"Alright, everyone!" Dawn's voice cut through the moment like a blade. "Let's switch things up. Kiara, you get Jude."
The spell broke instantly. Angela stepped back, color flooding her cheeks as she looked away. Jude cleared his throat and crushed the paper cup in his hand, the small sound unnaturally loud in his ears.
"Right," he said, his voice carefully neutral as he tossed the cup into the garbage can and turned to face the mat. "Kiara, you ready?"
Kiara bounced to her feet with characteristic enthusiasm. "Absolutely. I've been watching your technique with Angela, and I think I can take you."
The confidence in her voice almost made Jude smile, despite the tension still thrumming through his system. Almost.
He forced himself to move away from Angela, to focus on the task at hand. But as he approached the mat where Kiara waited with that eager gleam in her eyes, he could feel Angela'sgaze following him. The awareness of her attention made his movements feel awkward, self-conscious in a way they never had before.
"Ready to see if I can take you down too?" Kiara asked with a grin that reminded him that she and Angela weren't actually sisters by blood. Where Angela approached everything with careful consideration, Kiara dove in headfirst.
"Let's see what you've got," Jude replied, grateful for the distraction of Kiara's competitive energy.
The next fifteen minutes passed in a blur of movement and instruction. Kiara was aggressive in her movements, throwing herself into each technique with an enthusiasm that sometimes worked against her. She tried to muscle through moves that required finesse, and Jude had to remind her repeatedly that technique trumped strength.
But she was learning. Both of them were.
After Dawn put an end to the training time, Jude glanced over to where Angela sat cross-legged on the edge of the mat beside Annie.
They both smiled at him, but only one of the smiles made his heart skip a beat. And that smile tempted him more than ever to throw caution to the wind and follow his heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Angela followed Kiara to the large black SUV that was parked near the back door. Jude stood near the back passenger door, giving them a nod as they approached.
“I’m going to sit in the back,” Kiara announced as she climbed into the SUV.
Angela slid into the middle bench seat, a bit surprised when Jude joined her, but then she saw two bodyguards in the front seats.
“Isn’t this a bit overkill?” Angela asked.
Jude glanced at her as the SUV moved away from the house. “What do you mean?”
“Three of you for just two of us?”
“Two of us will go in with you and Kiara, while one stays with the vehicle.”
It still seemed excessive, but she wasn’t up to date on all the procedures being taken for their safety. She hadn’t even asked what Jim and Craig were up to.
Maybe she should have wanted more details, but she was going to trust that Jude and his team knew what they were doing and would keep them safe.
Angela pressed a hand to her stomach, trying to quell her nerves. She had studied so much for the driver’s written exam, but tests had never been her thing. Sandra had hardly ever tested them, and when she had, if they didn’t do well, Jim got involved.
She opened her phone to the trial test she and Kiara had been using to help them study. When Jude reached out and took the phone from her, she let it slip from her hands.
“Let me help you,” Jude said when she gave him a questioning look.
Angela shifted on her seat, uneasy about showing Jude that she struggled. Finally, she gave a nod.
Because they were still avoiding Serenity, they were headed to Coeur d’Alene, which gave them plenty of time to study.
Angela tensed when Jude asked her the first question. The words seemed to blur together as she tried to recall what she'd studied. Her mind went blank for a moment, and her heart beat faster as the pressure mounted.
"You can take your time," Jude said, his voice low and calm.
She took a deep breath, focusing on the question again. "B. You should yield to the vehicle on the right."
