CHAPTER TEN
Jude closed his Bible and the devotional book he’d started at the beginning of the year and set them aside. Each year, he tried to find a devotional that would guide him through his daily quiet time.
He’d chosen this particular study because it was for men and offered insight into the things he was trying—with God’s help—to pursue in his life.
Self control. Discipline. Humility.
They were all qualities his dad had not only impressed upon Jude, but he’d strived to live them out in his own life. Jude knew that part of why he’d pursued those specific qualities was to honor his dad. But his dad had always told him, “Don’t do it for me. Do it for God.”
So that was the reminder that played in his mind as he went through each day now: Do it for God.
And because of his desire to honor God, his favorite verse was Colossians 3:17. And whatsoever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.
Some might say his life was stark and too rigid, but it was what worked for him. His focus, of course, was on his job, and he wanted to do his best and never give Duncan a reason to question his decision to give him the job of head of security.
Now, his focus was on Angela and Kiara. At Duncan’s request, of course. He needed to remember that.
After he finished his breakfast of bacon and eggs with a side of avocado, he took a few minutes to clean up the kitchen before he headed to the security building.
The morning was cold, and the UTV barely had time to warm up before he pulled into the garage of the building.
“Morning,” one of the men in front of the monitors greeted him. Andrew was Benji’s primary bodyguard and would be leaving shortly to take the teen to school.
“Good morning,” Jude replied. “Any updates?”
He already knew that nothing major had happened, because if there had been a significant issue, he would have been called. He was never truly off duty.
“All good,” Andrew reported. “We need to check a couple of the perimeter cameras, though. They’ve been flickering.”
Jude frowned. “Someone trying to hack them?”
“We did a scan, but nothing showed up,” one of the other men present stated.
“Where are they on the maintenance schedule?”
“They’re due for maintenance in the next round.”
“Move that up,” Jude said. “I want to make sure that they’re operating as they should.”
“Will do.”
Jude went to his office and put his duffel bag on a chair. It contained the clothes he’d change into for the self-defense training. Shrugging out of his wool peacoat, he hung it on the coat rack in the corner of the room.
He rolled up the sleeves of his long sleeve button down as he settled into his chair. The first thing to do was check his email for a report from the people he’d hired, at Duncan’s request, to keep an eye on Jim and Craig.
Finding the expected email, he skimmed over it. His gaze snagged on a portion.
Vincent went to a bar where Craig was hanging out and made contact with him. The more Craig drank, the more he talked, expressing great frustration that his sisters had disappeared. It seems at this point that he doesn’t know where the women are.
We’re hoping that Vincent will be able to continue the contact. He gave subtle hints that he was interested in the same things as Jim and Craig — weapons, homesteading, living off the grid.
Jude allowed a rare smile to cross his face. It was good to hear that they seemed unaware of where Angela and Kiara were. Jim probably had a good idea of who they were with, given Annie’s recent appearance in public. Hopefully, he didn’t know where she was.
Jim wasn’t dumb. He’d proven that when he’d worked on the security team. But he lacked Duncan’s resources, so it was possible he hadn’t figured out where Angela and Kiara were.
The best-case scenario would be if Vincent could strike up a friendship with Craig that would give them an insight into what was happening with the two men. So far, Jim hadn’t been spotted off the homestead—the fortified homestead—and Jude was sure that was because the guy was lying low.
The question was… would he hunker down on the homestead? Or would he go on the run?
They were working with the police and the FBI to see about having Jim arrested for kidnapping. Given that he had kidnapped a minor and never released her, there was no statute of limitations.
He had a feeling that the feds would also be interested in pressing weapons charges.
Jude didn’t care about that. He just wanted to make sure that Jim was behind bars for the rest of his life.
If Jude had his way, Jim would just… disappear. There was no question about his guilt. As far as Jude was concerned, there was no innocent until proven guilty in Jim’s case. He was guilty. End of story.
But he wouldn’t take things into his own hands. That went against everything he believed in.
However, if Jim somehow ended up dead as a result of his interactions with law enforcement, Jude wouldn’t shed a tear.
Craig, he didn’t have much of an opinion on. He hadn’t been involved in the kidnapping. However, from the little Angela had said, the man hadn’t treated her or Kiara well, so maybe he needed to disappear as well.
Jude took a moment to type out a reply, then forwarded the email to Duncan to keep him updated.
Though Jude was responsible for the guys currently down in Briar Hollow, Duncan had taken the lead with the authorities.
He took a few minutes to read through the reports for the night, then checked over the schedule for the next two weeks.
“Morning, Jude.”
He glanced up to see Annie in his doorway, her dog Nyla at her side. Getting to his feet, he gave her a smile. “Good morning, Annie. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.”
The smile she gave him was small, and he thought that perhaps she’d just lied to him.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chairs across from him.
He waited until she’d taken a seat, then settled back in his chair. “Thank you for being willing to help with the self-defense training. I think Angela and Kiara will be able to picture it better with you and Dawn also doing it.”
Annie nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Jude didn’t want her to feel obliged, especially since he sensed that she was really struggling with things.
He thought about probing a bit more, but it really wasn’t his place. Yes, they’d known each other for a long time. However, he’d never been a close confidante of hers.
In fact, recently, they’d been at odds more often than not. The older Benji had gotten, the more Annie seemed willing to push against the security restrictions that had been placed on her and Benji.
“I’m fine to help,” she said, though she didn’t look completely happy about it.
Jude wasn’t sure if that was because she was struggling or just her general feelings about the self-defense classes he’d forced on her.
Before Jude could say anything more, he spotted Kiara and Angela approaching his door.
“Are we interrupting?” Angela asked, her gaze going from him to Annie and back again.
“Not at all,” Jude assured her. “Just talking to Annie about helping with the self-defense training.”
“We’re all ready,” Kiara said, spreading her arms. “Dressed per your instructions.”
“Good. Then we might as well get to work.”
When Jude got to his feet, so did Annie. He grabbed his jacket and then picked up his duffel bag.
“We’re heading over to the rec center,” Jude told Dawn. “Are you joining us?”
“I sure am,” she said. “I’ll drive over with Annie.”
Jude nodded, then led the way to the garage. He, Angela, and Kiara got in his UTV, while Dawn and Annie got in one of the other smaller ones.
If the weather had been nicer, they could have walked. But since Angela and Kiara weren’t used to the colder weather yet, it was better to take the UTVs.
As they drove the short distance to the rec center, Jude found himself acutely aware of Angela sitting in the passenger seat beside him. She was quiet, her hands folded in her lap, and he could sense her nervousness about the upcoming training.
"You okay?" he asked, glancing at her briefly before returning his attention to the narrow road ahead.
"Just a little nervous," she admitted. "I've never done anything like this before."
"That's normal," he said, his voice gentler than usual. "We'll start slow."
From the back seat, Kiara leaned forward. "Will we be learning the same things Annie did?"
"Yes," Jude replied. "That’s why I’ve asked her and Dawn to come help out."
When they reached the rec center, Jude parked the UTV and led them inside. The gymnasium where Benji spent a lot of time practicing basketball was spacious with high ceilings and polished wooden floors. Mats had already been laid out in the center of the room.
"First things first," Jude said, setting down his duffle bag. "We're going to talk about awareness. The best defense is avoiding dangerous situations altogether."
He waited for Dawn and Annie to join them, then left Dawn explaining situational awareness while he went to get changed in the changing room.
His plan was to let Dawn and Annie be the ones to physically work with Angela and Kiara as much as possible.
However, he also wanted to show them that they were capable of taking down anyone, even someone of his stature.
Dawn and Annie had both set him onto his back more than once. Jude wanted Angela and Kiara to aspire to do the same.
When Jude returned to the gym floor in workout clothes, he found the women in a loose circle. For a brief moment, his gaze met Angela’s, but then she turned her attention back to Dawn.
"The goal isn't to make you paranoid," Dawn was saying. "It's to make awareness second nature."
Jude stepped onto the mat next to Dawn, and at her nod, he said, “Awareness is crucial, but sometimes a situation escalates despite your best efforts to avoid it. That's when you need physical skills."