Page 70 of Never Forget

Naz sighs. “I know.”

“I mean it, don’t move.”

He folds his arms. “I’ll be right here, exactly where you left me.”

I hesitate anyway. “Naz–”

“I know, Scott. I’m fine, just go get this over with so you can tell me what the fuck we’ve actually been doing all day.”

“It shouldn’t take long.” At least I hope it won’t.

Turning to the entrance, I walk away from Naz with an uneasy feeling in my gut.

Inside, the locker facility is lit with fluorescent lights glaring off rows of lockers. It’s cool and dry compared to the muggy gray afternoon outside. A few people come in and out, but overall it’s not very busy. I look back at Naz once. He rolls his eyes dramatically and waves me on.

Might as well get this over with.

It takes less than a minute to find the correct aisle of lockers, but it’s on the opposite side and farther down, making me lose sight of Naz in the window.

Quickly, I key in the access code I was given. The door clicks open, and I breathe a sigh of relief when it’s empty inside. The thought had presented itself that this could be a trap and I could be walking into another explosive situation. Which is why I left Naz outside.

As instructed, I slide the backpack with Blake’s laptop and badge inside and close the door. The latch catches. And that’s it. Right?

I pull out my phone.

Scott: It’s done.

The vibration and shrill sound of my phone ringing almost makes me drop it.

Unknown Number Calling

For a second, I simply stare at it. They’ve never called me before. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

“Hello?”

A man’s voice greets me, slightly nasally and high-pitched, but calm enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“You failed me, Scott.”

I frown. “Now, hold on. That’s not fair. I did everything you asked.”

“I certainly didn’t tell you to bring him.”

My veins turn to ice, the heavy weight I carried in here dropping to the bottom of my stomach.

“He caught me swiping the laptop. I had to bring him. He won’t tell anyone, I promise. He trusts me… I trust him.”

The man scoffs. “You’re even more of an idiot than I thought you were.”

I look around, staring at the few people sharing the aisle with me. None of them are on their phones or remotely paying attention to me. Keeping my phone pressed to my ear, I quickly walk down the middle aisle, searching for anyone on their phone.

“You might be trustworthy, but those people you work for aren’t, Scott. They’re over-coddled, self-important, spoiled brats who think the world exists to cater to them. They ruin lives for their own entertainment and never lose a second of sleep over it.”

In the corner, there’s a curved mirror that allows you to see around the corner. There’s someone, a figure at the edge of the room where the light doesn’t quite reach well enough. The silhouette suggests they’re wearing a long coat, their arm bent like they’re holding a phone to their ear. Bingo.

In my haste to get to that part of the room, I nearly trip over a stack of boxes that doesn’t quite come up to my knee. The guy crouched at a lower locker curses and shouts at me to watch where I’m going, but I don’t stop.

By the time I round the corner, the figure is gone.