"And the other young woman? Kiara?"
"Protective of Angela. Fiercely so, actually. I doubt Angela would go anywhere without her,” Jude said. “And honestly, I don't think she should have to. From everything they said, they've been each other's lifeline."
"I wouldn’t ask her to leave Kiara behind." Duncan's voice softened. "If Angelica considers her family, then she is family. What do you recommend for the next step?"
Jude moved back to the window, catching a brief glimpse of people passing by on the sidewalk at the front of the building. "We need to move carefully. Angela's been hurt by the people who were supposed to protect her.”
“And let down by people who loved her but didn’t protect her,” Duncan said, a sad edge to his voice.
“I don’t think she’ll blame you for what happened.” Though in all honesty, Jude didn’t know for sure how she’d react to the revelations about her past.
“Do you think they’d be willing to leave the area? Permanently?” Duncan asked. “If they seem willing to leave their lives there, go ahead and tell them who we are.”
“And if they’re not?” Jude prompted.
Duncan sighed. “I don’t really even want to contemplate that.”
"I'll find out," Jude promised. "But I think we need to consider our approach to Jim Reynolds as well. If what Angela and Kiara say is true, he's potentially more dangerous than we realized."
"I agree. We'll need to involve law enforcement eventually, but I want to get Angelica safely away first." Duncan's voice hardened. "I've waited twenty-four years to get my daughter back. I won't risk losing her again."
"Understood." Jude watched as a few snowflakes began to drift past the window, dropping out of the gray clouds that hung heavy in the sky. "I'll call you after I speak with them again."
"Thank you, Jude." The gratitude in Duncan's voice was palpable. "For everything."
After ending the call, Jude took a moment to collect himself. There was a lot of emotion in the situation as a whole, and not just for Duncan and his family.
Jude’s thoughts turned to his dad. He’d prayed every day that they would find the “little angel,” as he’d called her. And Jude had continued with that prayer even after his dad’s death.
Though his dad hadn’t been the head of security at the time of the kidnapping, he’d still felt responsible since he’d been part of the security team. Who would have thought that it would take twenty-four years to finally get Angelica—Angela—back?
As positive as this was for Duncan, the weight of what he was about to do—potentially upending Angela's entire understanding of her life—settled heavily on Jude’s shoulders. But there was no gentle way to deliver this kind of news.
He found Angela and Kiara sitting at a table in the reading area, heads bent close together in hushed conversation. They looked up simultaneously as he approached, their expressions a mixture of hope and apprehension.
"Can you both come back to the study room?" he asked quietly.
They followed him without question, and once they were seated, Jude closed the door firmly behind them.
"I spoke with my employer," he began carefully, sitting across from them. "And I need to ask you both something important before we proceed further.”
“Okay…” Kiara said, suspicion on her face.
"If the DNA test confirms what we believe," Jude said, "would you be willing to leave Briar Hollow? Permanently?"
Angela's eyes widened, and she glanced at Kiara, who leaned forward with interest.
"Leave?" Angela repeated, her voice soft with apprehension. "You mean… just me? Or us together?"
"Together," Jude confirmed, noting how her first concern was for her sister. "Both of you."
Kiara's expression brightened immediately. "Where would we go?"
"Idaho," Jude said, watching Angela's reaction closely. "To a private estate where you would be safe."
"Idaho?" Angela's brow furrowed. "That's… far."
"That's the point," Jude said gently. "Distance from Jim Reynolds would be beneficial, don't you think?"
