However, if Jim somehow ended up dead as a result of his interactions with law enforcement, Jude wouldn’t shed a tear.
Craig, he didn’t have much of an opinion on. He hadn’t been involved in the kidnapping. However, from the little Angela had said, the man hadn’t treated her or Kiara well, so maybe he needed to disappear as well.
Jude took a moment to type out a reply, then forwarded the email to Duncan to keep him updated.
Though Jude was responsible for the guys currently down in Briar Hollow, Duncan had taken the lead with the authorities.
He took a few minutes to read through the reports for the night, then checked over the schedule for the next two weeks.
“Morning, Jude.”
He glanced up to see Annie in his doorway, her dog Nyla at her side. Getting to his feet, he gave her a smile. “Good morning, Annie. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.”
The smile she gave him was small, and he thought that perhaps she’d just lied to him.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chairs across from him.
He waited until she’d taken a seat, then settled back in his chair. “Thank you for being willing to help with the self-defense training. I think Angela and Kiara will be able to picture it better with you and Dawn also doing it.”
Annie nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Jude didn’t want her to feel obliged, especially since he sensed that she was really struggling with things.
He thought about probing a bit more, but it really wasn’t his place. Yes, they’d known each other for a long time. However, he’d never been a close confidante of hers.
In fact, recently, they’d been at odds more often than not. The older Benji had gotten, the more Annie seemed willing to push against the security restrictions that had been placed on her and Benji.
“I’m fine to help,” she said, though she didn’t look completely happy about it.
Jude wasn’t sure if that was because she was struggling or just her general feelings about the self-defense classes he’d forced on her.
Before Jude could say anything more, he spotted Kiara and Angela approaching his door.
“Are we interrupting?” Angela asked, her gaze going from him to Annie and back again.
“Not at all,” Jude assured her. “Just talking to Annie about helping with the self-defense training.”
“We’re all ready,” Kiara said, spreading her arms. “Dressed per your instructions.”
“Good. Then we might as well get to work.”
When Jude got to his feet, so did Annie. He grabbed his jacket and then picked up his duffel bag.
“We’re heading over to the rec center,” Jude told Dawn. “Are you joining us?”
“I sure am,” she said. “I’ll drive over with Annie.”
Jude nodded, then led the way to the garage. He, Angela, and Kiara got in his UTV, while Dawn and Annie got in one of the other smaller ones.
If the weather had been nicer, they could have walked. But since Angela and Kiara weren’t used to the colder weather yet, it was better to take the UTVs.
As they drove the short distance to the rec center, Jude found himself acutely aware of Angela sitting in the passenger seat beside him. She was quiet, her hands folded in her lap, and he could sense her nervousness about the upcoming training.
"You okay?" he asked, glancing at her briefly before returning his attention to the narrow road ahead.
"Just a little nervous," she admitted. "I've never done anything like this before."
