thinking about Annie. Her twin. The person who’d been returned to live her life in the lap of luxury, with a father who loved and treated her well. While Angela had ended up with the opposite.
“And Julian?”
“Oh.” Jude frowned. “Well, Julian is… complicated. He rebelled against his father’s attempts to protect him. He indulges in alcohol and women a bit too much for Duncan’s liking.”
It was weird to think that these people who were related to her were total strangers. She hoped that they liked her… and that she liked them too.
If they didn’t, she had no idea what she’d do with her life now that she’d fled Briar Hollow.