He looked directly at Kiara as he said this last part, making Angela wonder if he'd somehow overheard their conversation from yesterday.
"Is the tracking always on?" Kiara asked, voicing what Angela was thinking.
"Yes," Jude said without apology. "It's non-negotiable for all Burke family members. Even Duncan has it on his phone."
"So you know where everyone is all the time?" Angela asked as she gripped the box.
Jude's expression softened almost imperceptibly when he looked at her. "Not personally. The system keeps track of all of the locations, and we only access that information if we absolutely have to."
Angela nodded, trying to understand this new reality where her movements would be monitored, even if it was just by a computer.
"There are other security measures as well," Jude continued, his voice low and steady. "The phones have encrypted communications, and a direct line to our security team." He tapped the screen of his own phone, demonstrating. "One button, and we know where you are."
Angela's fingers traced the edge of her box, still unopened. The technology felt foreign in her hands—not just the expensive phone, but what it represented. Protection. Surveillance. A tether to this new family she barely knew.
"What if we go somewhere without our phones?" Kiara asked, already exploring the device's features.
Jude's expression didn't change, but something in his eyes hardened. "Don't."
The simple command hung in the air between them. Angela felt a chill run through her at the seriousness in his tone.
"That's it? Just 'don't'?" Kiara pressed, her brow furrowing.
"For now, yes." Jude leaned forward slightly. "Your safety isn't something we take lightly. Not after what happened to Angela and Annie."
Nodding, Angela finally opened her box, carefully removing the sleek device. It felt substantial in her palm, nothing likethe cheap phone she'd been using. "So we're basically prisoners here? Just with nicer accommodations?"
Jude's jaw tightened. "No. You are family members who need protection."
“And you don’t think if one of us is kidnapped that the first thing the kidnappers will do is get rid of our phone?” Kiara asked.
“That’s why we’re also in the process of getting you each some jewelry—most likely a watch—that will contain trackers.”
Angela looked up at Jude with wide eyes. “You’re not messing around.”
“No, Duncan isn’t taking any chances with his family,” Jude said. “His increased wealth has only made him more of a target. I’m sorry if you feel this is suffocating, but it’s just how things are when you’re part of the Burke family.”
“And we don’t have the option ofnotbeing part of the family,” Kiara said dryly.
“Well,youdo,” Jude told her. His words might have felt a bit harsh, but his tone wasn’t. “Unfortunately, Angela has an undeniable connection to the Burkes now. And though Duncan has managed to keep Annie hidden for a lot of years, because of Cole, she’s been resisting being kept secluded recently. So it seems that perhaps the revelation of that connection is inevitable.”
Angela felt like she had gone from a small pond to an expansive ocean, and she couldn’t see the shore. Her new life was huge and complex, and she didn’t know if she’d ever figure out how to live as the daughter of such a wealthy man.
Did she wish that she’d never allowed Kiara to make that phone call to Cole Halverson? Did she wish she’d never gotten the answers she’d thought she wanted?
Looking at Jude, she wasn’t so sure. So far, meeting him had been the highlight of everything.
Sure, she had ended up with a family. A good family, by all accounts. But she didn’t feel connected to them yet.
In fact, she still felt very much like she was an outsider. And if she felt that way, she could only imagine how much more Kiara did.
"When do we start the self-defense training?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.
Jude's eyes met hers, and for a moment, Angela thought she saw something flicker there. But it was gone so quickly she might have imagined it.
"We can start tomorrow morning if that works for you both. Nine o'clock in the gym at the rec center."
"That's fine," Kiara said, still engrossed in exploring her new phone.
