Read Online Enemy of Gideon by Melissa McGovern Taylor - Free Book Online Page A

last class of the day, it takes all of my willpower not to make a run for it. Arkin’s eyes follow me all over the gym. When the final bell rings, I speed to the escalators as fast as I can. I know faithful Og will be waiting outside for me. We agreed to walk to headquarters as soon as school let out.
    “Raissa, wait!” Arkin yells behind me, but I ignore him.
    Og looks back. “Arkin’s calling you.”
    I hurry ahead into the pedestrian crowd. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
    “Wait,” Og calls, joining me. “What happened to your crush?”
    “I’ve got more important things to worry about.”
    He shrugs and presses through the crowd at my side.
    We leave the majority of the traffic as we cross over to Street B4. I struggle not to break into a sprint along the three blocks to Code Enforcement headquarters. Ogden huffs beside me, struggling to keep up with my determined pace.
    “Slow down,” he says between breaths.
    “This is life or death! We have to hurry!” My heart thumps in my ears, perhaps from my pace or perhaps from my overwhelming emotions.
    “That can’t be true,” he says. “Why would they kill enemies when they could get so much information out of them?”
    “So you think my dad is still alive?”
    He frowns.
    “You think your dad wouldn’t kill an enemy?” I ask.
    He stops walking. “My dad is not a murderer!”
    I pause and turn to him. “If my dad is dead, then CE killed him.” The realization hits me as the words spill from my mouth.
    His face twists. “If your dad was an enemy, he deserved it!”
    The breath explodes from my lungs like he punched me in the gut.
    “Go home!” I yell. “I can go to headquarters by myself!”
    But he’s all ready heading in the opposite direction and disappearing into a new group of pedestrians.
    I can’t believe the fantasy world he lives in. Of course, they kill enemies. They’ll do anything to protect the city-state, even kill people who pretend to be citizens. As far as I’m concerned, I can no longer be a citizen. If they kill Petra, I’ll renounce all things Gideon, abandon my citizenship, and seek revenge on CE. I’ll die to avenge my sister.
    Get a hold of yourself. Petra is going to be fine. You can convince her to deny her enemy ties. They’ll let her go, and life will be normal again.
    Now you sound like Mom.
    The headquarters skyscraper stands one more block away. The cylindrical tower symbolizes the Code’s hold over all citizens. All signs and documents show a seal with the tower in the center. Chief Penski works somewhere near the top floor.
    Heading through the sliding glass doors of the tower, I now regret my argument with Og. How much harder will it be to talk to the chief without Ogden by my side? An officer approaches me as soon as I walk into the lobby.
    “What business do you have here?”
    “I need to see Chief Penski.”
    “Your name?” The officer turns on a digital pad in his hand and scrolls with his finger through the information on the screen.
    “Raissa Santos.”
    The officer offers me an open hand. “Your wristband.”
    I put my wrist out, and the officer scans my wristband with the digital pad.
    “ID confirmed,” a robotic voice says from the pad.
    “You aren’t authorized to see him today,” the officer says.
    “ I am,” a voice behind me says.
    I turn and find Ogden.
    “I’m Garrison Penski’s son and Raissa is with me,” he says.
    The officer confirms Og’s ID, and I follow Og to the elevators. I can’t believe he came back.
    “I’m sorry for what I said. You’re going through a tough time,” he says as we stand in the glass elevator alone.
    “You’re a good friend. Thank you.”
    “I’m the best friend you’ll ever have,” he says with a smirk. “You owe me one.”
    The elevator stops at the seventy-first floor with a resounding ding . The doors open, revealing a carpeted hallway with doors on either side. I follow him down the hall, passing open offices along the way. Inside