An icy fear wound its way through Angela. She shook her head almost frantically. “No. I won’t let that happen.”
She couldn’t imagine a worse scenario. If they truly thought that she’d stick around if they sent Kiara away, they were in for a rude awakening.
“We’re a package deal, Kiki,” she said.
Kiara shrugged. “We don’t have to be. Maybe you’d rather have your new family.”
“I want it all,” Angela said. “I want you and my family.”And Jude,a small voice in her head said. “But I’ve lived a lifetime without the Burkes. I wouldn’t want to live the rest of my life without them, but I would. For you.”
Kiara gave her a tremulous smile. “We might have had a bad childhood, but it brought us together. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You’re what got me through that time.” Angela shifted over to lean against Kiara’s shoulder. “I can’t imagine life without you.”
“Well, hopefully we never have to experience that.” Kiara reached up to pat her cheek. “We’ll be fine.”
It wasn’t the first time Kiara had said those words to her, and Angela had believed them each and every time. Theywouldbe fine.
Because as long as her expectations were never too high, everything would be okay.
The next morning, she and Kiara left the mansion and made their way to the security building. The rural setting was similar to where they’d grown up, just on a much grander scale.
The homestead had had a rambling farmhouse with several outbuildings. However, they hadn’t been anywhere near as well-kept as the buildings here. So far, in addition to the mansion, they’d seen a rec center that had a pool and basketball court, as well as a weight room.
This was their first visit to the security building, and Angela found her pulse was beating faster in anticipation of seeing Jude again. She tried to keep her steps slow and measured to match Kiara’s, but inside, she wanted to rush along the road and through the door.
Soon enough, they reached the building. Kiara opened the door and held it for Angela.
“Hello.”
“Hi,” Kiara said, smiling at the woman who had greeted them.
“You must be Kiara and Angela,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Dawn.”
“Are you a bodyguard?” Kiara asked as they each shook hands with her.
“Yes.” Dawn led them through a door into a large space where there were large monitors on the wall and several more people. “I provide security for Annie.”
Before she could respond to that revelation, Jude came through a doorway on the opposite side of the room. He wore a white button-down shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks.
“Good morning, ladies,” Jude said with a nod. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the team.”
There were two women and four men present, though Jude mentioned that several more were scattered around the estate. Some of the ones present in the room were bodyguards for the other members of the Burke family.
Angela wondered if she and Kiara would be assigned bodyguards of their own. It was weird even to consider.
“Come on through to my office,” Jude said. “I’ve got your phones there.”
Angela followed Jude into the room, trying not to notice how the crisp white shirt stretched across his broad shoulders or how his dark hair curled slightly at the nape of his neck.
His office was meticulously organized—a large desk dominated the space, with several monitors displaying what appeared to be security camera feeds from around the property. A bookshelf stood against one wall, filled with books, but Angela couldn’t read their titles.
"Have a seat," Jude gestured to the two chairs facing his desk. As they settled in, he reached into a drawer and pulled out two sleek boxes, then slid them across the desk. One to each of them. "These are yours."
Kiara immediately opened hers, her eyes widening at the sight of the sleek device. "This is the latest version. We could barely afford phones from four years ago."
Angela hesitated before opening her box. "Thank you," she said softly, meeting Jude's eyes. "About the tracker—"
"It's standard protocol for all family members," Jude interrupted, his voice professional but not harsh. "The tracking app is only used in emergency situations or if you press the panic button. Your privacy is still respected."
