Wake for Me (Life or Death Series) Read Online Free Page A

tell myself. I think I remember how to dance.
    Pink tights. Ballet shoes, of course. A diamond-studded leotard that fits me perfectly and makes my chest look fantastic. Even a matching tiara to cover my hair, which is a complete mess. I don’t have time to fix it, so I pull the tiara on over my wayward brown curls.
    By the time I’ve finally assembled the perfect costume for my impromptu recital, the music has stopped. I run out onto the stage, nervous but excited. I’m finally ready. I stand in the spotlight and strike a pose. But the theater is empty. The audience is long gone.
    I sink to my knees, defeated, as the spotlight sputters and dies.
    A voice comes booming through the auditorium.
    “Previously, on the Young and Relentless ….”
     

 
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
    “He does not believe that does not live according to his belief.” –Sigmund Freud
     
    “Wow. You sir, look amazing.”
    “Shut up and get in the car.”
    After tossing a bag of donuts through the open window, and into Sam’s lap, Brady wrenched the door open and plopped down into the seat with a dramatic flail.
    “Easy!” The dark blue Camaro might have been two years old, with a few small dents and dings, but it was easily the nicest car Sam had ever owned. He’d rented one when he first moved into the city and had fallen instantly in love. For all intents and purposes, it was his baby—but instead of complicating his life, it simplified things with built-in GPS navigation and heated leather seats. Seats which wouldn’t last long, if Brady kept disrespecting them for the sake of a comedic entrance. “I swear to God, if you’re wearing those stupid, metal-studded jeans again….”
Naturally, Brady ignored him, reaching over to reclaim the donut bag as Sam pulled back into traffic.
    “Ooh, you even smell amazing. What is your secret, Samuel?”
    “Showering.” Sam wasn’t sure what made him grumpier, the thought that they were going to be late for morning rounds, or the knowledge that he’d tossed and turned through eight hours of non-sleep while Brady had peeled his hung-over ass off the floor of some random girl’s bedroom less than an hour ago and still managed to be more awake.
    “Muchas gracias for picking me up, by the way. Your constant willingness to help out a dude in need is just one more thing that makes you so…a-ma-zing.”
    Sam scowled. “Let me guess, you finally slept with that girl from Telemetry. What was her name? Becky?”
    Instead of answering, Brady stuck his fist through the open window like he was about to joust an invisible opponent. “I am invincible!”
    “Great.” Not only were they going to be late for rounds, but Sam would also have to run circles around Brady all day. His friend was clearly on a testosterone high, and that could only mean one thing: he’d spend the rest of the day thinking with his downstairs brain.
    Luckily for Brady, they’d been doing this dance since the first week of med school. Sam would cover for his friend’s academic shortcomings, while Brady made sure that Sam didn’t over think…well, everything. It seemed like a pretty fair trade off, most of the time.
    But not today, when Sam felt like everything in the world was setting his teeth on edge.
    “Close the window, will you? It’s freezing.” He pulled onto the freeway and gunned the engine, watching as the speedometer crept to around eight miles an hour over the speed limit. It was something his brother had told him once, after Ben had gotten his driver’s license. As long as you’re less than ten miles per hour over the speed limit, most cops won’t bother pulling you over. As unrealistic as that advice was, it had sounded like doctrine at the time.
    But then, Sam had always been a little too willing to believe anything his older brother told him. Like when Sam was seven, and Ben told him that he could fly if he just flapped his arms hard enough. Or when Ben had dared him to drink an industrial-sized bottle of