CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Jude followed Julian into Duncan’s office, then took one of the chairs the man motioned to. The fact they were taking their seats at the desk and not in the sitting area told Jude this was going to be a serious conversation.
Not that he didn’t already know that. Duncan rarely, if ever, dealt with business on a Sunday. At least with him.
“What’s going on, Dad?” Julian asked from where he sat slumped in his chair.
“I’ve gotten a call from someone in Dubai that they’re having some issues with Jacque Fournier. Following that conversation, I’ve decided to make a trip there.”
Jude felt a sinking in his stomach. If Duncan traveled anywhere in the Middle East, he always took Jude and a larger security team.
“When are we leaving?” Julian asked.
“You’re not going.” The answer was swift and sharp. “I want you to stay here.”
“What do you mean?” Julian demanded. “I always go with you when you travel abroad.”
Jude resisted the urge to shift in his chair, sensing an argument between the two was brewing.
“You’re drinking far too much,” Duncan said. “I can’t take you with me when you have such a dependence on alcohol.”
“I’m not dependent on alcohol,” Julian scoffed.
“Then why are you drinking so much?”
Jude doubted anyone outside of the family but him would be allowed to witness this interaction between father and son. It wasn’t the first time he’d been party to one of their heated discussions. And it probably wouldn’t be the last.
“Because there’s nothing better to do here,” Julian responded.
“And yet you’re the only one drinking to excess.”
Jude wondered when Duncan would finally wise up and just get rid of all the alcohol at the estate. Although that didn’t necessarily mean that Julian wouldn’t drive into Serenity and get drunk at a bar.
Duncan probably figured it was better that Julian got drunk on the estate than at some random bar in Serenity.
“You’re drinking even more, recently,” Duncan said. “Is your mother still giving you hassles?”
Julian gave a derisive snort. “My mother is always giving me hassles.”
Duncan sighed. “Regardless. You’re staying here. You can keep an eye on things.”
“Not sure why,” Julian said with a huff of laughter. “It’s not like you trust me.”
“I trust you to stay here and watch over your sisters and Benji, since I’ll be taking Jude with me.”
That got another sharp laugh from Julian. “Like you think I could do Jude’s job. At least I’m competent at my own.”
“When you’re sober.”
Julian got to his feet. “Well, if I’m not going with you, I don’t need to be present for this meeting.”
Duncan didn’t say anything as Julian left the office, but his gaze followed his son until the door shut with a resounding thud.
The silence that followed felt heavy and charged with the tension of unspoken words and long-standing frustrations.
Duncan rubbed his temples, suddenly looking every one of his nearly seventy years. "That went about as well as I expected. Julian's been spiraling for weeks now, and I can't seem to get through to him."
The admission hung between them, and Jude found himself in the uncomfortable position of witnessing a father's disappointment in his son. He'd seen Duncan handle billion-dollar negotiations with less visible strain than this conversation with Julian had caused.
"He’s been looking a bit more gaunt and tired than usual."
"I know." Duncan's expression grew more troubled. "I've been hoping he'd pull himself together, but I can't ignore it anymore. Not when business is involved. I want him with me for trips like this, but I don’t think it’s wise. Not for this one anyway."
“Do you have any idea what’s causing his spiraling?” Jude asked.
“I don’t, but there’s no denying that his drinking has increased since Angelica and Kiara arrived. I’m not sure why that’s the case, but I think we need to get him some help.”
“Do you want me to look into treatment programs?” While he and Julian had never been best friends and were different in a lot of ways, Jude still cared about the man beyond just being concerned for his safety.
“Yes. I think it’s time to consider something more drastic. I can’t let him slip even further away.”
The emotion in the man’s voice tugged at something inside Jude. Duncan wasn’t a man given to much emotion, but when it came to his family—his children—the man was as emotionally invested as Jude’s dad had been. It was one of the things Jude appreciated about Duncan.
“We just got Angelica back, but now I feel like I’m losing Julian. I can’t let that happen.”
Jude nodded. “We’ll figure out how to help him. I promise.”
It was a promise Jude felt comfortable making because Julian was no longer just the son of Jude’s employer, he was the brother of the woman he loved. And Jude knew that Angela would want to help Julian.
“For now, we need to focus on this trip.”
“When are we leaving?” Jude asked.
“Tomorrow morning.”
Jude’s heart sank. For the first time ever in his job, he really didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to be apart from Angela, right when they were at the start of a relationship, but it was his job, so he had no choice but to go.
Duncan gave him details about the situation they were going into, and after a brief discussion, they’d come up with a plan for the security for the trip.
“Do you have any idea of how long we’ll be there?”
"A week, possibly longer depending on what we find." Duncan straightened in his chair. "You’ll need to arrange for additional security while we're away. Lucy can handle Kiara, but do you have someone to assign to Angelica?”
Jude had been considering a few people. One was a woman who was based out of New York. He had planned to see if she’d accept a transfer, but there wasn’t enough time before they left to get her to the estate.
“I’ll ask Dawn to keep an eye on Angela. I doubt she’ll want to leave the estate, but if she does, Dawn could go with her. If Annie needs Dawn, I’ll have Derek go with Angela.”
“Has there been anything more about Jim?”
Jude shook his head. “The last update was the one about Craig saying Jim had left the homestead. There’s been no further sightings by our guys. And the authorities haven’t had any leads on him either.”
“I don’t like that. Please impress upon Angelica and Annie the importance of staying on the estate.” Jude lifted his brows at the man, and when Duncan saw that, he chuckled. “Yes. Okay. I realize what I’m asking. But at least try.”
“I don’t have much time to do that, but I’ll try my best.”
“Thank you,” he said. “And I’m sorry I’m asking you to come with me right at this moment. I hope Angelica won’t be too upset.”
Jude hoped so too, but he supposed it was a good test of how she could handle the riskier parts of his job.
“How is everything going with the two of you?” Duncan asked.
“I thought you were going to stay out of it.”
Duncan laughed, the earlier weight of the situation with Julian and the business lifting. “I did, didn’t I? Still, I hope that the two of you can make this work.”
“That makes two of us,” Jude replied. “And to appease your curiosity, everything is going well, considering it’s very early days.”
“I suppose you probably want to talk to her about this,” Duncan said. “So go on. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“If anything changes with the security personnel, I’ll let you know,” Jude said as he got to his feet.
Once he stepped outside the office, he quickly headed to the library to see if it was empty. Finding the space free of people, he sent a quick text to Angela.
Can you come meet me in the library?
Angela: Of course. I’ll be right there.
Jude turned to look out the large window, staring at the outside world that was turning gray as twilight approached. He wasn’t sure what to say to Angela to make it easier for her to accept this sudden and potentially dangerous change of plans.
Jude knew he couldn’t sugarcoat anything. It was vital that she understand the risks of his job before they got any further into their relationship. If she wasn’t able to handle this, then it was better to find out now.
“Jude?”
He turned to see Angela walking toward him. She’d changed out of the clothes she’d worn to church, and now wore a pair of fleecy pants, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and some thick socks. She looked very cozy and huggable, but she had a concerned look on her face.
“Is everything okay?” she asked as she neared him.
“Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to see you again?”
Her eyes widened briefly at the question. “I’m not sure. I mean, we just saw each other thirty minutes ago. I just don’t think you’d give in to that urge, even if you had it.”
“Well, you’d be wrong,” he said. “I would take any opportunity at all—and might even make up a few—to see you again.”
“I’m glad.” She smiled at him briefly, but then it faded. “Seriously though, is everything okay?”
“Come sit with me,” Jude said, motioning to the loveseat near where he stood.
Angela crossed her arms as she walked to the loveseat to join him. He waited for her to sit down before he sank down onto the cushion beside her.
It took a moment for Jude to realize that she was bracing herself for whatever he was going to say.
Reaching out, he touched her hand. She immediately uncrossed her arms and slid her fingers between his.
“It’s nothing super serious,” he said. “It’s just a work thing that has come up.”
“A work thing?”
“Duncan needs to fly to Saudi Arabia to deal with a business matter.”
“Saudi Arabia?” She frowned. “Is that… is that one of the places you travel to with him?”
“Yes, I’ll be leading the security team for this trip.”
“Oh.” She stared at him. “Is this a dangerous assignment?”
“It has the potential to be,” Jude said. “Though in all the times we’ve traveled there, we haven’t experienced any significant security events.”
“So why do you have to go?” she asked.