Page 2 of Betrayed

But of course, you never get really good, deep sleep in prison—you never know when you might have a shank with your name on it.Lookingat someone wrong is enough to get you poked—Ican attest to that, having been on the wrong end of a homemade shiv once or twice myself.It’sa damn good thing weWeresheal quickly orI’dbe dead right now.

That’s another last—the last timeIhave to worry about getting stabbed in my sleep.Won’tthat be fucking nice?Ithink so, anyway.

The guard reaches me at last, unlocking the door to the cell as he calls my name andKane’s.

“ConnorLowellandKaneBlack!” he bawls, likeI’mnot sitting right there on my bunk, looking at him.

“Here,”Isaid for both of us.It’sthe morning count—the first of many.Weget counted throughout the day to make sure no one has escaped.Iget a little shiver down my spine whenIrealize that this is my last morning count—tomorrow they can call my name all they want,Iwon’t fucking be here.

The guard moves on andKanefarts and rolls over in his bunk with a loud creaking of the metal springs.Ibarely even notice.He’sstill asleep—that’s what counts.Whichmeans it’s safe to look.

Reaching under my own bunk,Ipull out a folded envelope.Ihave time to read it over a few more times beforeIhave to report to the prison office so they can process my release.

I take the letter out of the envelope—I’veread it so many times it’s worn and creased but the words, written in a round, feminine handwriting, are still legible.

DearKane,(it reads)

I can’t tell you how excitedIam to hear you’re finally getting out!See—Iknew you could make it.Ihad faith in you and it paid off.I’mso proud of my big brother!

I know we haven’t seen each other since you were ten andIwas three, butIhope you can make some time to stop by once you get out.I’mnot that far from you and maybeIcould help you get on your feet again.I’veheard it can be hard for people getting out of the prison system to adjust to life on the “outside” andI’dreally like to be there for you if you’ll let me.

These past two years have been amazing.You’vebeen out of my life for so long butIfeel like we’ve really reconnected ever since you started answering my letters.Iwant you to know how much your support has meant to me.Thankyou for reading my letters and writing back—I’mso glad we finally got to know each other.EventhoughIhave no idea what you look like,Ifeel so close to you.I’vetold you thingsIwould never dare to say to another living soul and you never judge me—thank you for that!

Well, things are getting busy inThePieShopnow, soIhave to run.Idon’t have anything else to say exceptIlove you andIwant to see you!Stopin andI’llgive you a piece of my famousStrawberryStreuselpie and a big hug for my big brother.

Your baby sister,

Sunny.

PS—here’s the picture you asked for.Whatdo you think of our new uniforms?

I read the letter twice more and look at the photograph she included.Abeautiful young woman with warm amber eyes and shoulder-length black hair drawn up in a ponytail smiles back at me.She’swearing a powder blue waitress uniform with a cute, frilly white apron.Thereare freckles across her pert little nose and she’s curvy in all the right places.

Extra curvy, to tell the truth, but that’s exactly howIlike my women.I’ma big guy—6’6” with muscles to spare after working out every damn day for the past three years—Idon’t want to be with some frail little thingI’mafraidImight break.Giveme a girl with thick thighs and a heart-shaped ass over the stick-thin supermodel type every day of the week.

SunnyYoung—(she andKanehad different fathers but the same mother, hence the different last name)—is everythingIcould ever want in a woman.She’ssweet and kind and thoughtful and beautiful and her letters have been keeping me going for the past two years.It’sa damn good thingI’mgetting out today becauseKaneis getting out soon too.Withouthim here,Iwouldn’t get any more letters from my beautifulSunny.

Not thatI’llbe dating my cellmate’s little sister anytime soon, no matter how adorable she is.Idon’t even know howIstarted writing to her and pretending to beKanein the first place.

OhHell, yesIdo.Iknow what got me going.Ihappened to find a crumpled envelope in the trash about a week afterIfirst moved intoKane’scell.Hewas out in the yard andIwas taking some time for a rare moment of privacy—something that’s in very fucking short supply in prison.

I had nothing else to do soIpicked the letter out of the trash.Itwas addressed toKanein round, flowing handwriting that made it obvious the sender was a woman.Buthe hadn’t even bothered to open the envelope before he crumpled it up and threw it away.

I’m not normally the nosey type but for some reason this letter caught my eye.Maybeit was the cuteSnoopystamp she used or just the way her handwriting looped over the creamy white paper.Therewas somethinghopefulabout it.

Looking around to see that no one was watching,Iopened it and read my very firstSunnyletter.

It was addressed to “my big brother” and contained a lot of gossipy news aboutSunny’shometown, her boyfriend, the diner she worked at calledThePieShop, and how she was trying to remodel the kitchen in the house their mother had left her when she died. (ApparentlyKane’sfather got custody of him when the two of them split which isn’t unusual in theWereworld.It’sbelieved that a boy needs his father to train him to be a successfulAlphamore than he needs his mother to care for him in our culture.)

The whole letter was written in a sweet, intimate tone that almost felt like someone writing in a diary, as thoughSunnywas just writing for her own satisfaction, with no expectation of a replay.Butat the very end she said,

I know you never answer these letters, butI’mnot going to give up on you,BigBrother!Iwant you to know that someone on the outside is rooting for you and loves you.Pleasebe safe and know thatI’mpraying for you every night.Ihope someday you’ll write back but until then,I’llkeep sending you all my love and hugs,

Your baby sister,

Sunny.

That damn letter got to me.Itsounded like maybeSunnyhad been writing to her big brother for years butKanewas too much of a sociopathic asshole to even answer a single letter.Itmade me fucking angry—she sounded so sweet and kind and vulnerable—she just wanted her big brother to love her.

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