Through Smoke: The Troubled Heroes Series

by J. R. Tate

  “You okay, Mikey?”

  Twisting the bottle cap off, he placed it on the end table and savored the flavor of the beer. “Define okay.”

  Eva pulled her hair behind her ear and arched her eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  Shrugging, Mikey gulped on the lager, enjoying it probably more than he should have. “It’s just been so long since I’ve felt okay. Not sure what it means anymore.”

  Eva grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Everything is going to be fine. Viper is going to make a mistake.”

  “He already has. He put his hands on you. Biggest mistake of all.”

  Eva shook her head and pulled him in for a hug. Her hair smelled so good. Leaning into her chest, he wrapped both his arms around her as tight as he could. It was a calming embrace, and one that he needed now more than ever.

  “That’s exactly what he wants you to do. Act out of haste. Slow and steady wins the race. We’ll overcome this.” She paused and ran her fingers through his hair, sending a chill down his spine. “Let’s go to bed. You have a busy day tomorrow. I think it’ll do you some good.”

  Michael finished his beer and tossed it in the trashcan as he followed her down the hallway to the bedroom. He paused at the end of the hall and stared at a picture he had walked by every day but never really took the time to notice. It was a picture of him and his dad just a few short months before he died. They were both in the firehouse driveway, soaking down the truck with a hose. Both of them appeared to be laughing in the picture. His dad had the hose aimed at Michael, ready to shoot him with the water at any second. Michael ran his hand over the glass, yearning to go back in time and see his father again. Life seemed so much simpler. He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed like he was in that picture. All the laughter had faded just a few short months after that picture was taken.

  Eva wrapped her arm around his, lightly kissing him on the cheek. “If it wasn’t for the old styles in that picture, I could swear your dad was you. You are the spitting image of him.”

  Michael ducked his head and quickly wiped a tear away. “When have you ever seen me smile like that? It just doesn’t happen anymore.”

  “It will, Mikey. It will.”

  The alarm clock blared at six AM. Hitting the snooze, Michael fought the urge to just burrow himself under the covers and sleep all day, declining his first day back. Eva’s cold hands on his back made him jolt to his senses. It was time to get back on the truck. She was already up and showered. She handed him a mug of coffee.

  “Get up, lazy ass. I’ll start breakfast while you’re getting ready.”

  “Breakfast and coffee so early? I could get used to this.”

  She smiled and pecked him on the lips. “You better. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Better make it a good one.”

  Michael couldn’t help but laugh at how corny that sounded. Fighting off a wave of nausea, he forced himself to the bathroom. He savored his shower and took extra time shaving. It normally only took him about twenty minutes to get ready, but since Eva had gotten him up so early he allowed himself more time to relax and prepare. He felt like a probationary firefighter again. It was almost like this was his first day on the truck ever and he had to keep convincing himself that everything was going to be just fine.

  They walked to the station together. Their initial plan was to keep their relationship under wraps, but walking together didn’t suggest that they were together. After a quick embrace, she went to the ambulance and he made his way into the station. He had told himself a million times to be prepared for Darryl not being there. Regardless of the self convincing, it still hurt to not see him in the kitchen, doing the same thing he had done daily over the past couple of years. Instead, the kitchen was empty. There was a paper on the table that was rolled up.

  Sitting down, Michael unrolled it and began to sift through the headlines. Other firefighters would come in and out, welcoming him back and saying their words of encouragement, but for the most part, Michael tuned it out and read the paper, trying to get into as much of a normal routine as possible.

  It was already an hour into the shift and he felt restless. He couldn’t decide if he wanted an all out busy day or just one to lay back and edge into things again. Since time was passing so slowly, he was vying for the busy day to get it over with.

  Walking into the bunk area, he paused at the bed where Darryl used to sleep. Ducking his head, he walked back out into the living room, fighting the feeling of being a trapped mouse in a maze. The alarms sounded, dispatching them to a bodega fire down the block. Michael had never been so happy to hear the alarm go off.

  Viper stood outside Lucky’s bar and grill a little after six o’clock in the evening. Casey McGinnis was a known regular there and Viper was feeling lucky. It was time to put his money where his mouth was. He had been threatening the McGinnis family but hadn’t stuck to his promises. Now it was time to prove that he was serious about getting his money or they would have to pay for the consequences.

  Edging through the door, he paid his cover charge and found a booth in the back. He spotted Casey instantly, hovered around a group of people at the bar. From what Viper could tell, it was mainly the same low life drug addicts Casey was known to hang with. It’d be a piece of cake cornering him. Lighting a cigarette, he remained in the back and continued to observe him. Now that so much was leverage in the situation, he wanted both Casey and Michael. One just wouldn’t cut it now. He knew Michael would do anything for his brother. Targeting Casey first would be a definite way to get Michael really upset and make some bad choices.

  The music was a shade too loud, but Viper could have sworn that he heard Casey tell the group bye. Patting each on the shoulder, he made his way to the exit. Viper followed, keeping a good distance to not make it too obvious. There were too many witnesses. He had to get him somewhere alone.

  Casey crossed through traffic, weaving in and out of crowds of people. Viper quickened his pace to stay up with him, searching for a way to accomplish the abduction. Casey was always a scared guy. It wouldn’t be a problem intimidating him. After a couple of blocks, he caught up with him, placing his hand on his shoulder. Casey quickly turned around, a deer in the headlight look flashing across his face.

  “Viper?”

  Grinning, he dug his fingers into Casey’s muscle. “Let’s take a walk.”

  It was apparent that Casey was scared to death. He was breathing as if he had just worked out. Back pedaling, he tried to get away, but Viper’s grip on him was strong. “I uhh.. I gotta get going, Viper. What…” He stuttered and could barely get the words out. This was far too amusing for Viper.

  “Where exactly does a piece of shit loser like you gotta go? You got my money?”

  Casey’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “I told you man, I swear I’ll get it.”

  Cocking his head to the side, Viper led him to the back alley where prying eyes were non existent. He slammed him against a brick wall, getting right up in his face. “Do you realize that I have given you over a week past the deadline to get it to me? I don’t think you will ever get it, McGinnis.” Rearing back, he punched him in the stomach and moved back as Casey hunched over in pain. “How does it feel, getting people involved who had nothing to do with this at first?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Casey’s words came out in short pants and grunts.

  “Your brother, Casey. He’s gonna die too.” Viper wagged his finger in front of Casey. “So many lives that could’ve been spared. How’s your mother gonna take losing both of you?”

  Casey was finally able to fully stand up and Viper took advantage of it, backhanding him across the face this time.

  “Please, leave my brother out of it.” Casey was able to get the sentence out in between moans. Blood poured from his nose and mouth.

  “Too late. Now, as I said already, we’re gonna take a walk. It’s time to get this show on the road.”

  “How was your first fire back?
” Eva asked Michael in the garage after they parked the ladder truck. It almost felt as if she had been waiting for him by the way she was acting. Her smile bugged him, like she was mocking him for being out of work. Maybe his defenses were just up. He had been dealing with those comments all day and it was getting old.

  “I guess okay. Only thing missing was Darryl.” He tried to walk past her as he shrugged out of his jacket and turnouts, but she put her hand on his chest to stop him in mid step. She didn’t say anything. She just stared up at him, causing tension. “What is it, Eva? I really need a shower.”

  She bit her bottom lip and tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’s nothing. Go take your shower.”

  Taking note that they were alone, he ducked his head and kissed her on the lips, quickly pulling away before someone walked in. “I’m fine. Getting back to work has been good therapy.” He patted her on the shoulder as he walked past, looking back to see that she was still standing in the same spot. Something was bugging her. If it was about him, he honestly didn’t want to know.

  The shower was refreshing. He stayed in probably longer than he should have, and was thankful at that moment that the calls were slow. He couldn’t help but remember a time when Darryl was right in the middle of one when the gong went off for a four alarm fire in Midtown that another company needed help with. Lathered up completely, he slid down the pole to grab his gear, barely able to take two steps without slipping from the soapsuds. It brought a smile to Michael as he reminisced. A smile he hadn’t experienced in quite some time.

  Grabbing his phone, his heart skipped a beat when he saw he had a text message from Casey. All it read was, “Mikey, help, I’m” and then it was cut off. Michael read it several more times as if that would finish the incomplete message. Pulse racing, he replied with, “Are you okay? What’s going on?” He continued to stare at the phone, wishing that Casey would quickly respond. The screen was blank. His mind reeled with the possibilities of the meaning of it. What did he need help with? Was he out of money? Was he joking? If that was the case, Michael already had plans to kill him when he saw him next.

  He walked outside and stood on the sidewalk, watching as people walked by, some in a hurry, some obvious tourists stopping to take pictures of the firehouse and other things, some just lost in their own world. Gripping his phone tightly, he felt at a loss when there was nothing back from Casey. The message could mean one hundred different things with his baby brother, but with all this new stuff with Viper, he couldn’t help but worry more than usual.

  “Mikey, I need to tell you something.”

  Eva’s voice pulled him from his thoughts, but he didn’t turn to look at her. “Sorry I just left you in there. I can only take so much more pity before I go crazier than I already am.”

  She grabbed his hand and he finally looked at her. Her expression was more serious than he had ever seen. Her brow was creased in worry. “Mikey, when I was out on a call today at a bar your brother frequents, I heard something.”

  Michael’s stomach jolted. It was as if a ton of bricks just fell from the roof on top of him. “What did you hear?”

  “I heard someone say that Casey got into a car with a bookie named Viper. The cops have told us that Viper is well known in Hell’s Kitchen. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing, but with Viper, who knows? I know it’s just hearsay from people I don’t know, but I just thought you should know.”

  Michael nodded and stared down at the sidewalk. The same feeling he had before of feeling trapped overtook him. Despite the fighting with his baby brother, he just couldn’t allow anything to happen to him. He had to get to the bottom of this, he just didn’t know where to begin. “I guess it explains the text message I got from him.” He handed Eva his phone. “At first I wasn’t sure if it was just Casey being Casey, but your story sort of confirms that something isn’t right.”

  “But Mikey, these were probably drug addicts. Who’s to say it is the truth?”

  Michael stared at her, wishing he could believe that it was just some crack head rambling on about a hallucination, but he couldn’t be so lucky. “How about this, Eva. After our shift you take me to that bar and we’ll see if we can find out who was talking.” He paused, considering his options at that moment. “I’d call Detective Matson but you know they have those stupid ass policies of being missing for twenty four hours before anything is done.”

  Eva nodded. “I think we should still go ahead and call. Anything out of the ordinary should be reported, and I’d say this qualifies.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

  She squeezed his hand. “This is where Viper will make his mistake.”

  The remainder of the shift crawled on. Of course, with Michael’s self proclaimed bad luck, they didn’t get another fire call to pass the time. In a way, that was probably a good thing. He wasn’t focusing well enough to be able to deal with that, and his concentration problems would put one of his buddies in danger.

  Walking out of the garage, he felt someone grab his arm and he saw that it was Eva, jolting him from his fit of anger and panic. Her calm face soothed him despite how frantic he was feeling deep inside.

  “Plans for this evening?”

  The question lingered on his mind as if she was speaking a different language. “To be honest, I’m not really sure, Eva.”

  “I have a suggestion, but you’re not gonna like it.” They walked out of the garage and out onto the street, making their way toward his apartment.

  In all reality, he just wanted to go to bars and areas where Casey was known to hang out and ask around. It probably wouldn’t get too much accomplished. Most drug addicts and people he hung out with wouldn’t say much and just deny everything. “What is your suggestion?”

  “We need to talk to the police. That Detective who you’ve been in contact with said to call him if anything changes.” He began to say something but she cut him off. “Seriously Mikey. I know you’re not a fan of the cops and all, but as long as they know and have it in the back of their mind it could help us down the road. Not all of them are careless.”

  “You know they’ll just say he’s not missing unless it’s been twenty four hours. They’ll hand us that line of bullshit and you know it.” As they walked, he watched different groups of people, hoping that maybe he’d see Casey or Viper, hoping the word on the street about it all was just a rumor. A sense of dread rushed over him as they got to his apartment stoop.

  “At least if the cops know, that’ll help. You’ve got nothing to lose.”

  Michael contemplated her advice, staring down the street as if Casey would magically appear, laughing at one of his not so funny jokes he used to pull all the time. Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed Detective Matson’s phone number, his heart pounding as he waited. He felt like the more time they waited, the worse off his little brother would be if this were all playing out to be true.

  “Detective, this is Michael McGinnis.”

  “Hey, what can I do for you?”

  “I think Viper got Casey.”

  There was a pause on the other end, heightening Michael’s nervous mood. “What makes you think that?” Michael knew the question wasn’t meant to sound hostile, but it came off as disbelief by the way Detective Matson’s tone was.

  “Several people were claiming to see him leave with Viper. I know that’s just hearsay, but don’t you think with everything happening that it’s worth looking into?”

  Another short pause filled with heavy breathing. It was almost like the detective was doing it for the dramatic effect. “Yes, you’re right, McGinnis. I’ll get right on that. In the mean time, you lay low. If he’s after Casey there’s a chance he’ll come for you too.”

  “Okay.” Michael hung up the phone, instantly ignoring Detective Matson’s advice. How was he supposed to be low key knowing there was a chance his brother would never be found, and if he was, he’d probably be dead?

  “What did he say?”

  “Said he’d ge
t on it. I believe him about as well as I believe Viper. We’re gonna have to do this ourselves.”

  Eva folded her arms over her chest and just by her expression, Michael knew that she wasn’t going to agree with him. “Any suggestions on what to do? I’m all ears.”

  “Every journey starts with the first step.” Pausing, he forced a smile that didn’t feel natural. He couldn’t remember the last time a smile felt real. “I guess we better start looking.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Eva was frustrated, not just at the situation, but at Michael. What was he expecting to do, go to every bar in Hell’s Kitchen and think that someone would talk? They had been walking up and down the street for a couple of hours now and as she had said, no one was open to talk to them. Her feet were killing her and she just wanted to sleep. Deep down she admired him for caring enough to do this, but there was a time to call it quits.

  “Mikey, let’s go back to your place. Maybe tomorrow more people will be out and talkative.” She leaned against the side of a building, the bricks cold against her hand as she tried to fix her shoe with the other. “I mean seriously, what else can we do?” Her tone was more desperate than she intended.

  Michael stared down the street, his face full of confusion. Glancing down at the sidewalk, he shrugged. She wished she had answers for him. Most other people going through everything he had would have either killed themselves or have been put in a straitjacket and thrown into a padded room.

  “What do you suggest we do, Eva? I can’t sit at home knowing that my brother could possibly be dead. What if we're overlooking him and I go home and he dies? I could’ve stopped it.”

  She grabbed his hand and squeezed, not surprised at the fact that he didn’t respond to it. “Have you tried calling him?”

  “Of course.”

  “For all we know, he’s just out of touch like he gets sometimes, right? Nothing is set in stone that he’s actually missing.”