CHAPTER EIGHT
Jude pushed back from his desk and got to his feet. Grabbing his leather jacket from the back of his chair, he shrugged it on, then left his office.
“I’m going to the main house,” he said to the members of the team present in the security room.
Duncan had summoned him a short time ago, and Jude figured it had something to do with Angela and Kiara. They’d been there for just twenty-four hours, and Jude was a bit surprised that it had taken Duncan this long to call him for a meeting.
The cold air greeted him like a slap in the face as he left the security building. He strode across the distance between it and the main house, feeling no need to linger in the fresh air.
As he approached the back door, Jude wondered if he’d get the chance to see Angela. He wanted to know how she was adjusting to life there in Idaho, but things had shifted between them with their arrival at the estate.
He was no longer responsible for everything where she and Kiara were concerned. Now that she was back with her family, Jude was only responsible for her safety.
“Good morning, Jude,” Duncan said when Jude reached his office.
Jude returned the greeting as he took his usual seat across the desk from the man. He wanted to ask how Angela was but bit his tongue. Duncan would tell him what he wanted Jude to know.
Duncan leaned back in his chair, fingers laced across his stomach. “I figured we need to have a discussion about Angelica and Kiara.”
Jude nodded. “Is everything going okay so far?”
While he might have wanted specifics on Angela, he’d settle for some general info.
“It’s an adjustment,” Duncan said, his brow furrowing. “For all of us.”
“I’m sure that’s true.”
“I hope that I’m handling this correctly for everyone, but there are some things we need to get going on, regardless.” Duncan sat forward and flipped open a file on his desk. “I’ve made a list of all the things we need to do for the two of them.”
Jude took the paper that Duncan held out to him and read it over.
Set up bank accounts
Set them up with health insurance
Get them driver’s licenses
Set up security for them
Training for personal defense
Weapons training
Not everything on the list was Jude’s responsibility, but several of the items were.
“I want you to take charge of helping them learn to drive, in addition to the security training,” Duncan said. “Oh yes, I also want new phones for both of them with all the same apps you put on Annalisa and Benjamin’s.”
“And the trackers too?”
Duncan hesitated before he nodded. “Yes. For now, anyway. Until we have a better handle on Reynolds and his intentions.”
Because his job was making sure the members of the Burke family were always safe, Jude believed in utilizing whatever was necessary to keep them that way.
And while he felt that Annie and Benji were pretty well equipped to participate in keeping themselves safe, the same couldn’t be said for Angela and Kiara. At least not yet.
“I want you to put Angelica and Kiara through everything Annalisa and Benjamin have been through. In fact, it might be good to put those two through a refresher as well.”
Jude nodded. It would probably be good for Angela and Kiara to see Annie doing what he was asking of them. Just to show them that all family members went through the same training.
“Do you have any concerns I’ve missed?” Duncan asked.
“What is your plan with regards to Angela and Kiara long-term?” Jude asked.
Duncan tapped his pen on the desk. “I’d like for Angelica to stay here on the estate.”
“And Kiara?”
“I hope she stays as well. We need to consider her as part of the family,” Duncan said, surprising Jude just a bit. “Clearly, she’s been there for Angelica when we couldn’t be. In Angelica’s eyes, she’s her family more than we are.”
Jude agreed with that assessment, and he was glad that Duncan himself had seen that. It was good that the man hadn’t been so blinded by Angela’s return that he didn’t take into consideration the life and relationships she’d built over the past twenty-four years.
“Will you build a place for them?” Jude asked.
He had a cabin of his own, as did Annie. And he had a feeling that since they’d struck out on their own in Briar Hollow, Angelica and Kiara wouldn’t want to live with Duncan and Elizabeth. At least not forever.
“Yes. I think it’s the only way to keep them here.”
One of the things Jude appreciated about his job with Duncan was how often the two of them were on the same wavelength. It made it much easier for him to carry out his boss’s wishes.
“I’ve got a call in to my architect,” Duncan said. “He’s coming here in the next week to meet with us. In the meantime, I plan to tell the girls… ladies to think of what they’d like in a home of their own.”
“Maybe Annie could show them her place to give them an idea of what’s possible.”
Duncan nodded. “I’ll see if she’s willing to let them look around her cabin.”
As much as Jude wanted this reunion to be successful for Angela, he was also aware of the impact it must be having on Annie. He was glad that Duncan wasn’t trying to force a relationship between the twins.
"When do you want me to start the training?" Jude asked, setting the list back on Duncan's desk.
"As soon as possible. I'd like you to begin with the self-defense, but also I’d like you to get them behind the wheel of a car soon.
Both of them need to be able to get around independently.
" Duncan paused, his expression growing more serious.
"I just hope… Well, I feel like we need to handle Angelica carefully. "
Jude thought he knew why the man thought that, but he needed him to voice the reason. "What do you mean?"
"She seems… fragile in a way that Annalisa never was. I can see it in how she carries herself, how she responds to direct questions. Whatever happened to her during those years away from us, has left marks." Duncan's jaw tightened. "I don't want to push too hard and risk her running."
The protective instinct that had been simmering in Jude's chest since he'd first met Angela flared to life. "Has she said something?"
"Not directly. But Elizabeth noticed she barely touched her dinner last night, and she asked three times if she was allowed to use the kitchen.
" Duncan's voice carried a note of pain. "My daughter asked permission to go somewhere in her own home. I feel like she’s not viewing this as her home, which means she won’t feel obliged to stay. "
Jude’s hands curled into fists, wishing Jim were within striking distance.
The picture Duncan was painting aligned with his own observations about Angela's behavior. The way she'd apologized for gripping his arm on the helicopter. How she'd seemed to brace herself whenever someone asked her a direct question.
"I'll be gentle with her," Jude assured him, not letting on how easy that would be because she’d already triggered his protective instincts. "But I can’t be too easy with the training because we need to make sure they’re prepared. I’ll have to get them to understand the importance of it, and I think they’ll be on board. "
"Good thinking." Duncan rubbed his temple. "There's something else. I want you to be the primary point of contact for both of them during this transition period."
Jude's pulse quickened, though he kept his expression neutral. "Sir?"
"You're the one person here they already trust. Angelica especially seems comfortable with you." Duncan's gaze sharpened slightly. "I noticed how she looked for you yesterday when we were talking. And how she relaxed when you entered the room."
Heat crept up Jude's neck. Had that really happened? "I was just doing my job, bringing them here safely."
"I know that. But the fact remains that you've established a rapport with her that the rest of us don’t have yet.
" Duncan leaned forward. "I'm not asking you to overstep any boundaries, Jude.
I'm just asking you to help ease her transition by being available when she needs guidance or has questions. "
The assignment should have felt like any other task Duncan had given him over the years. But the thought of spending more time with Angela, of being the person she turned to when she needed help, sent something warm spiraling through his chest.
It was an unfamiliar feeling. He’d never felt this way about any part of his job with the Burkes. He held a certain amount of affection—and possibly even love—for the Burke family.
But this felt… different, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.
"Of course," Jude said. "Whatever you need me to do. I’ll make sure she has the skills to protect herself if Jim decides to come after her."
“Just maybe nothing too intense at first. Let her build up her confidence.”
"What about Kiara?"
"She seems more… resilient. Less guarded. You can probably push her a bit more." Duncan closed the file. "But they're a package deal, Jude. Whatever happens to one affects the other."
Jude understood that more than Duncan realized. He'd seen how Angela looked to Kiara for reassurance, how she drew strength from her presence. "I'll keep them together for the training."
"Good." Duncan stood, signaling the meeting was ending.
As Jude left Duncan's office, he headed toward the back of the house. The sound of quiet conversation drifted from the kitchen, and Jude paused in the hallway.
Through the partially open door, he could see Angela standing at the large island, her hands dusted with flour. She was explaining something to Kiara, who sat perched on one of the bar stools, chin propped in her hands.
"The key is to knead it until you get it to this smooth and satiny texture," Angela was saying, her voice more animated than Jude had heard it before. He liked the sound of it. "You’ve got to put your back into it."
Kiara laughed. "Pretty sure Sandra told me all this already, and it didn’t stick. We both know you're the baker in this family."