Read Online Circle of Fire by S. M. Hall - Free Book Online

round, perspex bulge of the cockpit, any moment she’d be spotted. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a horse. Without much hope she pulled her bag from her back, dropped it on the ground and whistled.
    Come on. Please believe I’ve got a nice treat for you in my pocket.
    She whistled again and the horse lifted its head, turned and came galloping, full pelt.
    Over her shoulder the helicopter was getting closer; soon the pilot would be able to see her face. But with a small earthquake the horse ground to a halt and stood in front of her. She put an arm roundits neck, felt in her pocket and – glory of glories! – she found half a packet of polo mints. The horse smelt them and Maya hid her face in its thick mane as the helicopter flew overhead.
    As the horse was nuzzling for the last polo mint, the helicopter disappeared from sight, and it didn’t return until Maya had skipped down the hill and was crossing the river bridge in front of the railway station. If the crew had been sent to spot her, they hadn’t succeeded.
    In the station she bought a ticket for Leeds and waited for an anxious twenty minutes on the platform. At any moment she expected a shadow to fall across her, a hand to grab her shoulder, but nobody approached and when the train arrived she knew she was going to make it. She’d escaped, and now she could put her plan into action.
    * * *
    While the train rumbled along, Maya tried to work out what she was going to do. She had to admit her plan wasn’t exactly watertight, but she was certain that all the evidence pointed to the Leeds group. If she could get to talk to Khaled Husain, she’d make him giveher information and she would get it quicker than Simon’s team could. She’d find her mum, and together they’d stop the bombs. Even if she was wrong or her plan was crazy, she had to try. And if Khaled Husain was the one who’d betrayed Pam – a double agent? It was a chance she had to take.
    The train journey seemed to take forever. She wished she could contact Simon and ask him what was happening at the farmhouse. If only he had agreed to use her to suss out the bookshop, then she would have backup.
    The train jolted and stopped suddenly, panicking her. This was ridiculous, she had to control her nerves; only if she was calm could she think clearly. Looking out of the window, she saw the train was standing at a little country station, and for a moment she was tempted to get off, turn round and run back home.
    Doubts plagued her mind, nibbling at her brain like maggots. What if Pam had phoned home with another message? What if she’d already been rescued? But even if this had happened, Maya knew she had to carry on; she had to find Khaled and get the all-important information her mum needed.
    She rested her elbows on the table in front of her as the train started up again. The plants and bushesoutside blurred into swathes of green and yellow. Simon could play his waiting game, ask his team to keep watch and gather intelligence, but Maya was certain that Pam’s kidnapping was connected to the Leeds cell. And if Khaled knew where Pam was being held, if he had a clue about the hiding-place, somehow she’d make him tell her.
    It wouldn’t be easy. She’d have to be alert, cautious, scope Khaled out before she revealed who she was. Could she present herself as a Muslim girl? She had tried to forget everything about her religion – now she tried desperately to remember. Maybe the sensible thing to do was to say she was on a quest to learn.
    As the train pulled into Leeds City station, she was full of trepidation. She’d never been to Leeds before, had only a vague idea of where she wanted to go, and knew it was quite possible that police would be on the platform waiting for her.
    Occupying the seat opposite her, long legs sprawled under the table, was a gum-chewing lad wearing a baseball cap. He’d been a bit of a pain, to be