Page 4 of Judas

Paul smiled brightly and rubbed his hands together in excitement as he stood, tearing open the box. Greedily he reached inside, grabbing a handful of buttons. Quickly, his smile faded into a dark scowl. He dropped the buttons back in the boxand slowly looked up at the young intern. Her smile faded as well when she saw his face redden.

Without warning, Paul swept the box off the table sending thousands of buttons flying across the room. Georgia squealed in surprise and Eliza jumped to her feet.

“Dad!” Eliza exclaimed, “Have you lost your mind?!”

Paul turned dangerously to look at his daughter, “No, Betsy. I have not lost my mind. I have just been completely let down by this sorry staff of mine.”

“What are you talking about?” Eliza asked.

Paul threw a handful of stray buttons toward his daughter and Judas immediately saw red. He watched this scene unfold and thought the guy was an asshole, but seeing him treat his own daughter in such a way enraged Judas beyond anything he had experienced in a very long time. He wanted to tear this mediocre man to pieces, but the small voice inside his head steadied him.

To his utter surprise, Eliza took it all in stride. It was clear she had seen this kind of behavior before and wasn't fazed even in the slightest. Staring coldly at her father, she stooped to pick up a button. She studied it closely and then a small giggle escaped her. Judas was certain it was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. He smiled in spite of the chaos before him. She was entertained by whatever the issue was while her father was turning a deeper red with each passing second.

“Betsy, it is NOT funny,” Paul shrieked, veins popping in his neck.

She rolled her eyes then stared straight into his, “Dad! No one is going to care that your middle name is on these buttons. Lots of men are named Lindsey. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Judas held in his chuckle and watched as Paul swept all the paperwork off the conference table as well. Judas was in disbelief as the man lost his ever-loving shit over people knowing his middle name. The irony that Paul Arthur had theaudacity to question his name was not lost on Judas and made him laugh a bit more to himself.

“Senator Lindsey Graham would be very disappointed in this behavior,” Eliza admonished.

Judas couldn't be certain, because she had a wonderful poker face, but he imagined for a quick moment that Eliza might just be enjoying her father’s madness.

Paul, still full of rage, turned to the poor intern who was shaking at his side and screamed in her face, “Are you stupid, girl? Who told you to put that name on there?” He leaned in close, yelling, “Are you trying to sabotage me?”

Eliza, furious that he had turned his attention to the young girl, moved around the table in an instant, pushing her father away. Standing between them, Eliza squared her shoulders, “Enough, Dad! Get out. Go work somewhere else until you can calm down. Now!”

He never argued but stalked out of the room, slamming the door before the other men in the room, except Judas, gathered their belongings and quickly followed behind. The crying intern scrambled to pick up the buttons but Eliza stopped her instantly.

“I’m so sorry, he acted that way, Georgia. This has nothing to do with you and I fully understand if you want to walk away from this whole mess and never come back,” Eliza whispered earnestly.

Georgia wiped at the frantic tears threatening to roll down her cheeks, but waved Eliza off, “No, really. I’m fine. It’s fine. I had no idea he would be so mad. I had no idea they would say his middle name.” She added with a shrug, "I didn't even know his middle name."

Eliza hugged her, “Please don’t blame yourself for any of this. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen and he had no right to treat you that way. Genuinely, I am so sorry for my father’s behavior.”

Georgia smiled at Eliza, “Thank you. I’m just in a bit of shock, I think. He just scared me, but I’m okay.”

Eliza held her at arm's length, “No one should ever scare you in the workplace. Or anywhere else for that matter. Please, take the day and do whatever you need for yourself. Tell Lydia at the front desk that I want you to have the company card for the day. Take yourself to brunch. Go to the spa. Buy yourself something nice. All of the above. Whatever you want. It’s on my insufferable father today.”

Georgia shook her head aggressively, “Oh, no. I could never. Really. I’m okay.”

Eliza stilled the young woman, “No, Georgia. I insist. Take the day. Take the card.”

Georgia was still unsure but softly nodded her head and seemed to relax as relief flooded her. She turned, heading out of the room with a small wave.

Judas watched this entire scene unfold from his perch in the corner and was speechless, but he stayed to watch Eliza. She folded her arms across her chest and walked to the wall of windows overlooking the city. She stared out into the expanse, shaking her head, trying to come to terms with what this job would mean for her in the long run. She felt trapped, but couldn't leave because who would rein in her father when he needed it if she was gone?

Judas crossed silently to stand behind her. She saw his reflection in the windows before she saw him. She dropped her head in defeat realizing he was still here watching the whole sad scene unfold.

She turned to face him, “Still think you’re ready for this?”

Judas, fully composed and calm, drew a breath without hesitation, “Are you okay?”

Eliza was so overcome with emotion she nearly fell into his arms. No one ever asked her how she felt after one of her father'soutbursts and she had no idea how desperately she needed to hear it. She’s kept it all inside and nothing about this man would change that. She couldn't let him see the weakness for even a second. Instead, she painted on her smile, straightened her suit, and touched his shoulder as she walked past.

“I don’t even know what okay is most days,” she replied, walking out the door, and leaving Judas alone in the room.

He watched the closed door willing her to walk back through it. She may have been raised by that man, but he knew she was nothing like him. Judas could already tell that Eliza was good, kind, and full of integrity. He wished he could take her away from all this and see who she really was inside. He wanted to know her more than he’d ever wanted to know another person. That truth was more painful than he would like to admit because he understood the accompanying truth as well.

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