Circle of Fire by S. M. Hall

fine,’ she managed to say. ‘I was up early. I feel a bit light-headed. I need to getsome fresh air.’
    Khaled got up. ‘You’ll have to excuse us, we need to get ready for the meeting.’
    After the guys had trooped upstairs, Maya opened the kitchen door and stepped outside to reach in her pocket for her phone. Glancing around, she checked the yard was empty, closed the door behind her and then punched in Simon’s number.
    Her heart raced while she listened to Simon’s phone ringing.
    Please answer, please.
    She held her breath, desperate to hear his voice, but when she did, it was just his voicemail message. After the pips she whispered, ‘It’s Maya. I’m in Leeds and—’
    She stopped abruptly as the door behind her creaked. A small, dark figure stood at her shoulder.
    â€˜What you doin’ out here?’ Nazim asked.
    The phone nearly slipped from her hand. ‘I . . . I . . . er . . . was just phoning my family.’
    â€˜Were you? Don’t let me stop you.’
    â€˜They . . . er . . . they weren’t there. I was just leaving a message.’
    â€˜So, finish it.’
    â€˜It’s OK. I’ll do it later.’
    â€˜What you doin’ here? Who invited you?’
    â€˜I’m Khaled’s cousin.’
    Maya tried to sound offhand, hoping he wouldn’t notice how much she was trembling.
    â€˜I haven’t seen you around here before,’ he said.
    â€˜No,’ she replied. ‘I live near Derby.’
    â€˜So, why you here now?’
    He was watching her closely. One eyebrow rose, the scar on his forehead wrinkled. Ten different answers shot through her head, but she found she couldn’t speak.
    He chuckled. ‘Khaled never told me he had a beautiful cousin in Derby.’ He licked his lips and brushed close to her as he moved past. ‘Kept that to himself, didn’t he? Funny you should arrive today when Omar had business in Derbyshire – important business, momentous.’
    While speaking, his eyes examined her face, recording the slightest twitch of a muscle, assessing the meaning of every expression. Panic surged through her as his gaze swept the contours of her face and body. Her throat dried, her nerves sizzled. If he suspected who she was, she was in deep trouble.
    She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he walked across the yard. Suddenly he turned.
    â€˜You’ll have to excuse me,’ he said, with mock politeness. ‘I’m meeting somebody important. They are down there waiting for me. Top secret.’
    She caught a glimpse of a twisted smile before he opened the red door and disappeared, closing it firmly behind him.
    Glancing back, she saw Lubna at the kitchen window watching her. Her mind racing ahead, she went back into the kitchen and grabbed the bag into which Lubna had put the remains of their meal.
    â€˜I’ll take this out to the bin,’ she said.
    â€˜Thank you,’ Lubna replied, smiling.
    â€˜Then if you come upstairs I’ll give you some books and some of our leaflets to study.’
    â€˜OK. See you in a minute.’
    Outside it was raining lightly now, a strong, musty smell rose from the bin as she opened the lid. She dumped the rubbish inside and then, in a few quick steps, was standing in front of the red door. She bent down and yanked the handle; this time it opened. In front of her was a flight of stone steps leading down to a cellar.
    Taking a deep breath, she edged carefully down the stairs. Halfway down, she stopped and listened. She couldn’t hear anything.
    A few steps from the bottom she paused, and listened again. Her heart was racing, blood thundering in her ears. If somebody came up the stairs she knew she was vulnerable, an easy target – no protection, no weapons. How could she explain what she was doing? But she had to get closer. She had to know who was down there, who Nazim was talking to. She hardly dared admit it, but