Through Smoke: The Troubled Heroes Series

by J. R. Tate

  Michael regretted wishing for a busy day. After the gas leak, which took almost two hours of them just sitting around, they got called to a traffic accident which was nothing more than a fender bender, then there was a lady who panicked because she left her stove turned on and her keys were locked in her house, and a few other calls that were a waste of time. It was six forty five and he couldn’t help but watch the clock. He just wanted to go home and relax. He had the next day off which was definitely needed.

  Eva walked in the garage, her duffel bag slung across her shoulder. She was checking the ambulance out for the evening and heading home. “Day turn out as long as you thought?” She walked past Jake and grabbed a soda from the refrigerator.

  “It was worse. Got some calls but they were all crap.”

  She tapped the radio on her shoulder and smirked. “Yeah, I heard. Sounds like the day we had too. But hey, it’s always like that before some time off, you should know that better than anyone else.” She sipped down the drink and tossed the can into the wastebasket. “Go home and take it easy. I gotta go to Staten Island tomorrow, otherwise I’d say let’s go hang out at the bar again. Dad’s having this big get together and when we Italians hang out it gets pretty crazy.”

  “Yeah, sadly I won’t have any time for myself either. My brother’s staying at my place for God knows how long.”

  She arched her eyebrow. “Yeah? Could be fun.”

  Michael laughed. “It’s obvious that you don’t know Casey.” It had just occurred to Michael that he had never really talked about Casey to anyone. The only person that really knew about his brother’s problems was Darryl and he was good at keeping that type of thing quiet. Now wasn’t the time to vent anyway, he could tell Eva was exhausted and was ready to get out of there. “I guess I’ll see you day after tomorrow. Have fun at the party.”

  She nodded. “I’ll try, Mikey. Have fun with Casey.”

  Seven finally rolled around and Michael grabbed his things out of his locker, sneaking out before anyone invited him out. He wanted to hurry home and see what Casey had been up to all day. He hated the fact that he couldn’t trust him, but Casey had crossed him one too many times. He had this vision in his head that the moment he opened the door there would be a house full of drug addicts scattered in each room.

  Shaking his head, he waited at the light on the corner of Sixth, pulling his jacket around his midsection. He had to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  When he got home he was relieved to see Casey on the couch, a bottle of water in one hand and the remote in the other. The apartment was just how Michael had left it that morning. It seemed almost too perfect. “Hey Case, what’cha been up to?” He pushed his duffel bag under an end table and sat down on the love seat adjacent to the couch.

  “Caught up on some sleep. Watched some TV. Went for a walk earlier. Nothing for you to worry about.” His tone was defensive but Michael ignored it. “Have any heroic saves today Mr. All American?”

  Michael adjusted his baseball cap and let his body sink down into the cushions as he stared up at the ceiling. “Yeah, Spiderman took a day off so I had to step in and cover for him.” He went to the fridge and grabbed a beer. “There’s no need to be a smart ass about stuff. I was just making small talk.”

  “More like interrogating me.”

  Michael scoffed and slammed the beer on the table, causing some of it to spew down the neck of the bottle. “You being defensive like this makes me a little suspicious. At first I thought nothing of it.”

  Casey didn’t take his eyes off of the TV. “Well big bro, I’ve been dealing with people not trusting me for awhile, excuse me if I do get a little defensive.”

  Michael stood up and began to walk to his room, but turned around in mid step. Pointing his finger at Casey, he let his temper overtake his emotions. “Well, it’s your own damn fault why people are that way with you. You gotta earn that trust back, don’t think we’re just gonna forget about all the shit you did in the past.” He knew he probably should have left it alone but he couldn’t help it. “I hope you get your shit together, the sooner you get outta here the better.” He slammed the door behind him, leaning against it to calm down. He was almost mad enough to kick him out at that moment.

  For a split second Casey felt guilty. Here he was, picking a fight with Michael, and he really did go behind his back and lie to him. Hopefully he would never find out that he had Viper over at his place. If things went well with the bet he would be gone soon anyway. He owed his bookie over four thousand dollars. The bet he had just made was ten grand. He couldn’t believe he was making such a steep deal, but he was certain it was a guarantee. The Yankees always beat the Mets. This next series between the two wouldn’t be any different. If he could pull it off the money would pay what he owed and then some and he could be out of Michael’s hair.

  On the other hand, if it fell through, Viper would for sure be after him. He had led him to the only safe place he had to go and he didn’t want to get Michael involved. He had to win the bet. There was no other answer.

  Casey flipped through the channels, debating on whether or not he needed to apologize. Walking down the hall, he paused at Michael’s door and tapped his knuckles against the wood. “Hey Mikey?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Can you open the door, man, I wanna talk to you?”

  Casey heard footsteps and what sounded like the knob unlocking. Mikey had changed out of his work clothes. “What? I don’t wanna fight.”

  “I just wanted to say I was sorry. Here you are helping me out and I’m being an asshole.” He stuck his hand out for them to shake. “Pals?”

  Michael hesitated but gripped Casey’s hand tightly. “Next time, if I’m interrogating you, believe me you’ll know.” His grasp on Casey’s hand was so strong that he found a hard time hiding his grimace.

  He pulled away and let out an uneasy laugh. “Damn, you almost broke my hand.” He shook his hand down at his side to relieve some of the pain as he looked toward the kitchen. “You hungry? I think I might cook something.”

  “If I was hungry before I sure as hell ain’t now.” Michael came out of his room and walked down the hall.

  “What the hell does that mean?” Casey knew he was kidding so he had to play along to lighten the mood. At least they weren’t having a shouting match.

  “I’ve seen you cook. I think we’re better off ordering a pizza.”

  Michael woke up that morning around nine thirty. The TV was blaring and he grimaced as he kicked his legs over the side of the bed. He wasn’t ready to get up but knew he had to. He had some errands and things he needed to take care of. Walking down the hall, he saw that the TV was turned on to a morning talk show. There were no signs of Casey anywhere.

  “Casey?” There was no response. He walked into the kitchen, craving a huge cup of coffee. Turning to the coffee machine, he saw a small post it note next to it. It was from Casey informing him that he had gone out with a friend and would be back later. Michael crumpled the paper up and tossed it in the trash. There was no telling what type of trouble Casey was going to get into and if he would even come back. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and was surprised to see that it was Eva calling.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey Michael. I didn’t wake you did I?”

  Michael looked at the clock. He never got to sleep this late and somehow regretted it. He always felt worse than getting up at six. “Nah, what’s up? You make it to Staten Island okay?”

  “Yeah, I left really early this morning. I’ll be back in Manhattan around six or so. I was wondering if you wanted to go grab a bite to eat or something. After a day like today a friendly face would be great.”

  Michael couldn’t help but smile. He almost felt embarrassed by it and was glad that Eva wasn’t there to see it. “Sure, where do you wanna meet at?”

  “Do you mind meeting me at my place and we can go from there? I’m not sure what I’ll be in the mood for and you can feel free to choose t
he place too. Doesn’t matter to me.”

  “Sure, I’ll meet you at your place around six thirty.”

  After they said their goodbyes, Michael tossed his phone up in the air and caught it one handed, letting out a quick laugh. He wasn’t sure why he got so excited about Eva but he knew he did like her. Not only was she gorgeous, she was funny and smart. Their friendship had suddenly taken off into a direction he was enjoying.

  He walked up the front steps to her town home at six twenty five. He figured being a few minutes early wouldn’t be a bad thing. Knocking on the door, it took her a few seconds before she answered. Her hair was tied back and a few strands of curls loosely fell down on her neck. Judging by her clothes, she wasn’t in the mood for anything too formal, but still looked very beautiful.

  “Hey Mikey, come on inside. I’m almost done getting ready. Sorry, I ended up staying on the island longer than I thought. Dad had us involved in a game of poker that just seemed to never end.”

  Michael noticed how clean and neat her place was. The living room was decorated in a very rustic manner. It was a nice change from the way places were usually decorated in Hell’s Kitchen.

  “Have a seat, I’ll be just a few minutes.”

  She walked back down the hallway and he sat down on the couch, his eyes still scanning everything. He felt his palms grow sweaty. Why was he feeling so uneasy? No woman had ever made him nervous like that. He had to keep telling himself that it was just two friends hanging out, nothing more. There was no reason to get crazy.

  “You ready to go?” Her question jolted him out of his daydream and he stood up, running his hand through his hair.

  “Sure.” He couldn’t help but stare at her. She looked so beautiful. “You look really great.”

  She scoffed and led him to the front door. “Thank you. You don’t look half bad yourself.” She winked at him and they walked down the steps. “Where do you wanna go? I don’t care what you suggest, I’m starving. I pigged out at my parent’s house; you’d think I wouldn’t be.”

  “There’s this new pub a few blocks from my apartment. I thought about giving that a try. You up for something new or do you wanna go with what we know?”

  “That’s fine with me. Lead the way.”

  They got to the pub and sat down at a table toward the back of the bar. They both ordered a beer and some hot wings. That impressed Michael. While she wasn’t exactly his date, he couldn’t help but compare her to other women he had been out with. Most of them ordered a crouton and a glass of water and called that there meal. She wasn’t afraid to dig in and get her hands dirty. Of course, he needed to treat this like he was hanging out with one of the guys. Nowhere had they labeled this a date. It was two coworkers hanging out. He had a hard time not thinking of it that way though. She was different. He couldn’t quite describe it but he knew she was definitely more than one of the guys.

  “Did you enjoy your day off?” She licked her index finger clean and grabbed another wing.

  Shrugging, he took the last sip of his beer and ordered another one as the waitress strolled by. “Didn’t do much. Went for a run, cleaned up my place. How about you? How’s your family?” Not only did the place have excellent food and good service, but Michael was enjoying the music too. He felt relaxed, something he hadn’t experienced in awhile.

  Eva shook her head side-to-side and smirked. “Typical Italian get together. I got those stereotypical brothers and uncles who think they are straight out of the movie Goodfellas. They strut around the place and we pig out on our mom’s spaghetti and meatballs. Eventually one of them says something to piss another one off and then it’s time to leave. Happens every time.” She told the story with a smile on her face and somehow Michael knew that despite the fact that her family did that, she still enjoyed seeing them. He wished his family was close like that.

  “Well, from what I’ve heard anyway, most families are like that.” He balled up a napkin and tossed it from hand to hand.

  “Your family too?” She started on her second beer and swayed to the song playing over the jukebox. “I find that hard to believe. You seem like you have a wonderful family.”

  Michael didn’t want to turn the subject to him so he searched for a way to change it. “Eh, I guess we’ve all got some form of a dysfunctional family. Your family always live on Staten Island?”

  She shook her head no. “We started out in Jersey. Dad came over here for a job and we moved to Hell’s Kitchen. They moved out to the island a few years back to try and get away from the neighborhood. I stayed for the job. My brothers live in Manhattan too. Always up to no good. They’re all bark and no bite though. It’s almost like people hear our last name and just assume we’re all part of the Italian mob or something. I find it quite funny.”

  As she spoke Michael found it hard to stop staring. He was enjoying the fact that she was doing most of the talking. He didn’t really want to talk about his personal life anyway. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off and he knew if he started in on Casey and how he never goes to see his mother except for holidays, she would think he was crappy, especially since it was obvious on how family oriented she was.

  Even though he had worked with her for so long, he really didn’t know anything too personal about her. While he wasn’t one to ask too many questions, he felt compelled to find out more. “What made you want to be a paramedic?”

  She took a pull off of her drink. “You’re going to think I’m stupid.”

  “No I won’t.” He let out a low laugh. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I bet it isn’t stupid.”

  She paused again, as if she were picking her words wisely. “When I was a kid I was always fascinated when other kids would get hurt. Like on the playground, when someone fell and was bleeding, I was always the kid who helped and took them to the nurse. I was the kid who stayed to watch. My brothers even said I was crazy because I always looked when I got shots and read medical charts and things.” Eva leaned back in her chair. “With brothers like mine, I was constantly doctoring them as well.”

  Michael couldn’t help but smirk at her. “I don’t think that’s stupid at all. At least you stuck with what you wanted to do. Most of us never grow up to be what we say when we’re that age.”

  “I didn’t really either. I wanted to be a doctor. I had to settle for being a paramedic. I just couldn’t afford to be in school that long. But that’s okay. I like being out on the street in the trenches, so to speak. It feels more rewarding to me, even if the pay sucks.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think I could do the medical part of it all.”

  Eva smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “It has its moments. I’m sorry. I talk too much. You can’t even get a word in edgewise. Just tell me to shut up or something.”

  He took another swig of beer. It was funny how he had worked with her for so long and never really noticed how cool she was until recently. “It’s fine. I don’t mind it at all. It just shows how dull I am.”

  She let out a giggle and wrinkled her nose. “Oh please, Mikey, you’re quietness is what makes you so mysterious. I’ll get you to talk more, trust me.” She winked at him and scooted her empty beer bottle to the middle of the table. “The food really hit the spot, great suggestion.”

  He nodded. “I agree.” He saw that there was a dance floor and people began to step out on it. He wasn’t much of a dancer, but the song playing was slow. Maybe it would be a mistake to ask her but it would be fun to do something other than just sit around. “You feel like dancing?”

  “Sure!”

  He grabbed her hand and led her to the back corner where the small area was. He wrapped his hands around her waist and he felt her arms over his shoulders. She leaned in and he could smell her subtle perfume. Her hair smelled really good, like flowers and fresh air. He could feel her relax up against him as their bodies moved to the slow rhythm of the music. She looked up into his eyes, her smile vibrant. The fluorescent lights overhead flashed into her
eyes and he could almost see his own reflection in them.

  “Thanks for asking me to dance.” She nestled her face into his neck. “Great song too.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He felt her look back at him, this time her gaze more intense. He leaned down and got closer, feeling her lips brush up against his. She pulled away for a second but leaned again, this time the kiss growing more passionate. He felt her mouth open and the inside was warm as his tongue moved in and out. His hand ran down the small of her back. After a few more moments they pulled apart, realizing that a fast song was now playing. Neither said anything as they walked back to their table, two fresh beers sitting in their spots. Michael quickly grabbed his and took a long pull off of it.

  At that moment, it wasn’t awkward, but something felt different to Michael. He couldn’t put into words how he felt but their friendship had moved to something more intense. The look on Eva’s face relaxed him too. She looked content as she drank her beer. They both sat back down, this time closer to each other.

  Michael wanted to hold her hand. It felt like high school all over again. He wasn’t usually this timid with women but Eva was different. Swallowing, he pushed aside all fear and reached out, intertwining his fingers with hers. Her palm was warm and soft against his rough skin. He leaned in, caressing his lips against her cheek. He hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.

  He walked her home a little after midnight. The night air was chilly and he draped his coat over her back without asking, knowing she would turn it down if he did. She wrapped it around her tightly, taking in a deep breath as they made their way down the sidewalk toward her apartment building.

  “Thanks for a great night.” Eva turned and faced him when they reached the front steps, her fingers cold as they ran down the side of his cheek. “You’re not a bad dancer, even for a white boy.” She let out a low giggle.

  Michael stared at her, unsure of what to say. He wanted to kiss her again but he couldn’t force himself to move. “You’re amazing, you know that?”