Page 45 of Judas

"Aunt Reba, what's going on?" she furrowed her brow.

Tears welled in the tired woman's eyes but, before she could shut the door, Eliza heard another familiar voice in the distance, "Who's at the door, Mom?"

She was relieved for a moment when Dave Branson's tall frame came into view behind his mother and Eliza couldn't help but to smile. The sensation was short lived when her adoptive brother began yelling.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" he barked.

"Davy, no. Stop!" Reba turned, putting her hands on her eldest son's chest. "She doesn't have anything to do with this."

Eliza stared through the decorative screen door at the pair in shock and it didn't go unnoticed by Dave. His face softened a bit but his eyes glared. She heard Reba whisper something to her son before he took several steps backward.

"Aunt Reba, what's going on? Where's Uncle Chet?" she pleaded.

The woman grasped the door with a shaking hand, "You sit with your daddy."

"Aunt Reba," Eliza began, but before she could utter what she wanted to say, something else came out of her mouth, much like with her uncle the night before. "Nine-seven-two-nine."

The woman froze midway through her action and was the deer in the headlights.

"You know," Eliza whispered. "What is it, Aunt Reba? What's in that file?"

The last thing she saw before her aunt shut the door were the tears pouring from her eyes.

Eliza walked back to her car more confused than ever. She had no idea why Reba wouldn't let her in the house or why Davy was so quick to attack. What was she missing? And where was Chet?

She pulled away from the home, glancing in the rearview mirror at its beauty. She wondered for a moment if she would ever feel its warmth again. But, the idea was fleeting as a constant reel of questions overtook any other ideas she might have. She drove aimlessly out of Southlake and back into Dallas the whole time trying to piece together the puzzle in front of her.

When she finally regained her focus, Eliza noticed signs for Katy Trail. A pang of guilt and pain hit her heart as she drove closer to Judas' apartment. After everything she'd learned, or hadn’t learned in the last couple of days, it all gave her pause about her uncle's involvement. She couldn't believe he actually pulled the trigger, but he at least knew something about her father's shooting. Of that, she was more convinced than ever.

And then, of something else.

Regret poured over her in sheets like heavy rain. What had she done? She was so tired and so heartbroken. She hadn't been thinking clearly. She had just reacted without a thought. She had let the words tumble out of her so casually. She had been so cold and cruel. The most hurtful thing she could have hurled at him and all he was trying to do was help. She had taken out all her hurt and all her fear on the only one that was there for her. She had crushed him with her words without a single thought of hesitation and she had done it on purpose.

Judas had simply tried to warn her. She’d called him a traitor.

He had trusted her with his deepest secret and she had used it against him.

My god.

What had she done?

She owed him an apology. She just hoped it would be enough.

Chapter thirty-three

Eliza stood outside the door to Judas’ apartment. She stared at it, almost too afraid to knock. Would he slam the door in her face? Would he even open it for her at all? She was certain he must hate her.

The last words she’d spoken to him had been the most hurtful words she could’ve ever imagined saying. She’d stabbed him with them like a weapon meant to slice him as deeply as possible. Eliza had watched him slice his own flesh before her eyes only to see the wound heal itself within seconds. She had a heavy, dark feeling that the wounds left behind by her words would be less easily mended.

She’d made assumptions in her grief and she’d been so terribly wrong. Her heart ached to think of what she did to him in that moment, but she had to try to salvage what she could of their relationship, if that was even possible. At a minimum, he needed to know that she knew she was wrong. She had to tell him that she knew he was the innocent one in all of this mess. He was innocent all the way back then in his first life and he was now.

Right now, in this life that he should be sharing with her.

That was it. That’s the thought that spurred her on. He should be in her life. Eliza loved Judas on a level she never knew was even possible and she wanted him in her life every single day. She had to fix this. He had to love her back. She prayed she wasn't too late, that she hadn’t screwed this up too profoundly to take it all back. He had to know how deeply sorry she was.

With that thought, Eliza raised her fist and knocked on his door. For several minutes there is nothing but silence. She was about to knock again when she heard stirring inside. A few thuds and curses later, Eliza was greeted by a very haggard looking Judas. He was sporting an untrimmed beard and deep, dark circles under his eyes. Seeing him look so broken tore her heart into pieces.

“Oh, Judas,” she murmured as she reached out with a gentle hand and caressed his cheek.

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