At Any Turn (Gaming The System) by Brenna Aubrey Read Free Book Online

pain.
    And I was all too aware of it. Always.
    We held a brief press conference (took no questions) and released a statement of condolence to the families. I took no responsibility for what was not my responsibility to take. It was a horrific week, but once the press got hold of another story—an uprising in a small Middle Eastern country that threatened to start yet another war—our lives started to calm down.
    That weekend the two of us resolved to stay in, take it easy. Live quietly before the next week would come crashing down on us again. It was hard to let go and back away from work, but as I’d known she would, Emilia kept me on the straight and narrow.
    After a quiet lunch, I went out for a run in the late afternoon. I preferred to run outdoors while the weather was still good. Emilia would have come with me, but her friends, Alex and Jenna, showed up with a big bag of her mail from her old apartment and she’d begged off.
    I loved running with Emilia, but without her, I could go farther and faster and it was exactly what I needed to help clear my head. An hour later, I returned to a shrieking girlfest that I could have done without.
    Alex squeaked at a very high pitch, her arms wrapped around Emilia’s shoulders. Jenna just had her hands on her cheeks, her pale eyes as huge as silver dollars. Something had happened. Emilia was flushed and shaking.
    I tensed, immediately going into protective mode. What had happened? My eyes flew to the pile of opened mail on the table in front of them. Bad news?
    I was sweaty from my run, but I didn’t care. “Emilia? You okay?”
    Alex peeled away from Emilia to turn and come toward me at a run. I backed off and held out a hand. “Sweaty,” I said, but it was more to avoid the awkward moment. Alex was always throwing herself at me and it was weird how Emilia either took no notice or wasn’t bothered by it. Frankly, I didn’t have the patience to deal with Alex. I wanted to know if Emilia was okay.
    Alex bobbed up and down on her tiptoes in my line of vision. “She’s more than okay, Adam! She’s—”
    “Alejandra!” Jenna interrupted. “Let Mia tell him, please.”
    My eyes locked on Emilia’s. She sent me a tremulous smile. Okay, so it wasn’t bad. I let out a breath, relaxed my shoulders and waited.
    Her smile grew as she held up a folded letter. “I got accepted!”
    I stepped around Alex and went to her immediately. Her joy washed over me. I pulled her into my arms, holding her tight and she didn’t even seem to mind that I was sweaty and smelled like a horse.
    I kissed her hair. “That was quick! They must have really wanted you. No surprise. Congratulations!”
    She pulled me tightly to her, grabbing on to me like a lifeline. “Thank you,” she whispered into my ear.
    I kissed her cheek. “I knew you’d get in. UCI’s a great school.”
    Emilia tensed in my arms and the two girls—thankfully—quieted. I was getting tired of Alex’s high-pitched squeaks. I turned my head to look at them and Alex and Jenna exchanged a long look. Emilia had her head tucked down, under my chin. She hadn’t relaxed.
    Jenna reached out and grabbed Alex by the upper arm. “Let’s go down to the beach and watch the sunset.”
    Alex nodded and turned immediately. They were out the door in less than a minute and I gazed after them, puzzled. Taking a deep breath, I stepped back and watched Emilia closely. She avoided my gaze.
    “So it isn’t UCI—yet. I was sure other schools would want you, too,” I said quietly.
    Emilia’s jaw tensed and she placed the letter down on the table beside me so that I could read the letterhead. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
    When she spoke, it was in a voice so quiet I could barely hear her. “It’s not just any other school. It’s my dream school.”
    I didn’t take my eyes off the letter. Under the letterhead stating the name of the university was its location: Baltimore, Maryland. Fucking Maryland .
    She