Free Judas by Chandler Lacey-Payne

which made Adessa want to shake her, but Phillip seemed to be giving Judas plenty of space so Adessa followed suit. She knew he and his father were close, and Phillip seemed to understand his son's behavior far better than anyone else. Before they exchanged good-bye's at the terminal, Phillip turned to Adessa. “I am sorry about my wife. She really isn't so bad once you get to know her.” he told her.
                  "She just needs to adjust, like the rest of us," she tried to sound convincing but didn't really care if she failed.
    He smiled warmly as his eyes danced with amusement. "You landed a good blow, kid. Hit her right where she needed it," he winked.
    Adessa resisted the urge to ask if it had landed in her black heart. If that statement was bait, she wasn't taking it. “Thank you, Phillip. I know this must be hard on everyone. It happened so fast.” She tried to sound neutral but they both knew she couldn't stand the witch.
                  “Nonsense, I've been waiting for Judas to snap out of it for years. I trust his judgement, and I say he did well in choosing you.” he smiled warmly and she hugged him.
    Her eyes drifted to Judas, who was only a few steps away. “You raised a fine man.”
    “Indeed I did," he winked. "Now it's up to you to take care of him.”
    “I i ntend to," she said warmly. "If the stubborn man will allow me.” They both chuckled at that and he picked up his bags and turned to his son.
                  "Take care of her, Judas. She sure is worth her weight," he said kindly.
    Judas gave an empty smile, "Thank you, Dad."
    The two men exchanged hugs and Phillip picked up his bags and started toward Anita, who was pacing near the gate.
    Judas barely spoke to her all the way home and though he didn't seem angry, he was withdrawn and she had no idea what to make of it. She wasn't sorry she had snapped on his mother but she did feel bad that it might put him in an awkward position.
                  She couldn't imagine what living with that woman must have been like growing up and it made her thankful for her own mother. Anita Quinn wouldn't have stood a chance against Elizabeth Ryan. Blue collar or not, her mother wouldn't have taken the first jab from Anita and she would have been proud of her daughter's behavior in the mall. She felt a smile form on her lips as she stared out the window in silence. Something told her she would never answer to Anita Quinn again.

 
                 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN
     
     
                  He went out to the patio and sat alone with his thoughts, chain smoking as he gazed into the fire that blazed in the outdoor fireplace while she quietly read a book inside. He only smoked when he was nervous but when he did, a whole pack would disappear in a matter of hours. He knew this would happen if his mother visited. She had been horrible to Adessa and to him and she had managed to trigger everything in him that he had fought so hard to keep control of. The visions had been flashing through his mind since yesterday and just the thought of what would happen next had consumed him.
                  His hands shook as he smoked, and the blinding need for the release was as thick as the smoke in his throat. His pulse raced as he saw her in his mind’s eye, waiting and accepting of what he was and knowing she would welcome everything he needed to do. The pain was more than he could take and with each passing second, he fought against it. The course was set, and his mother had sealed his fate.
                  He had no idea how he would explain it to Adessa, and he knew she would never understand. Everything they shared up to this point had been perfect but there was no getting around this with her. He knew that eventually she would find out about Jaime and maybe even about the others. He just hoped that the darkest secret would never be discovered.