To Betray A Brother Read Free Page A

came under fire, he froze. We almost lost the entire platoon. They found him curled up, whimpering like a baby. If it hadn’t been for...” His voice tailed off, replaced by awkward silence.
    Penny regarded Justin thoughtfully for a moment. The encounter with Bryce clearly shook him. His hands trembled atop the table while he stared, not seeing, his gaze unfocussed. He shook his leg as they sat. Instinctively she reached out and covered his hands with hers.

Chapter 2
     
    Penny shortened her stride as she leaned into the hill. Her pace quickened so as not to lose too much momentum. She usually zoned out, the rhythm of her breathing and cadence drummed by her feet allowing her mind to rest as she ran. Instead, today running was pure hard work. Her mind refused to relax. She found herself continually going back to last night’s dinner with Justin. Nobody had shown interest in her for such a long time. Why shouldn’t she take notice? After all he was delightful, funny, witty, charming, not to mention a killer body. What right did Bryce have to come smashing in and stomp all over her life?
    Images of Bryce invaded her consciousness, unbidden, refusing to leave. His dark eyes seemed to rip into her soul as if uncovering her darkest secrets. There might have been something between them once, years ago when they had both been so much younger, before he left her stranded.
    She rounded the corner and slowed, walking the final few hundred meters home. Her heart rate dropped and muscles began to relax. She noticed some large cobwebs strung along the path beside the house and made a mental note to spend some time cleaning the outside. In the shade of the large mango tree, Penny settled onto the thick lawn and into a series of poses. Starting with her legs, slowly her bunched-up muscles released their tension. Finally she moved into a seated position grasped both ankles and brought the soles of her feet together. As she leaned forward, her elbows found the inside of her knees. Using her upper body weight she rested and closed her eyes.
    After some time Penny rose and headed into the house for a shower. She stopped in the kitchen and flicked on the kettle switch. Grey cupboards rose from the black tiled floor and flanked cold industrial stainless steel appliances to meet cream coloured walls and tiles. The only splash of colour came from the retro red bench top appliances. Perhaps she should take the time to reflect her good fortunes by updating the house. She passed an old picture hanging in the hallway of her brother Steele with Bryce, their arms draped loosely over each other’s shoulders, and their faces sported broad grins, clearly trouble in the making. If only she could fly back in time and warn them of what lay ahead for them both.
    Penny grabbed a glass of water, sat at the table, and powered up her laptop. She flicked open the video recorder. Her face, still flushed from running grinned through the screen. “Wow. What a night.” She paused and continued. “There I was sitting in the Chinese restaurant with Justin on the first date I’ve been on in a long time and in walks Bryce Huntington. I didn’t recognise him at first, he’s change so much. He seemed older, darker somehow. God it must be twelve or thirteen years since I last saw him, right after he promised to take me to the school dance and didn’t show up! ”
    Taking a mouthful of water she sat back and closed her eyes. “He left me stranded, waiting for a dance escort that never showed. Nobody, not even his mum knew where he was. For all we knew he was dead, then a couple of months later Steele gets word he’d joined the army. I have no idea how I should feel right now. I stayed angry at him for a long time, especially when Steele followed in his footsteps. The question is, should I confront him or just go one with my life and forget he ever existed?”
    She closed her eyes for a second, collecting her thoughts.
    “So why am I talking about him instead of