CHAPTER TWENTY #2
“Pretty much not at all. They’re almost twenty years younger than me.”
“Really?”
“Yes. My mom was young when she had me—like nineteen years old—and after she left, she decided she wanted to just live her life without any responsibilities beyond me. It took her until she was nearly forty to settle down and get married again. Pretty much right away, she had her son, and a year after, she had her daughter.”
“Do you wish you could see them more?”
Jude shrugged. “To be honest, I’ve never really thought of them as my brother and sister.”
“Kind of like how I don’t really think of Julian, Benji, and Annie as my brothers and sister?”
Jude gazed at her for a long moment, then nodded. “Though I hope that you will eventually have a good relationship with each of them.”
There were times when Angela couldn’t imagine being as close to them as she was to Kiara. But she also knew that she needed to give it time and keep an open mind about the relationships they could have.
Jude turned his attention back to his gun, and Angela watched as he reloaded it, fascinated by the efficient economy of his movements. Everything about the way he handled the weapon spoke of years of training and experience. It was both impressive and slightly intimidating.
"You make that look so easy," she said.
“I can’t even begin to hazard a guess as to how many times I’ve done it.”
“Have you ever had to shoot someone?”
Jude turned to face the target. “No. I’ve had to pull my gun a few times. That was enough to get people to back off. My dad had more experience with that as a cop.”
“I’m not sure I could shoot someone,” Angela confessed.
Jude shifted to look at her. “If you’re going to pick up a gun, you have to be prepared to use it.”
“But I don’t want to pick up a gun.”
Jude’s blue eyes stared intently at her, and Angela struggled to hold his gaze. She felt like she was letting him down by admitting that.
“I think most people don’t want to have to pick up a gun because it means a situation is dire.
But that is precisely why you need to practice and become comfortable with a weapon in your hand.
” His gaze hardened briefly. “If someone were to threaten Kiara, wouldn’t you want to have the ability to protect her? ”
“Of course. I would want to be able to protect her and anyone else I care about.”
It was the only reason she’d shown up, but she still didn’t have to like it. On this particular point, she and Jude would have to differ.
“And that’s why I’m going to train you until you’re capable of protecting yourself and others.” He hesitated, his gaze going to the target. “Do it for your dad. For Kiara.“ He glanced at her. “For me.”
Hope rocketed through her at those words and his glance. Was it possible he felt as pulled to her as she was to him? Or was it all her imagination?
“I’ll try my best to learn everything you want us to know.”
Jude nodded, then lifted his gun to aim at the target. He fired off six shots, then lowered his arm.
“Now, it’s your turn again,” Jude said, any hint of emotion gone. He stepped out of the way, gesturing for Angela to take his place.
She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, then went through the process of loading her gun, just like he’d shown her. After positioning herself, Angela took a breath and exhaled.
Her first shot missed, but the next three hit the paper, though they were nowhere near where Jude had hit it.
“You’re already improving,” Jude said.
"Thanks," she said, feeling a small flush of pride at his approval. She emptied the magazine with her final shots, trying to focus on the target rather than on Jude watching her.
Angela set the gun down, her arms slightly sore from the unfamiliar tension of holding the weapon steady. She rolled her shoulders, working out the stiffness.
"We should take a break," Jude suggested. "You don't want to overdo it on your first time."
"I'm fine," she insisted, though the relief in her arms when she’d set the gun down had been immediate. "Just getting used to it."
"Everyone's muscles get tired their first time shooting. It's using a completely different set of muscles than you normally would."
She couldn't argue with that. Her forearms and shoulders ached in places she didn't know could ache.
Down at the other end of the range, she could hear Kiara's excited voice as she talked with Dennis. Like everything else they’d done, her sister seemed to be taking to this much more naturally than Angela.
"How's Kiara doing?" she asked, glancing toward them.
"From what I can see, she's doing well. Dennis is one of our best instructors." Jude checked his watch. "Let's take a break."
Angela nodded, grateful to remove the ear protection and leave the shooting lane.
Jude led her to a small sitting area just outside the range, where there were tables with two or three chairs clustered around them.
There was a glass wall that allowed them to still see the shooting lanes, but the noise was muffled.
A water cooler stood in the corner, and Angela headed straight for it, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was.
The cool water helped ease the dryness in her throat. She filled a second cup and offered it to Jude, who accepted it with a nod of thanks.
"So," she said, settling into one of the chairs, "how often do you come down here to practice?"
"At least twice a week," Jude replied, taking the chair across from her. "Sometimes more. Depends on how my week is going.”
Angela tried to imagine him down here alone, methodically working through target after target with that same focused intensity she'd just witnessed. The image fit him perfectly—disciplined, precise, never satisfied with anything less than excellence.
"Do you ever get tired of it?" she asked. "All the training and preparation?"
Jude considered her question, gently rolling the paper cup between his palms. "Sometimes. But then I remember why I do it, and it doesn't feel like a burden anymore."
"Why do you do it?"
His gaze met hers, and something in his expression shifted. "To protect the people who matter to me."
“So for the same reason I’m doing it,” Angela said.
“Yep.” A quick smile crossed Jude’s face. “Although I have to say that for the most part, I do enjoy the training and practice. I’d probably still do it, if slightly less frequently, even if I didn’t have to do it for my job.”
“How did you do, Angie?” Kiara asked as she and Dennis approached where they sat.
“I did okay,” Angela told her. “How about you?”
“Well, I’m in no danger of outperforming my trainer." Kiara dropped down into the chair that Jude had vacated, indicating that she should sit there.
“Neither am I.”
“I think I’d like to see Jude and Dennis have a shoot-off,” Kiara said with a grin. “See who’s better.”
Dennis crossed his arms and widened his stance. “I’m up for it.”
“Really?” Jude asked. “You think you can out-shoot me?”
“Yep. I think I can.”
“Guess we need to see,” Kiara said. “My money is on Dennis.”
“Well, mine’s on Jude,” Angela replied.
“Let’s get it set up.” Dennis turned and headed for one of the center lanes.
Jude let out a sigh and followed the man. Kiara got up and tugged on Angela’s arm.
“C’mon. We’re the cheerleaders.”
Angela allowed Kiara to pull her over to where the men stood discussing the details of the challenge. Once everything was decided, they put their ear protection back on, then the two men took up their positions.
They each took their first shot, then discussed who won that before moving on to the next round. They planned to do a best of seven.
Dennis might have had the bigger ego when it came to believing he was the better shot, but the proof in the pudding—or on the targets—was that Jude held that title. Jude won the first three rounds, then Dennis got two. But in the end, Jude took the sixth round, winning with four shots.
“And that’s why I’m the boss,” Jude said as he reloaded his gun before slipping it into his shoulder harness. He thumped Dennis on the shoulder. “Keep practicing.”
Dennis chuckled. “Maybe I let you win.”
“You tell yourself that,” Jude drawled.
“My goal is to beat Dennis,” Kiara said. “And apparently, you too, Jude.”
“It’s a good goal to have,” Jude told her with a nod.
With their practice session at an end, Dennis and Kiara headed upstairs. Jude had the target from the lane Angela had been using move forward. He pulled the target off.
“We’re going to keep this so you can compare it in the future, to see how you improve.”
Angela watched as Jude rolled it up into a cylinder. He kept it in his hand as they walked up the stairs to the main floor.
“I’m going to keep this in my office,” Jude said. “In a couple of weeks, we’ll compare it again.”
Angela hoped that she improved enough that it would be evident in that comparison.
“Will you and Kiara be available to go to the DMV to get your learner’s permits tomorrow afternoon?”
“Yes, I think so,” Angela said. “We’ve been studying for the written test.”
“Good. We have appointments for you both in Coeur d’Alene. After the kidnapping, when Annie had returned and you were still missing, Duncan had your and Annie’s last name legally changed from Burke to Turner, so we have a birth certificate in that name for you to use.”
“I won’t be Reynolds anymore?” Angela asked.
“No, you’ll be a Turner, like Annie.”
Angela had no problem with that. Being a Reynolds hadn’t been a positive thing for her, and she didn’t remember being a Burke, so there was no connection there.
She’d always assumed she’d be a Reynolds until she got married. If that ever happened.
“What about Kiara?”
“She’ll have to use the name she has on her birth certificate.”
In what they’d viewed as a minor miracle at the time, Sandra had handed over what she’d said were their birth certificates shortly before she’d passed away. Now they knew that Angela’s, at least, had been faked.
Sandra hadn’t revealed that information, even though, shortly before her death, she’d encouraged them to leave the homestead as soon as they could.
Unfortunately, it had taken them longer than they’d hoped, but they’d made it off the homestead, eventually.
And now they’d made it out of Briar Hollow.
Not that Sandra would be happy they’d ended up with Duncan. But even though there were still times—lots of them—when she felt overwhelmed, Angela was glad they were on the estate.
And only part of that had to do with reconnecting with her birth family.