The Set Up (25 page)

He put his arm round her and she buried her face in his shoulder. I stared at them, as the fear I felt about what was going to happen to us mingled with the dull, heavy weight of knowing that Ketty had chosen Ed.

I’d lost her.

‘Right, we’re here,’ Jack barked. ‘Now, where did you put the memory card?’

I dropped to my knees at the base of the tree. Suddenly what I had to do was clear. Ketty was everything and Ketty needed Ed. Which meant I had to save Ed for her.

I had to save them both.

I scrabbled in the earth, then stood up, my right hand holding a small stone. I held it towards Jack.

‘The memory card is in my hand,’ I lied, taking a step backwards, towards the cliff edge. ‘Let Ketty and Ed go, right now, or I’ll jump.’

‘No.’ Fergus and Ketty spoke together.

‘Quiet.’ Jack pointed his gun at Fergus. ‘Don’t be so melodramatic, Nico,’ he snarled. ‘Just give me the card.’

I shook my head and took another step closer to the cliff edge. The earth crumbled under my left foot. Despite the freezing wind, a trickle of sweat ran down my neck. ‘You don’t need Ketty or Ed,’ I said, trying to keep my voice steady. ‘Neither of them could identify Carson. He doesn’t even know they exist. You said all he wanted was me and the formula. Well, me and the formula are right here. Just let Ketty and Ed go and you can give Carson exactly what he wants.’

‘No.’ Ketty’s voice trembled. ‘No . . .’

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ed staring at me. I glanced at him and in seconds his mind was inside mine, penetrating deep into my thoughts. I gasped at the force of it. This was
way
more powerful than when he’d read my mind in the classroom. In seconds his mind was shooting through my brain, darting in and out of my thoughts, my feelings, my memories. I was powerless to stop him. And then he slowed down and I heard his voice in my head:

We can’t leave you, Nico.

I stared at him, willing him to understand.
Just look after Ketty. Please.

Ed’s eyes bored into mine.
You really care about her.

It was a statement, not a question. As soon as he’d thought it, he looked away from me and the link was broken.

Jack sighed, his gun still trained on Fergus. ‘Fine. Edward. Ketty . . . get out of my sight.’

‘No.’ Ketty sobbed.

‘Leave,’ Jack ordered. ‘When you reach the gate, tell Dylan I said it was okay.’

Ed tugged at Ketty’s arm. ‘Come on,’ he said, gently.

She glanced at him. They exchanged a look I didn’t understand, though I was sure Ed was communicating with her telepathically. In spite of the terrible danger I was in, I felt a stab of jealousy.

Ketty looked up at me. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. Ed tugged her arm, pulling her round. They ran – Ketty limping heavily – across the field towards the gate leading back to the road. Dylan was standing there, beside a tree, still keeping watch for Carson. Her red hair was the only splash of brightness against the murky greens and browns of the earth and trees.

‘Right,’ Jack snarled. ‘You’ve got what you wanted, Nico, now hand over the formula.’

‘In a few minutes,’ I said. ‘I want to make sure Ketty and Ed get properly away.’

Jack swore. ‘One minute and that’s it,’ he said.

I nodded, my mouth dry.

‘Using kids, Jack . . .’ Fergus said. ‘It’s beneath even what
I
thought you were capable of. I mean a liar, yes, but I never took you for a coward.’

Jack turned to him. ‘You should leave too,’ he said.

‘What?’ Fergus looked shocked.

‘Go.’ Jack checked his watch. ‘Carson will be here in approximately three minutes. If he realises you know about our deal, I can promise you he won’t think twice about killing you.’

‘I’m not leaving Nico.’ Fergus clenched his jaw.

‘Then Carson will probably shoot you when he gets here,’ Jack said.

The two men stared at each other. In the distance I watched Ketty stop running halfway across the field. Ed tugged on her arm, trying to make her move. I frowned. What was she doing?

‘Fergus, go,’ I said.

Fergus frowned. ‘I can’t . . .’

‘Please.’ My eyes were still fixed on Ed and Ketty. They had started running to the gate again. A few seconds later they reached Dylan. Ketty grabbed her arm, then pointed back in my direction. Dylan shook her head and pointed out to the street, as if urging Ketty and Ed to run away. I watched anxiously as the argument continued. What was Ketty
doing
? I needed to see that she and Ed were safe.

‘Do what Nico says,’ Jack snapped.

‘But . . .’

‘Please, Fergus,’ I pleaded. ‘Ed and Ketty need you. Make sure they’re okay. You can come back for me.’

Jack cocked his gun again. ‘Leave, now, Fergus,’ he said. ‘I’m not saying it again.’

‘No!’ Without warning, Fergus lunged forwards. He swung a punch. Caught Jack off balance. Jack staggered back.

In a split second all my focus was on the gun . . . if I could just get it out of Jack’s hand . . . but Jack was gripping it tightly.

Fergus roared. His massive frame – all six foot four of it – lunged forwards again. With a yell, Jack skipped sideways. Off balance, Fergus lost his footing. Jack raised his fist – the one with the gun in it – then drove it hard down onto the side of Fergus’s head.

Fergus crumpled onto the grass. I stared at his body, my heart pounding. Jack fell to his knees. He bent over Fergus, pressing his fingers into Fergus’s neck, feeling for a pulse.

‘Is he okay?’ My words came out in a hoarse gasp. Fergus
couldn’t
be dead. He just
couldn’t.

‘He’ll live.’ Jack was staring at Fergus, his hand only loosely holding the gun.

A wave of relief washed over me. I stared at the gun. This was my chance.

Breathe. Focus. Move.

With a swift upward motion, I jerked the gun out of Jack’s hand and sent it flying out to sea.

‘STOP!’ Jack roared.

‘Sure.’ I grinned, then let the gun drop. It fell down, down, into the black water.

Jack rose to his feet, eyes blazing.

Suddenly I remembered Ketty’s nightmare about the tree and the cliffs. Her warning that something bad was going to happen. That someone might be going to die.

It had all come to this point . . . this moment . . . And, now, in that moment I was sure.

It was me. I was going to die.

‘You little
idiot
!’ Jack’s chest heaved with anger. ‘I needed that gun.’

We stood facing each other for a split second.

‘Enough games,’ Jack snarled. He strode over Fergus’s body and thrust his hand out towards me. ‘Give me the memory card.’

My fist tightened on the tiny stone in my hand. It felt hard and warm. I was going to have to show Jack what it was, that I didn’t have the card. I just hoped the others had had time to get away. I glanced up.

A small figure was racing across the field, half-running, half-limping towards us. Ketty.

‘Wait,’ she shrieked. ‘Wait!’

I frowned. What was she doing?

Jack saw her too.

‘Nico doesn’t have the memory card,’ she panted, running up to us. ‘
I
do.’

‘What?’ Jack frowned. ‘You’re lying.’

No.
I shook my head at her.

‘Show him the stone in your hand, Nico,’ she said, backing towards the cliff edge.

What?
How did Ketty know what I was holding?

‘What’s she talking about?’ Jack snapped.

‘I don’t know—’

‘The memory card with the Medusa gene formula is in here.’ Ketty drew her pink phone out of her pocket and showed it to Jack. ‘I swear.’

‘What?’ Jack looked from Ketty to me and back again, an expression of bewilderment on his face. ‘How did Nico get it in there? I gave your phone to Dylan when—’

‘It wasn’t Nico,’ Ketty went on, breathlessly. ‘Dylan stole the card off you about thirty minutes ago. She hid it in my phone, then called Geri Paterson and told her that you’ve been trying to double-cross her. Geri’s dealing with Carson right now, then she’s coming here to deal with you.’

My eyes widened.
Dylan
had taken the card?
And
got hold of Geri Paterson?

‘I don’t believe you,’ Jack snarled. ‘Dylan doesn’t even have Geri’s number.’

‘She sneaked a look at it off your phone at the same time as she stole the memory card,’ Ketty explained.

Jack glanced over to the gate, where Ed and Dylan were still waiting. ‘If all that’s true, why did Dylan let you bring the card over here?’

‘She didn’t want me to have it at first,’ Ketty explained, pulling the back off the phone, ‘but I made her see that we couldn’t let you hurt Nico.’

Jack shook his head. He checked his watch and swore under his breath.

‘There’s no time for this,’ he said. ‘Nico, show me what you’re holding.’

There was nothing else I could do. I opened my fist and the tiny stone and a trickle of earth fell out.

Jack gave a roar of frustration.

Ketty slid the back of her phone off and drew out a tiny memory card. She held it up. ‘Look, this is it.’

Jack glanced from Ketty to me, then back to Ketty. ‘That could be
any
memory card,’ he said.

‘No.’ Ketty peered at the card. ‘It’s red and gold with the number 894410633 in the corner. It’s yours. It’s the one with the Medusa gene formula.’

A look of fury crossed Jack’s face. He swore. ‘I suppose it was
Dylan
who told Fergus where we were as well? Double-crossing little bitch. I
thought
it was strange him working that out when Geri had covered my tracks so well.’ He held out his hand to Ketty. ‘Give me the card.’

‘Let Nico go and I will, I promise.’

‘No.’ I took a step towards her. ‘Ketty, no.’

‘No more bloody games,’ Jack snapped. ‘Hand it over.’

Ketty took a step away from him, towards the cliff edge.

‘Once Nico’s gone,’ Ketty said.

‘You shouldn’t be doing this, Ketty,’ I said. ‘What about what you said earlier? If Jack sells that formula, more people will die.’

Ketty ignored me. She kept her gaze on Jack and stepped back again. Now she was as close to the edge of the cliff as I was, just a couple of metres to my side. The wind roared behind us. Waves crashed against the rocks beneath.

‘Let Nico go,’ she said, calmly. ‘Then you can have the card.’

Jack gritted his teeth. He waved me away. ‘Go.’

‘No.’ I turned to Ketty, my heart thumping. ‘I can’t leave you.’

She smiled at me. ‘Yes, you can. This is how it’s supposed to be. I’ve
seen
it.’

No.
This was all wrong. Tears welled up behind my eyes.

‘What about your mum and dad and brother? What about Ed?’ I said. ‘I thought you and he were like this big item? Aren’t you going out together? You can’t do this to him.’

Ketty shook her head. ‘Ed and I are only together because you’re with
her
.’

I stared at her, forgetting everything, even the fierce wind that whipped at my face. ‘You mean
Dylan
? I told you there’s nothing—’

‘Go, Nico,’ Jack ordered, clearly out of patience, ‘or I’ll kill her anyway.’

Ketty’s gaze fixed on me. ‘It’s okay,’ she said. ‘Trust me.’

I took a step away. Then another. I was hardly aware of what I was doing. My mind kept going over Ketty’s words. Her eyes were still fixed on Jack . . . her arms outstretched, the pink phone and the memory chip clenched in her fist.

‘Nico’s not far enough away,’ she was saying. ‘Let him get further.’

A seagull screeched overhead. The wind roared in my ears. I took another step back, my head spinning.

Jack checked his watch again. ‘Carson’ll be here any second. Come on, let me have it.’ He reached forwards.

Ketty stepped back again. She was right at the edge of the cliff now. Dangerously close. Her eyes swivelled to look at me, pleading with me to run. To escape.

‘I’m not going any further away,’ I said. ‘I’ll be fine.’

‘I know.’ Ketty smiled. And in that moment I understood what she was planning.

‘Wait,’ I said. ‘I don’t know if I can do it.’

‘You can.’ Ketty shuffled backwards. Earth crumbled under her feet. ‘You
will
.’

She teetered on the edge of the cliff.

‘NO!’ Jack roared, fury consuming his whole body. He lunged forwards to grab her.

But Ketty took a final step backwards – off the cliff, into air.

Everything went into slow motion.

I could feel my mouth opening slowly to yell. Ketty seemed to stand in mid-air, like a cartoon, her arms wind-milling.

I started running towards the cliff edge as Jack backed away.

But it was too late.
I
was too late.

Arms outstretched like wings, Ketty toppled and fell, towards the rocks.

Towards the sea.