ACCUSATION (Book One of The Criminogenic Trilogy 1) Read Online Free

wanted to feel the comfort of her mother close to her, but she knew that they were waiting for her.  It was that damned Professor, she thought, he’s the one causing all of this trouble.  Shaking the paranoia off with the rain, Giselle stopped under the awning of a small store.  The warmth of the store was beckoning her to come inside, but she feared what or who might be waiting for her.  Finally, succumbing to the cold, she walked into the tiny coffee shop that seemed to offer her refuge.
    Keeping her hood over her face, she sought out a quiet booth for herself.  A friendly smile welcomed her in, but she couldn’t return the gesture, she was too tired. 
    “Something to warm you up, Sugar?” the waitress drawled, her large voice didn’t match her petite body.
    “Just a coffee please,” Giselle asked in a hushed tone, she didn’t want to draw any attention to herself.  The waitress smiled, heading toward the bar and leaving Giselle to her own devices.
    Lost in a pool of thought, Giselle didn’t notice when a familiar face joined her.  He watched as she slunk in, hoping to remain obscure, but a woman like Giselle couldn’t be invisible.  He silently thanked the waitress for the coffee, and edged it toward her, hoping to slowly get her attention.
    “Penny for your thoughts?” he said.
    Taken aback, Giselle looked at him with big eyes. “Calvin! Are you trying to kill me?” She forced some humor into her voice, not wanting her fear to show.
    He smiled warmly, he’d known Giselle for years and even after her father had been detained, she never lost her fight.  But she was different somehow; now she seemed resigned.
    “Nah, just keeping you on your toes. What you doing out after curfew anyway?” It was unusual for girls to be out after curfew, all women in Zone 3 and 4 had to be home before dark.  It was a way to keep control over the headstrong women of each region, and a way to keep control over the households. 
    “Pah!” she scoffed, “They watch us anyway, and nothing we do is good enough for them.” Giselle took a big gulp of the bitter warmth.  Calvin urgently scanned the room, her agitation was becoming apparent, and he didn’t want to attract any more attention to them.
    “Shh! Calm down, fireball!” he whispered. “Let’s get out of here. Go some place where you won’t get us into trouble.” He left a few notes on the table, before leading Giselle out of the coffee shop.  She didn’t protest, since she didn’t know where to go to anymore. 
    The rain had stopped, but the streets were soaked and cold.  The two reprobates walked closely together in silence, Giselle being lead through the empty streets by the resolute Calvin. He led her toward a service entrance of a run-down warehouse. 
    “Come on, there is something I want to show you.”  He pulled the heavy door open, leading her inside.  It took a moment for them to adjust their eyes to the darkness, and the sound of water dripping echoed through the empty space.
    “I don’t know if I like this, Calvin.” Giselle gripped onto Calvin’s arm, and squeezed a little bit tighter with each step they took. 
    “Don’t worry,” he wrapped his arm around her, trying to comfort her. “It is okay. I’ve got you.”
    They navigated a staircase to where abandoned offices housed scrounging vagabonds, hiding from the cold.  Curious eyes peered through dirt-crusted windows and around doorframes. 
    “We shouldn’t be here,” Giselle said with urgency. She felt the glares of whoever had made a home out of the forgotten ruin. 
    “Just calm down, I know what I’m doing,” Calvin tried to reassure her, but he knew that he should have explained himself better before leading her into uncertainty.  “You will be fine, don’t worry.”
    They finally made it past the rows of forgotten people, and toward a large room at the end of the hall.  Calvin knocked on the door three times before a gritty man, demanding their names,