I don’t let him finish his sentence. “Thank you, Jackson.” I hang up the phone, choking back tears.
“You want to listen, honey?” Aggie’s voice sounds to me from the other side of Jeremiah’s bed. I nod my head, closing the distance between us.
“Keola, get your ass in here,” I yell out to the hallway.
Keola walks in with eyebrows furled, mumbling something. “You hollered?”
“Listen to this with us and give it to Rawlings. I don’t care much to check in with him, but I’m a trusted member.” He nods and eases up. Maybe Iammelting away the hard exterior. “Go ahead, Aggie.”
Aggie presses play and I almost tear up at Jeremiah’s voice on the recording.
Aggie I told you. I was right. Listen, get people here to the southside of the tracks. They’re poaching like these people are animals. I can’t see much, but I see birds on their jackets. Jesus, they are rough. I think I can get a closer look. I told Ms. Tessa I’d get proof. Then she can get away from them wolves. Wait, there’s the camera, one second. *click* See, got it. They roundin’ folks up into that white van. Wait, hold on. *inaudible noises* Shit, they must’ve seen a flash, they comin’ at me. Aggie, get her and tell her. Hey, hold up, what you doin’? *crackle and mumbles.”
“Bastard was doing cover work for you?” Keola peers down at me.
I shake my head vigorously. “Watch your mouth about him! No! I just told him to keep his ears down, to let me know if he heard anything. I told him to let the police know.”
“Child, you know he’s determined,” Aggie says, patting my hand.
“And stubborn,” I mumble under my breath. “Aggie, I pushed him off as if it was another rumor. I told him he could trust me. Look where that got him.”
“Stop trying to blame yourself. We all could be a bit more persistent. There’s a threat here, and I don’t know what we need to do.” Aggie slumps over, looking defeated. I crouch down to her, taking her hand in mine.
I look at Keola, a questioning look on my face that I know he’ll understand. “Might as well start somewhere. At this point, we need all the help we can get.”
I take a deep breath before peering up at Aggie. “Aggie, I need to explain some things to you, and it’s a good thing you’re sitting down.”
I tell Aggie everything, from the moment Jackson entered my life, to the computer virus, to the reports Sam and Reva ran, to the moment I made a deal with Rawlings himself. Aggie deserves to know the truth.
“I understand. What do you need from me?” I’m shocked -- expected a bit more shock or horror on her face, but Aggie cares for Jeremiah. Perhaps not in the way he’d like, but she tends to put herself last compared to others.
“Right now, continue on like you don’t know anything but keep your eyes and ears open,” I say simply. I don’t need another person in a hospital bed or the morgue.
Aggie nods. “There’s one thing I can’t get over, child. In his message, he said birds.” Aggie ponders the thought. “It’s a weird detail.”
Keola avoids eye contact. Fucker knows something.
I see red, but I force myself to take deep breaths to calm down a bit. “Keola. I swear, if you’re withholding information, I will beat your ass so badly, you’ll be the next person laying in a hospital bed.” I get up and yank his cut, gripping with fire in my hands.
He sighs. “You’ll understand more tomorrow.” He grabs my wrist and pries my hands off.
I just roll my eyes. “Your boss is turning into a thorn in my side, buddy.”
“You gave him the rose,” he shrugs.
“The fuck does that mean?” I’m dumbfounded. I’m not in the mood for cryptic messages right now.
“I don't fucking know, not all of us are as good at comebacks as you,” he mumbles and returns to the hallway. I just shake my head. I have a leg up.
I look at Jeremiah laying in the bed. I have a million questions, and a million unanswered prayers. I walk over and place my forehead on his.
“Siochan leat.”Peace be with you.
Chapter 18
Thefollowingdayrollsin and I’m no closer to calming my nerves. Aggie reassured me that everything is fine at the hospital, that there’s been no change in Jeremiah. She mentioned that Johnny’s still there, watching over him, which sets me a little at ease. Johnny is a good man from the few times I’ve spoken with him. He’s also the only one from the club not silently judging me for exploding on Jackson. He doesn’t look at me like I’m weak, like I’d go crawling back to Jackson if given the chance.
Rawlings told me I was going somewhere, and lord only knows, it could be my death. If there’s an ounce of trust in me, I’d think otherwise, but the club isn’t exactly in my good graces right now.