The Set Up (29 page)

This was
his
card.
His
bag.
His
locker.

‘Give me that.’ Nico was busily stuffing the report and other items back into the backpack. He picked up the wallet and held out his hand for the gym membership card. Hardly able to focus, I handed it over.

‘You okay, Ketts?’ Nico gazed anxiously at me as he shoved the card into the wallet.

‘Sure.’ My voice cracked as I spoke. How could this be Lex’s locker? Did that mean he was the Ministry of Defence hacker? I stood up, feeling sick, my legs shaking.

‘Ketty?’ Nico’s voice sounded muffled and distant.

I took a step forwards, but I could barely see. Lights flashed in front of my eyes and a sweet, sickly perfumed smell filled the air. It was happening again. A vision. I froze, powerless to stop it.

Rain. Stone. Leaves and ivy. Rain on my face. I peer out from behind stone. My brother, Lex, is holding a small digital recorder. A splash of rain on metal. He hands it to another man with angry grey eyes. The man says: ‘This the only copy?’ Lex says: ‘Yes.’ I shiver, watching
. . .
hiding
. . .
rain on my face
. . .

‘Ketty.’ Nico’s anxious face zoomed into focus. ‘Man, what happened? You’re white as . . . Come on, we have to get out of here.’

I stared at him, blankly, unable to take anything in. In the near distance I could hear Dylan arguing with another man outside the changing room door. Nico grabbed my hand and pulled me, stumbling, to the door.

My head spun with what I’d just seen – a vision of Lex handing over the recording device we’d been sent here to find. Which meant my brother – my wonderful older brother – must be the hacker Geri had briefed us about!

And
I
was part of the crime-fighting force supposed to catch and stop him.