CHAPTER TEN
Kiara smiled as she read her latest letter from Julian. He’d seemed happy about learning the gender of the baby. He’d even sent some name suggestions.
I’m partial to names like Tom or Jerry. Or even Fred or Barney.
If she hadn’t watched cartoons before being taken by Jim and Sandra, she might have thought he was a little nuts.
But since she’d seen both cartoons while still with her birth parents, his suggestions made her laugh.
She wasn’t sure she liked any of them for their baby, but she appreciated getting a glimpse of Julian’s sense of humor.
The letter hadn’t been as long as previous ones, and after she was done reading it, she felt a bit let down. He hadn’t talked about how he’d been doing personally, except for sharing that he’d been making use of the hiking trails around the center and the weight room.
Kiara was concerned for him, so she’d hoped that he would update her on how he was feeling physically and mentally, and maybe share his thoughts on God. But instead, it had been a more lighthearted letter.
Maybe that was good. Maybe it meant that he was beginning to have a more upbeat approach to life now that the alcohol was out of his system, and he was feeling better physically.
She left the letter on her desk to reply to later that day and made her way downstairs. When she reached the main floor, she spotted Duncan walking with Elizabeth toward the wing where his office was located.
He’d left the previous day on the helicopter, though she hadn’t known where he was going. It must have been close however, since he was back already.
“Good morning, Kiara,” Elizabeth said. She gave Kiara a smile, but it was a mere shadow of the woman’s normal smiles.
“Good morning,” Kiara replied, then looked at Duncan. What she saw made her frown. The man looked like he’d aged a decade in the past twenty-four hours. “Is everything okay?”
“Would you mind finding Angela and meeting us in my office, please?”
Kiara’s stomach clenched in a way that had nothing to do with her pregnancy. She wanted to demand an answer to her question, but she just nodded and hurried back upstairs as quickly as she could.
“What’s up?” Angie said when she opened her door.
“I think something’s happened, but I’m not sure what. Duncan wants to see us in his office.” She paused. “He doesn’t look good.”
“What?” Angie went to her bed and grabbed her phone. “He wanted to see us both?”
Kiara nodded. “But he didn’t say why. And when I asked him if everything was okay, he didn’t answer me.”
Together, they went back downstairs, then turned in the direction Duncan and Elizabeth had been headed.
“Come in,” Elizabeth said when they arrived in the open doorway to Duncan’s office.
Duncan was seated behind his desk, but he didn’t look at them as they walked in. Elizabeth ushered them over to the cluster of furniture they usually sat in when meeting with Duncan.
“We’re just waiting for Jude,” she said as they sat down together on the couch.
Angie reached out and took Kiara’s hand as they exchanged a worried look. Duncan had never looked so… not himself. He’d always appeared in control and polished.
When Jude stepped into the room, he took in the scene with a frown. “Is everything okay?”
“Come in, Jude,” Duncan said as he got up from behind his desk. “Have a seat.”
Kiara and Angie shifted over so that Jude could sit beside Angie. She kept hold of Kiara’s hand while also reaching out for Jude’s.
Elizabeth sank down on the loveseat, then took Duncan’s hand, forcing him to sit beside her. The concern on the woman’s face was as alarming as Duncan’s demeanor.
“What’s going on?” Jude asked.
“I got a call from the treatment center yesterday letting me know that Julian wanted to speak to me.”
“Is he okay?” Kiara asked before she could stop herself.
Duncan looked at her for a long moment, which only served to ramp up her anxiety. “He’s… okay.”
That was hardly reassuring, but Kiara had learned enough about Duncan to know he would say what he wanted to say in his own time and in his own way.
Biting her lip, Kiara tried to keep from pressing for more information.
“Why did he want to speak to you?” Angie asked, clearly not having the same reservations. “And why do you need to speak to us?”
“I actually need to speak to you,” Duncan said, keeping his gaze on Angie. “I wanted you to have Kiara and Jude here for support. And also, this impacts Kiara since she’s married to Julian now.”
“Okay,” Angela said. “So why do you need to speak to me?”
“Julian has been working with a therapist to get to the root of his drinking,” Duncan began. He looked down at his hands, which were clasped around one of Elizabeth’s. “He wanted me to come to the center so that he could tell me what has been causing him to drink so excessively.”
“And it has to do with me?” Angie asked.
Duncan looked up and nodded. “He told me that the day before you and Annalisa were kidnapped, he heard Sandra and Jim talking about taking you two. When Sandra realized he’d heard their plans, she promised to give him… to give him candy and a toy if he didn’t tell anyone. So he didn’t.”
Angie’s hand tightened on Kiara’s. “He knew what was going to happen?”
“I’m not sure he knew the details, but he knew enough that he should have told someone.”
Jude put his arm around Angie, and she shifted closer to him.
Kiara wasn’t sure how she felt about the revelation. Selfishly, she was glad it hadn’t worked out any other way, because if Angie hadn’t ended up with Sandra and Jim, they never would have met. And Kiara couldn’t imagine her life without Angie.
It would also have meant she wouldn’t have ended up pregnant, and she didn’t want to think about not ever knowing the baby she carried.
But for Angie’s sake, Kiara knew that it would have been for the best if she’d never been kidnapped. She would have had a much better life, and she would have met Jude sooner.
A heavy silence filled the room as Kiara’s thoughts turned to Julian. This revelation explained so much, and she wished she could see him and talk to him about the situation.
Feeling Angie move beside her, Kiara looked over to see her leaning against Jude’s chest. They were all waiting for her reaction.
“I want to see Julian,” she finally said, her words soft.
“What?” Duncan’s face creased with a frown.
“I would like to see Julian and speak with him.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“It’s what I want,” she said. “It’s what I need to do.”
Duncan stared at Angie, then sighed. “When do you want to go?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Jude?” Duncan turned his attention to his head of security.
“I’m ready to go whenever she is.”
If Duncan had hoped that Jude would protest, that wasn’t going to happen. It was proof that Jude would defer to what Angela wanted, especially when it concerned her specifically.
“Fine.” Duncan slapped his thighs and got to his feet. “I’ll have them prepare the helicopter.”
“I want Kiara to come with us, too,” Angie said.
Duncan glanced at her. “Do you wish to go with us?”
“Yes,” Kiara said without hesitation. She and Julian might not have a genuine marriage, but this affected the father of her child. She wanted to see him and see for herself that he was okay.
“Be ready to go within the hour,” Duncan said. “We’ll stay one night at a hotel near the rehab center. I’ll have my assistant make the arrangements.”
When Angie got to her feet, Kiara and Jude also stood. The three of them left the office together.
“Are you really okay going with us?” Angie asked as they walked down the hallway to the stairs.
“I am. I’ll just have to take some throw-up bags with me.”
“I’ll make sure you have them,” Jude said. “I’ll see you back here in forty-five minutes, okay?”
Nodding, they hurried up the stairs to their rooms. Kiara grabbed a small, quilted bag she’d bought online on a whim when she’d seen it on her social media and began to pack.
Her clothes didn’t fit very well anymore, but she still hadn’t purchased any maternity items. That should probably be something she did soon.
She already wore a pair of thick leggings, but she swapped out her sweatshirt for an oversized sweater. She put a pair of pants that had a bit more stretch to them into her bag, along with a blouse that was loose fitting.
Next came her toiletries, though she took a few minutes to apply a bit of makeup before adding them to her bag. She put her pills and her ginger candies in her purse so she’d have easy access to them.
After she’d put everything in the bag, she took a moment just to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. At the last minute, she went to her desk and picked up a couple of pieces of the stationery and slid them into a folder to keep them from getting crumpled.
If she had the time, she might write Jude a letter while on the plane, just in case she didn’t get to see him or he didn’t want to see her.
With everything packed, Kiara still had a few minutes before she had to meet Angie and Jude. She sank down onto the edge of her bed and took a deep breath.
Her thoughts went to Julian again, and she wondered how he was doing. Duncan had seemed upset—even angry—over what Julian had told him, which Kiara could understand. But if he’d reacted in anger to what Julian had revealed, it was possible that Julian was struggling.
Would Julian want to see her? Would he accept her support?
Only time would tell, but Kiara felt strongly that she should be there. And if he rejected her presence, she wouldn’t take it personally. Or at least she’d try not to. After all, the situation didn’t really involve her. She was going because Angie wanted her there.
Her phone chimed with a text message from Angie. Ready when you are.
Kiara slowly pushed herself up from the bed, her hand instinctively moving to steady herself, but thankfully, there was no dizziness this time.