Circle of Fire Read Online Free PDF

furnished.
    “Feel free to call if you need anything,” he said, smiling as he gave her the key.
    His fingers brushed hers, hot and yet clammy. She shuddered and pulled her hand away.
    “If you want to go out tonight, just let me know,”he continued. “I usually lock the door after eleven unless any of our guests are still out.”
    She hesitated and glanced at the clock. It was nearly seven now. Who knew how long it would take her to find Jon’s well? “I do have plans to go out for a while.”
    He nodded. “Anything else?”
    “Is there a map of the area I can use?”
    “Over on the mantel,” he said, and walked away.
    She firmly closed and locked the door behind him, then leaned her forehead against it for a moment. Her whole body was trembling, and she suddenly felt sick. Over what? A man with strange brown eyes who’d offered her no threat in anything he’d said or done?
I’m no good at this sort of thing. I should have stayed home
.
    She took a deep breath, then walked over to the mantel. Spreading the map out on the coffee table, she knelt to study it.
    Jon had given her a fairly good description of the area where he’d fallen into the well. All she had to do was remember it—not an easy thing when she’d been so petrified by his appearance that first time.
    She traced the lines of roads with her fingers until she found one that sounded familiar. She followed it along until it went through a state forest. That was it. That was the area.
    After rolling up the map, she picked up the room key and headed downstairs and out to her truck. The night air was cold, and the wind carried the hint of snow. Maddie glanced up. The stars had disappeared behind a wall of clouds. She hoped the snow held off—not just for Jon’s sake, but Evan’s as well. Theteenagers might have blankets to keep them warm, but there’d been no sign of a fire in the old cabin. If bad weather moved in, they might freeze to death before anyone found them.
    She just had to hope Jon’s directions—or her memories of them—were accurate. The last thing she wanted was to drive around for hours. Every second was vital if she was to find Evan alive—of that much she was certain.
    But if someone
had
shot Jon, there was no telling how accurate his directions were, though he’d seemed pretty lucid whenever he’d appeared. Not that she was a good judge of character—she’d married Brian, after all. And for all she knew, Jon could be totally crazy.
    But in the end, it didn’t really matter. He could have horns and sprout wings, and she wouldn’t give a damn. Not if he helped her to find Evan.
    She’d caused her family far too much grief over the years. Maybe now she had a chance to redeem herself.
    She started the truck, then glanced at the street map one more time before driving off. Twenty minutes later, she was back in the mountains. The road’s incline grew steeper and pines began to crowd the edges. It didn’t seem to be the area in which to find a well—yet, oddly enough, it
did
seem the type of area Jon would enjoy. Strange how she had gleaned so much from the few hours they’d spent together.
    She drove through the gates that designated the beginning of the state forest. The road became a dirt track several yards in. She slowed. If she’d read the map right, there was a small turnoff half a mileahead. It would take her right past the shared fence line of the old farm Jon had mentioned.
    The turn came up faster than she’d expected. She swung the steering wheel hard. Saplings slapped against the windows, and something hard scraped along the body of the truck. Heart pounding rapidly, she straightened the wheels and slowed down even further. The headlights picked out the fine strands of wire running parallel to the road.
    She stopped and got out. An owl hooted in the distance—a haunting sound in the silence. The chill breeze spun around her, stirring the pine branches above her head and whipping thick strands of hair away