There was no further goodbye than that. Danny stepped backwards several paces until the night swallowed him, and the quiet hum of the boat’s engines grew louder. One of the men I’d seen in the wheelhouse skirted in front of us and unhooked a thick length of rope, which fell with a loud splash into the water before he hauled it back onto the deck. A few seconds later I realised we were moving, cutting through the gently lapping water. As we picked up speed, wind whipped at my face, tossing my hair around. I couldn’t see anything, the driver kept the lights off, probably to avoid any prying eyes.
I wasn’t sorry. I wasn’t keen to see any more of London, to say farewell. There would be no love lost.
A bright flare of light behind us made me spin round to stare over Samuel’s shoulder. Danny – his car turning a wide circle as he drove away, lights reaching far out into the darkness.
Just as the beams swept from the water to the road, I caught a glimpse of something. A shape. But I blinked and it was gone.
I stared at the spot, cloaked again now in inky black, as if it would reveal itself. It didn’t.
It’s nothing, I told myself. A tree, or a bin. Nothing.
So why did I get the feeling that it was staring back at me? Why did I imagine two green, cat like eyes peering at me, watching, quietly furious?
No. It was nothing.
I turned my face away, back into the wind, letting the slightly damp air cleanse the blood, the hate, the fear away. I smiled as two arms curled their way round my waist and a head dropped onto my shoulder.
“We made it, Lizzie,” Samuel whispered in my ear. “You’re free.”
Free. Was I?
Alexander was gone. I was leaving London, probably never to return. And Samuel was with me. I had what I wanted, but was I free?
I wasn’t so sure. It seemed to me that we’d swapped one terrifying gangster for another in Rhys Davis. I didn’t trust him. He was as much a criminal as he was a freedom-fighter. Was life in Wales going to be any better than Alexander’s London? Yes, the cause was noble, but it was Samuel’s fight. Not mine. But then, at least I had Samuel.
The future seemed as murky as the black water sliding by beneath us. I held on tight to Samuel’s arms and stared into the uncertain dark.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you to the following folks who made Bombmaker happen:
Firstly, my gratitude to everyone at Templar, in particular Helen Boyle for her help, patience, and for looking after me, and to Will Steele for another awesome cover. Thanks to my agent Ben Illis at the BIA for seeing the book’s potential in the first place.
Cheers m’dears to Ruth and Clare for being my guinea pigs and my cheerleaders. To Chris, my gorgeous, handsome husband, thank-you for playing so many video games so I wouldn’t feel guilty about ignoring you while I wrote…
And as promised, HELLO to all my pupils at Peebles High School. Yes, you are my favourite class…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Claire McFall grew up just south of Glasgow and is now an English teacher at a high school in the Scottish Borders, where she lives.
As a child, creative writing was always Claire’s favourite subject, and she would write short stories on her typewriter. She also loved to read, and firmly believes that, “if you want to write, you need to read”.
It was when Claire started commuting to work that ideas for novels began to form in her mind, and now she writes every day. She is currently working on her third book, to be published by Templar in 2015.
WWW.CLAIREMCFALL.CO.UK
Don’t miss Claire McFall’s first book, Ferryman:
When Dylan emerges from the wreckage of a train crash onto a bleak Scottish hillside, she meets a strange boy who seems to be waiting for her.
But Tristan is no ordinary teenage boy, and the journey across the desolate, wraith-infested wasteland is no ordinary journey.
Life, death, love – which will Dylan choose?
‘Probably one of the best Young Adult romance books I have ever read.’
Lovereading.co.uk
ISBN 978-1-84877-963-1 £6.99
A TEMPLAR BOOK
First published in the UK in 2014 by Templar Publishing,
an imprint of The Templar Company Limited,
Deepdene Lodge, Deepdene Avenue, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 4AT, UK
www.templarco.co.uk
This ebook edition first published in 2014 by Templar Publishing
All rights reserved
Copyright © Claire McFall 2014
Title lettering by blacksheep-uk.com
Cover design by Will Steele
The right of Claire McFall to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
ISBN (ePub) 978-1-78370-013-4
Table of Contents
Half-title Page
Title Page
Dedication
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Acknowledgements
About the author
Copyright
Bombmaker Page 28
