To Betray A Brother by G.W. Gibson Read Free Book Online Page B

the stretch. Catching a glimpse of scar tissue reflected in the window his left hand came down to the base of his ribs. Here the skin was coarse to touch where large welts raised angry from the rest of his torso, reminding him daily to live each day as if it is his first. He massaged his right thigh where scar tissue dipped, scalloped away, as if an ice cream scoop had been used to carve into his leg. He had been lucky, a great deal luckier than many of his comrades.
    The first rays of predawn signalled a start to a new day and chased the shadows from his mind, for the time being at least. Flicking though his MP3 player, Bryce settled on Electric Mary as his music of choice of running music. He jogged out into the yard, past the house and out onto the road. He turned right, away from town, and stretched his stride a little. Running helped clear his mind and ensured his body stayed well oiled. One thing he knew for certain, if he stopped moving he would seize up, and become arthritic very quickly. His wounds from four tours of Afghanistan were a guarantee of arthritis in the future.
    The riff of Let Me Out pounded through the earpieces as he stretched out even more, settling into the cadence of the music. He reflected back to finding Penny on the side of the road. Damn, what a fine looking woman she had become. What in the hell happened to cause her to break down on a little used piece of highway? Why had she been attacking him at every turn since he arrived back home? They’d grown up together. Her brother Steele joined the Army six months after Bryce. The two had been inseparable growing up, and Penny right there in the thick of things with them through it all. Hell, she was the sister he never had. It was Steele who pointed out Penny wanted to be more than just Bryce’s sister . The kiss had been a mistake, a big mistake. Your mate’s sister is always out of bounds. Could she still be angry at the way he left? Surely not? That was ten years ago.
    * * * *
    Penny looked at all the equipment she needed for the races coming this weekend. Up until now, she hadn’t realised just how much work Mick did in helping her prepare for a meet, not to mention being her mechanic as well. She packed the tools into the trailer with the normal spare parts stacked around the bike. She needed a lot of luck this weekend, riding and managing her area by herself. Only now she understood just how few friends she had. Oh, she knew many people, but few she could trust. Fighting back the urge to cry out in frustration, Penny closed her eyes and took several long slow deep breaths. She waited until her emotions were back under control before continuing to pack.
    After driving to the track and setting up her pit area for the day’s racing, she headed for the rider’s briefing. Justin’s sandy coloured hair stood out in the crowd, making him easy to spot. Her stomach churned as soon a she saw him, and she took a seat as far away from him as possible even though she wanted to confront and humiliate him—in the same way he had humiliated her. She saw him glance her way several times, almost as if trying to catch her attention. Her inner ice queen ruled. He would never know how he had ripped her apart when she saw him lying there, with another woman in his arms. No, she would ignore him and never acknowledge his existence ever again.
    Her phone vibrated with a message. Can we talk? Justin.
    With an exaggerated movement, she hit the delete button. “Justin Byrne, delete, forever,” she said under her breath, turning once again to concentrate on the briefing. She wasn’t going to let that man get in the way of a good race.
    Twenty minutes later Penny sat on the start grid, her bike idling underneath her as they waited. The light flashed green, and she accelerated from the line. Several bikes raced past her. Normally she would have tried hard to chase them down, hating to give away any places this early in the day. Today she planned to ride smoothly