To Betray A Brother (4 page)

White bi-fold doors stood open to the side of the room. A small shaft of light streamed through a gap in the curtains.

“No!” Penny gasped her hand flew to her mouth. The light fell on Justin as he slept. Nestled into his chest lay a brunette. Penny stood, transfixed at the scene in front of her. Her heart pounded, and her hand trembled. The ground threatened to open up and swallow her. Disbelieving. Without a sound she turned and headed for the front door. She did not want Justin to see her embarrassment on top of her foolishness.

Tears welled in her eyes. She pulled on her helmet and gloves and started her motor bike. She pushed the bike off the stand and pulled in the clutch.

“Penny! Wait!” She turned in time to see Justin, wearing only a pair of shorts, run through the front door. With her right foot, she clicked the bike into gear and rode off, not looking back.

* * * *

Penny sat on the on the side of the road, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting in her hands. Her tears subsided, though her chest ached from sobbing. She looked up at the BSA, its chain hanging limp, useless, and broken. Fighting back the urge to cry again she pulled her phone from her pocket, a hopeless gesture. The signal strength still read zero. She had no idea how long she sat and cried. She didn’t cry over her bike or even the helplessness of being stranded. The embarrassment of being taken in by Justin ripped at her chest. She cried over her own stupidity at being fooled so completely by the smooth talker. Surely there had been signs? She must have been too caught up in the moment, in the attention he’d lavished on her, not to see them. His big easy infectious smile made her feel special. She had really believed there was something between them, something in the making. Had he been serious when he asked her to join his team? She nearly accepted his offer, glad of having waited.

Now she sat stuck on the side of the road with no idea of how to get out of this new mess. She had no option other than to sit, wait, and hope somebody would come past with no way of telling how long she might be stranded.

A distant sound jolted Penny out of her self-pity.
A car?
She scrambled to her feet ready to wave down the driver. The sound increased as a motorcycle raced around the bend toward her. She stepped to the side of the road and waved her arms. The rider turned his head, and a pair of mirrored sunglasses momentarily reflected her image back at her. The bike roared past, the exhaust noise obscene as it shattered the silence and almost deafened her. The brake light came on and flames shot from the exhaust pipes as the rider slowed. Something else caught her attention, a patch on the back of the rider’s vest –
Dogs of Dereliction.

The bike did a U-turn, accelerated back toward her, and parked several meters behind her BSA.

Oh no. Please God no! Bryce. Of all the people! Could this day get any worse?

He kicked the side stand down and killed the engine. A small dog wearing flying goggles sat between Bryce’s legs with his front paws on the tank. Bryce removed the goggles from the dog’s head and slung them off the handle bar.

He ruffled the dog’s ears. “Russell, meet Penny. Penny this is Russell.” Russell jumped down walked over, sniffed Penny’s leg, and returned to lie beside his bike.

Even through his sunglasses, Penny’s skin increased in temperature where his eyes touched her. They lingered a moment too long, scorching her skin through her clothing. “Looks like we’re in a bit spot of bother here.”

“I rushed out in a bit of a hurry this morning.” She left it hanging by way of explanation. She wanted to wipe the smirk from his face for treating her like a piece of meat. She needed his help so she held back the retort which almost passed her lips. “And there is no phone coverage up here. So here I am, left to my own devices until somebody, that is
you
, came along.”

Bryce hadn’t moved. He sat on his bike, his right hand draped over the throttle.
Damn he looked sexy.
She shook her head, put her hands on her hips “Are you able to help at all, or am I still stranded?”

With the ease which came from years of riding he slid from the saddle and in three steps squatted down beside Penny’s bike. “You’re doubly lucky today. There’s not a lot of traffic up here, and I wasn’t planning to return until tomorrow. Second thing, the BSA’s chain is the same size as the one on my old girl.”

Penny moved closer, her shoulders relaxing and relief in her voice. “Are you able to fix the chain or at least make it so I can get back to town?”

He raised his head, at the same time lifted his glasses so they sat on his thatch of dark hair. A smile crossed his face and deep brown eyes shone with merriment. “When you have spent as much time as I have in the saddle of these old girls you learn quickly to carry a few spares with you.” For a moment Penny saw the Bryce of old, the Bryce she grew up with, the one with a mischievous streak a mile wide tempered with a strong sense of right and wrong—the Bryce she’d fallen in love with.

He retrieved a leather bag from the handle bars of his bike and rummaged about for the tools he needed. “This shouldn’t take long, and we can get back on the road.” Meanwhile Russell watched Penny with disapproval.

Bryce loosened and slid the rear wheel, grabbed the chain, and pulled it from the bike. He held the chain in one hand, gave it a flick, watching intently as it snaked through the air. He placed the chain over his knee, pushed on the links a couple of times, and flicked the chain again. Bryce repeated the process several times. A snapshot of Bryce’s skill as he made the repair look easy, much easier than it was. With deft movements he ran the chain around the sprockets.

As he worked Penny could not help notice the muscles in his arms flex, his tattoos danced with every movement. She studied his patch,
Dogs of Dereliction
written in dark green curved across his shoulder blades. Beneath the rocker sat a silhouette of a cross, the kind used by the military to mark graves of their dead. Beside the cross, still in silhouette, the shape of a dog curled up at the foot of the cross. Her thoughts went immediately to Steele.

She’d not heard from her brother for some time. She no longer even knew where he was any more. The last time she had seen him, she hadn’t recognised the man who stood before her, looking for all of the world like Steele but acting nothing like the brother she had grown up with. The fire of rage welled in her. She wanted to lash out at Bryce and make him pay for everything. Steele followed him into the army and overseas into combat. If it wasn’t for him, she’d have both her heart and her brother. She turned and walked away a few steps. Breathing deeply, she regained her composure. This was not the time to have an argument with Bryce, not stranded here.

Silence stretched between them filled only by the bird song coming from the surrounding forest. Oblivious to Penny’s flash of anger, Bryce worked methodically, completely focussed on the task at hand. He seemed comfortable, existing in the space between sounds, while Penny struggled with a need to fill the void. Finally she gave in. “I know, you were trying to help me the other day, though god knows why, and all I took all of my frustrations out on you.” He continued to repair her broken chain, not acknowledging her. “I was angry, and you happened to be there, and well….I realised later it wasn’t your fault. It’s just…”

He looked up at her and shrugged. “I was just trying to help save you some grief.” Bryce turned his head, “Hey! Russell,” he called. “Get me the pliers.”

Penny looked at him and smiled. ”You mean to tell me Russell knows the difference between the tools you have laid out on the seat?”

“If he’s of a mind, he will.” Russell jumped up onto the seat, grabbed something, jumped back down, and sauntered to where Bryce squatted. He turned his head and looked at Penny, his manner clear as he showed her he did indeed have a pair of pliers in his mouth. Russell dropped the pliers into Bryce’s waiting hand, received a pat, looked again at Penny as if to say “so there
”
and returned to his position beside Bryce’s bike.

“Look, I just want to apologise for what I said the other day. I realised afterward I acted unkindly, not to mention downright unfairly,” continued Penny, trying hard not to be impressed by Russell.

The last clip slid into place as Bryce replied without looking at her. “I’ll give you some free advice. I don’t know what Justin Byrne has told you. My experience has been whatever Justin says you can bet the only person who will benefit will be Justin.” He gathered the small handful of tools and walked over to his bike. Penny could not help notice the leopard-like grace with which he moved. Watching Bryce quickly became mesmerising, his every move a dance step. He placed the tools on the seat, returned, flicked the BSA off the centre stand, held the bike out, and looked expectantly at Penny.

“Oh yes, of course.” She shook her head, grabbed the bike, and sat on the seat. Bryce squatted behind the bike and made some final adjustments to the chain.

“Done. You should get home now.” He stood up. “Tell you what, why don’t you follow me until we get to town?”

“That would be great. Thanks,” replied Penny. “I don’t even know how to thank you for this.” Putting the bike on its stand, she stepped forward and gave him a hug, gratitude extinguishing her earlier anger.

“No thanks required,” he replied, stepping back from her embrace.

Penny put on her helmet and started her bike while Bryce packed up his tools. His bike fired into life with a roar, and Russell jumped up onto his seat. Bryce pulled beside Penny, sunglasses again hiding his eyes. He turned to her. “It’s the rule. You never leave another rider stranded on the side of the road. Let’s go. If your bike starts to play up, flash your lights, and we’ll pull over.” Without waiting for a response he accelerated away.

* * * *

Penny fingered the stem of the wine glass in her hand, looking through the red wine reflecting on the day. She flicked the laptop open and tapped the video record button. “Well, girl, you seem to have the knack, don’t you? The knack for falling for the biggest losers and creeps on the planet. This morning the world was at your feet. The prospect of spending the day with a charming man, and who knows from there? Only Price Charming is really Prince of the Leeches!”

She paused, sipping her wine. “God, it almost ripped out my gut to see him sprawled out with that woman. I wanted to just break down and cry right there. I am not going to give the bastard the satisfaction of seeing me cry. And if that wasn’t bad enough my bike had to break down in the middle of freaking nowhere. Who the hell have I upset to deserve this?” Her smile reflected back at her through the screen, “And then, just when I thought things could not get any worse, Bryce comes racing out of nowhere to be the hero of the moment.” Defeated, she rested her head onto her open hands and sat staring into the camera for a moment. “I have no idea what any of this means other than right now all men are bastards.”

Penny held Maeve’s hand between hers as they listened to the doctor. “His condition is not critical. He has a broken leg and several cracked ribs.”

“And you’re sure he will be okay, David?” Maeve shook as she asked the question.

“He’ll be fine. Mick’s as tough as they come. He will need to rest until his ribs have healed is all.” He touched her on the arm, a gentle smile on his face, “Maeve, if you or Mick need anything at all, you know where I am. You only need to call. Right now I have some other patients to see.”

Maeve turned towards the ward, “Thank you, David. You’re a good boy. It’s really nice to see you doing so well.”

“Now go in and see Mick. He will be home with you tomorrow.”

David nodded to Penny, signalling he wanted to speak further. Even though David had grown up with Penny and the others, he always stood apart. While Bryce, Penny, and Steele played on the farm, David spent his time as a cub scout. He studied medicine at university while Bryce and Steele did the best they could to get into every sort of trouble possible.

“Go in, Maeve. I’ll be with you in a moment. I need to get some water,” Penny said by way of excuse. David and Penny walked several steps away, until out of earshot.

He turned to face Penny. “Mick was lucky, Penny. Those boys really went to town on him.” A smile crossed his face. “I expect we might see one of them in here shortly. Mick might be getting on a bit, but as a kid I remember watching him fight in the heavyweight division. There will be a couple of sore boys out there somewhere nursing some bruises or two.”

“He’s going to make a full recovery, isn’t he? He won’t have a limp or anything?” She knew Mick would view anything less as weakness.

“Yes, he will be tender for a while and have some heavy bruising around his chest and face.”

“You will let me know if anything changes, won’t you?”

“Yes, I will. Now you better get in there before they suspect something.” He stuck out his hand. “It’s good to see you again.”

Penny took his hand. “Being a doctor suits you.”

She struggled not to gasp at the sight of Mick as she entered his room, his face blackened and his left eye almost swollen shut. She fought back the tears. How could somebody do this? Mick and Maeve were talking quietly, holding hands. Penny stood for a moment taking in the scene. Maeve’s face was drawn tight around her eyes, dark with a mix of concern and love for her husband. Mick, clearly in pain, patted Maeve’s hand, his own hands thick and puffy as he spoke through thick lips.

She’d barely stepped into the room when Mick noticed her. He motioned for her to come in. She joined them, giving him a kiss on the head before sitting into the chair beside the bed. “How are you feeling?”

He managed a smile. “You know, I’m a little sore at the moment and expect to be so for some time. I feel as if I got run over by a train.”

A nurse entered to check Mick’s charts, in a brusque business-like manner. “You will have to leave now. I’m sorry. Visiting hours start again at six pm. How are you feeling, Mr Reilly?”

Maeve and Penny gave Mick a kiss. “We’ll see you tomorrow when I finish work okay?” They left the ward, with Mick speaking to the nurse. The hair on the back of Penny’s neck tingled with the thought that this was no random incident.

* * * *

Bryce woke, drenched in sweat, his bedding soaked. He rose, slid on a pair of shorts, crossed to the large window, and looked out across the paddock. The moonlight reflected off the dam, dancing jester-like, mocking him for not being able to sleep. The nightmares returned, this time with friends. Always the same, seeing his platoon picked off with sniper fire one by one until nobody else remained. He stood alone, the last one left, his flesh burnt as the bullets ripped through him. Then nothing. Blackness.

He reached both arms above his head, luxuriating in 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 and finish as high as she could without causing any undue issues. Her shoulders relaxed as she settled into the rhythm, and she began to enjoy just being on the bike. She finished the first race in fifteenth place. Not quite last.

She rolled into pit area. Looking up her chest tightened as she remembered Mick couldn’t be with her today. She removed her helmet and sat on the bike, staring into the part rack, seeing nothing. Mick’s absence hit home as she fought back a swelling of tears.

“Let’s go,” she said to nobody in particular, stepped off the bike, removed her gloves, and grabbed a bottled of water. Taking a large mouthful, Penny paused to reflect on what she needed to do before the second race of the day. Mick would usually replace the spark plugs and adjust the chain. Adjusting the chain took two people, so there was no way she could accomplish the job. The bike ran beautifully so Penny decided not to replace the spark plugs. They were new this morning and should be able to handle two races at least.

Penny lined up on the starting grid for the second race of the day. Her low finish position from race one meant she was starting this time from the last row of the grid. Her shoulders slumped as she sat, almost defeated, waiting for the starter’s orders.

The lights at the start finish line lit up, signalling everybody to start their engines. She punched the start button, her bike purred to life, and she selected first gear. The light flashed yellow, and then green. Penny accelerated from the line, passing several bikes. Everyone jostled for position going into the first corner. Her heart rate increased as she raced out of the first corner and throttled hard up the short straight. Bikes jockeyed around her as they fought for position. Sweat stung her eyes, blinding her momentarily so she didn’t see Jack pull in beside her, their handlebars almost touching. Penny fought to keep her blood pressure down as Jack toyed with her, blocking her every attempt to get clear of him.

Her heart raced as they came out of the bend side by side, Jack sitting beneath her, pushing her wide. Penny cracked open the throttle, and her bike leaped forward. Suddenly it heaved as if somebody had reached out, grabbed the back wheel, and pulled her back. She kicked down into a lower gear, still no response.

“Damn!” The engine didn’t respond as she played with the throttle. The smooth vibration of the engine shook so violently she thought it would leap from the bike. Penny’s head dropped as she realised the problem. Earlier she chose not to replace the spark plugs and now paid the price—one of the spark plugs had fouled or broken down completely. Either way, the engine misfired and signalled the end of her racing for the day.

The ride around the perimeter of the track seemed to take forever as bikes roared past her. Penny held her head high as she rode through pit lane and back into her pit area. She sat on her bike, unmoving. Frustration boiled over, and she punched the tank, removed her helmet, and flung it away in disgust. She did the best she could by herself, and she had been found wanting.

* * * *

The shop doorbell tinkled. Penny looked up from the internet orders she had been packaging to see a large bunch of long stemmed white and orange roses offered over the counter. A sheepish looking Justin peeked out from behind them. "Truce?" He smiled his biggest charming smile.

Penny softened a little. His smile would melt any girl’s heart. Her blood pressure rose as she straightened her back, and her resolve hardened with the events of the other day still raw.
How dare he?

“What makes you think you have anything to say worth listening to?" Penny responded, her voice icy even as her heart pounded so hard she thought it would leap from her chest. "I think you can take those," she gestured angrily toward the roses, "and get out of here." Her chest tightened as she recalled the sight of Justin and the unknown beauty asleep in the bed together. Her throat constricted as she fought back the urge to cry. "Just get out." She turned to walk away.

"No, no. You have it all wrong. At least give me a chance to explain." Justin pleaded as he reached out and touched her shoulder. “She’s my secretary. It’s not what you think. We were working late."

Shrugging his hand away, she turned to face him, "Oh, so now I'm so stupid I don't know what I saw," she spat. "I didn't see you asleep with her in your bed? I didn't see your arm draped over her? Then what did I see? Well?" She raised her voice, her fists clenched. Her fingernails dug into her palms as she fought back the urge to scream and cry all at once.

Justin shook his head sorrowfully. "I cannot deny what you say is true. At least hear my side of the story." He raised his head, his blue eyes looked directly into hers, pleading to be heard.

"Here's what I hear," she responded, reaching for the phone. "Police sirens if you don't get the hell out of here and now." She started to dial.

Justin’s shoulders slumped, and he walked toward the door, the roses dangled limply by his side. As he reached the door, he turned. "Penny?" His voice racked with anguish.

She raised the phone and stabbed at the dial button by way of response. Looking at the ground, Justin turned and left without a word. She saw him toss the flowers into the rubbish bin as the door closed.

Penny slid down the front of the counter to the floor. Her heart raced and chest heaved as she put her head into her trembling hands. She fought to control the sob which threatened to break out. How dare he show up here expecting flowers would just fix everything? Justin was like all the other weasels she’d dated. What could he possibly say to make her change her view? Surely she couldn’t have misunderstood the situation? No. Her eyes did not play tricks upon her.