Through Smoke: The Troubled Heroes Series

by J. R. Tate

  Adjusting his body weight, he tried to get as comfortable as he could, but that was next to impossible. The more he moved, the more the tightness in his arms and shoulders got worse. Grunting, his midsection jolted. If his legs weren’t cuffed down, they would be flopping upward as well. The tension on his legs jerked his legs and he felt his joints pop from the sudden movement. His chest and abdomen was arched off of the floor. Closing his eyes, he gritted his teeth and groaned so loud that it echoed. He could feel more warmth pour from his wrists where the rope was digging into his skin. It felt like his wrists were on fire, and he was almost certain the rope had dug all the way down to his bone.

  He wanted to wake Casey up, but that too was no easy feat. The more he moved, the more he hurt. The more sound he made, the more attention he would bring to them.

  “Casey?” His voice was low, but his younger brother’s eyelids fluttered. “Casey, it’s Mikey. Can you open your eyes?” Casey looked like he had served as there own personal punching bag, and he was sure he probably looked the same. “I need you to wake up.”

  Casey stirred. His eyes slowly fluttered open and for a few seconds, he was extremely confused. “Where…” his question trailed off and his head fell forward.

  “We’re in a warehouse. Don’t worry, it’s just me, Mikey.”

  Casey’s eyes shot open again. “What are we… doing here?” Each time Casey spoke he had a hard time getting the words out, as if he had just got done running a race.

  Michael’s eyes scanned the room, or at least what he could see in it, wondering if Viper was listening in on them. It was almost a certainty. “That coward Viper got us.” He paused and licked his lips, tasting the metallic flavor from his blood on them. “Listen Casey, we can’t talk much, but we gotta figure out what the hell we’re gonna do.” Michael made the mistake of moving again, this time the pain was so strong that he couldn’t suppress a yell that escaped. “DAMN IT!”

  “I’m sorry, Mikey.”

  It took a second for Michael to regain his composure, and a few more to catch his breath. It was impossible to not move, but he tried hard to stay as still as possible to avoid more pain. If only he could get his arms down, that would solve a lot of the problem. It felt as if there was a Charlie horse throughout his entire body. “What?”

  “If it wasn’t for me, you’d be at home, safe and sound. Instead here you are, all tied up like live stock with me. I’m sorry.”

  “We’ll get out of this. Not sure how, but we will.” Michael knew Casey didn’t believe him, especially since he was having a hard time believing himself.

  A loud slamming of a door echoed, causing Michael to jolt. Footsteps caused his pulse to quicken, and he could only wonder what was to happen next. Maybe this would be the end. Maybe they would untie him and he could rest his arms.

  A large light overhead turned on, catching him off guard. The brightness felt like a sharp axe was being driven through his skull. Once he was able to focus on the person, he noticed it wasn’t Viper, but one of the two helpers who had recently took part in beating the shit out of him. He had two crumpled up paper bags in his hand, throwing one to each of them.

  “Today’s menu calls for sack lunches. You better eat it up, I’m not sure what tomorrow’s menu will be. Could be nothing.” His voice was deep and raspy, like he had smoked since he was a child. From his appearance, it was probably true. He began to walk off, and stopped mid step. “Oh, I guess you two need your hands to be able to eat, unless you want me to spoon feed you like you’re babies.”

  He stood over Michael and just from his observations, he was right. The man reeked of smoke. There was instant relief when the rope was loosened around him and he was unable to pull his arms down to normal level. They were numb and hard to control, but after a few seconds he felt a tingling sensation as the blood began to flow once again. He was also right about his wrists. The rope had ripped red rings around both wrists, making him look like he had on bracelets. Before he reached into his bag, he ran his fingertips over the wounds, easing the pain. His shoulders ached like crazy, but all that was pushed aside as he rummaged through the paper sack to find half of a ham sandwich, an apple, and a bottle with water in it.

  After untying Casey, the man made his exit. Michael was glad to have the relief they had, but was disappointed at the fact that their legs were still tied up. They couldn’t be so lucky.

  Neither said a word as they dug into the food. Michael was leery to eat it, but after examining each piece, he decided to take his chances. He was hungry, and if he didn’t eat, he wouldn’t be strong enough to last through whatever was to come. Aside from the bread being stale, it was decent. After scarfing it down, they both sat in silence. A distant sound of water dripping began to drive him crazy.

  “I wonder when they’re gonna come tie our arms back up.” Casey broke the silence. “Maybe they won’t.”

  Michael scoffed and again, traced the wounds on his wrists with his fingers. “Oh, they’ll be back. Enjoy the relief while you can.”

  “Mikey, always the pessimist, since we were kids.”

  Michael looked up, unsure he was hearing Casey right. “You gotta be kidding me right? You seriously just said that?”

  Casey arched his eyebrow and tossed the remainder of his apple against the wall. “What?”

  “Here we are, tied up, captured by a bookie who could do whatever the hell he wants with us when he wants to, eating stale sandwiches and tap water, waiting out our demise, and you expect me to be optimistic?” Michael shook his head and leaned it back against the brick wall. “If you’re gonna do something, Viper, just do it.”

  “You think Viper is listening in on us?”

  At that point in time, Michael realized just how naïve his little brother was. Sure, he had been out on the streets and did his fair share of drug use, but when it came down to the meanness and harm, Casey was lost. For him to last as long as he had out in the world was amazing, especially with the crowd he was known to hang out with.

  “We are in this situation right now because of your innocence, Casey.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Michael tried to pick his words correctly. “You are too trustworthy and you think no one is capable of evil.” He paused and ran his hand over his face, feeling the dirt caked on it. “There’s no way to put this for you to understand. And it doesn’t matter. At this point we need to figure out how to get out of here.”

  The look on Casey’s face made Michael regret ever saying anything about it. Before he could apologize, the same door slammed again. It was probably Viper coming to tie them back up. Michael savored the last few seconds of comfort. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Viper approaching them.

  “Well hell, how often do you see the McGinnis brothers in the same room together?”

  Neither Michael nor Casey answered and one of Viper’s helpers brought in a chair that Viper sat on, between the two of them. Michael was experiencing so many different emotions. He was scared, angry, and anxious all in one, and was certain he wasn’t hiding it very well. If he didn’t know any better, he could swear they all were able to hear his heart racing.

  “Cat got your tongue? Damn Casey, I used to never get you to shut up.” He pulled a gun out of his jacket pocket and extracted the magazine. “You boys down for a little question and answer session, with my Glock here as the judge?”

  Michael’s heart skipped a beat. Was this going to be it? They wouldn’t even have a chance to devise a plan. He didn’t want to sit back and just let Viper run over them anymore. He had to do something. If they just stayed there like sitting ducks they would die for sure. What was there to lose in making a move? If it failed, at least he could say he tried.

  Viper ran the barrel of the gun across Casey’s forehead. His younger brother’s breathing quickened and his eyes widened. Michael wanted to get up and pull the gun from his grasp, but his legs were still tied up and there was no way he could move fast enough. Viper let out a laugh and di
verted his attention to Michael. Pointing the gun at him, he moved closer. Michael could feel the cold steel on his skin, and he instantly gripped the barrel tight, his gaze right in Viper’s.

  Viper tried pulling away, but Michael held on, shocked at his own strength due to the situation. “Wow, Fireman is getting some courage. You realize I still have the gun pointed at your face, right?”

  Michael swallowed the lump in his throat and his pulse blasted throughout his body. He knew that at any second, Viper could pull the trigger and it would all be done. Despite that possibility, Michael didn’t feel any fear. What had his adrenaline going was anger. He was tired of this man terrorizing him and Casey, as well as Eva. If it meant him having to die to get him to stop hassling his brother and his girlfriend, than so be it. At least they could live in peace.

  “Pull the trigger, Viper. Live up to your big bad reputation and do what you’ve been promising us. Do it.” Michael gritted his teeth as the grip on the gun strengthened.

  “Mikey, shut up!” Casey’s voice was distant to him, almost as if he was across the room. “Viper, shoot me, not him.”

  Viper glanced at Casey out of the corner of his eye. Licking his lips, he finally got the gun out of Michael’s grasp, due in large part to Michael losing energy. He was so exhausted that he finally gave up.

  “Nah, not yet. I haven’t had my fun with you two yet.” He paused and leaned against the far wall. “You two have any of the money you owe me by chance?”

  “Will you let us go if we do?” Casey’s voice was shaky and echoed throughout the enclosed space.

  Viper grinned and clicked the magazine in and out of the butt of the gun. “That’s bullshit Casey, and you know it. I know damn well that neither of you have my money. You’re both pieces of shit that couldn’t lie your way out of a paper bag.” He twirled the gun around on his index finger. “Oh and Mikey my boy, you might be seeing Eva soon. I might just get her here too.” He clicked his tongue. “I could really have a lot of fun in that situation, especially if you watched.”

  Michael tried to stay composed. Viper was doing this to get a rise out of him and make him do something stupid. Despite what he was telling himself, he couldn’t let that pass. “Leave her out of this, Viper.”

  “Mmmhmm, that could be really fun.” With that comment, Viper left the room. Michael punched his hand against the wall, letting out a deep groan. The plus to the situation was that Viper didn’t tie their hands back up.

  “Casey, we gotta devise a plan. He’s gonna kill us soon.”

  “Where is Mikey at, Eva? Shift started an hour ago. The boy is never late!” One of the ladder men walked by, motioning toward the table where Mikey usually sat to read the paper and have his coffee.

  “I’m not sure, O’Reilly. I’ll give him a call and make sure he’s just not oversleeping.” Her stomach was in knots. She had woken up yesterday morning to him gone and he hadn’t been answering her calls or texts. She of course was worried, but wondered if maybe Mikey just needed time to himself. Now that she had time to think after being angry, things were suspicious. It wasn’t like him to not be in contact for as long as he had. It was now starting day two of no response.

  “You keep him up late?” O’Reilly arched his eyebrow. “I know how you Italian girls can be on those ol’ Irish boys.”

  Eva forced out a laugh and it came out just as annoyed as she wanted it to. She stepped out into the garage and made her way to the street, praying that when she got outside that Mikey would be walking up the street, his duffel bag in hand, ready to go to work. Sadly, there was no sign of him, and the knot in her stomach grew. Grabbing her cell phone, she dialed his number. It went straight to voicemail.

  “Mikey, it’s Eva. Please give me a call. We’re all wondering where you are.” Hanging up, she stared down at the display, contemplating on calling Detective Matson. She sifted through her contacts and found his name. He answered after a few rings.

  “This is Detective Matson.”

  She tucked her hair behind her ear, keeping her eye down the block in the direction of where Mikey would be coming. “This is Eva Crisante, Michael McGinnis’ friend. I’m calling to tell you that I think he’s missing.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  His tone was offensive to her, almost like he didn’t believe her. “Well one big red flag is the fact that he has a shift this morning and is already an hour late.”

  “You sure he didn’t just oversleep?”

  Eva let out a deep sigh. Michael was right. Dealing with the cops was about as effective as getting a drug addict to run the case. “Mikey hasn’t been late a day in his life. That and the fact that I didn’t see him or hear from him at all yesterday. You ever think that Viper finally got him because you NYPD guys are too busy dragging your feet to get on the matter?”

  “Miss Crisante, I’m just making sure we aren’t overreacting before we go balls out on a matter that can be resolved easily.” He paused and she could hear some background noise. “Now, when was the exact time you last heard from Mr. McGinnis?”

  She gave him all of the details but couldn’t help but feel like it was a lost cause. It was as if the detective was just taking notes to pacify her. She hung up the phone and took one last view of the block. She whispered to herself, “Come on Mikey, where the hell are you?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Michael’s head was pounding. Every time his pulse would beat, a sharp pain cast down his temples. Thankfully most of the lights in the room they were in were turned off, except for two that made it just light enough for him to see across to Casey, who had been dozing on and off. He wasn’t even sure what time it was, just that even though he was exhausted both mentally and physically, sleep probably would not hit him. He was glad Casey was at least getting rest, unless it was all a side effect from his injuries.

  “Casey?” His voice was raspy so he coughed, clearing it out. It was so dry from the little water they had gotten. Swallowing, he cringed at how sore it felt. “Casey, you awake?” He wanted to make sure that Casey was conscious and okay. Their health was declining rapidly.

  Casey lifted his head and muttered. His eyes were half open and he nodded at him. “What is it? I finally was about to fall asleep.”

  Michael let out a deep sigh, thankful to hear his voice. “You okay?”

  Casey’s eyes shot completely open and he raked his hand through his hair. “I’m alive if that’s what you’re asking.”

  Michael suddenly felt guilty for waking him up. He would give anything to be able to sleep right now, but despite his exhaustion, it just wasn’t going to happen. He kept trying to conjure up different ideas on what they were going to do. Sadly, nothing inventive came to mind, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet, especially now that Viper was bringing Eva up again. He had to stay alive long enough to at least protect her.

  “Casey, you got any ideas on what the fuck we’re gonna do?” He tried to keep his voice low. Regardless of how quiet they were, every tiny sound echoed against the metal walls.

  “I got nothing, man. I think we’re dead where we sit.”

  Michael shifted his weight to try and get comfortable, but that was next to impossible. He was extremely light headed and was unsure of what injuries he had sustained. “We can’t just sit here. We gotta keep thinking and be ready.” He paused and leaned his head back against the wall. Closing his eyes, he tried to resist the floating sensation that blindsided him. He grew nauseous and began to puke up the little food that Viper had brought to them. It burned worse with each dry heave that shimmied up his body. After what seemed like a lifetime, his nausea went away and he was left doubled over with sweat pouring down his brow. Groaning, he leaned back again, keeping his eyes shut. “Who the fuck am I kidding? We’re gonna die in this shit hole.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mikey. I truly am.”

  Michael opened his eyes, looking at his little brother straight in the eye. “So many times have you said that to me, Casey. And every ti
me I believed you. Look where it’s gotten us.” He wiped his face with the back of his arm. “I don’t know what else to do.”

  “I’ll think of something. I’ve always promised you that I’d come through for you. Just wait.”

  Michael scoffed and shook his head. Another wave of nausea shot through him. This time it passed quickly. He leaned his head back again, wishing the room would stop randomly spinning. “I should say that I’m sorry to you too, Case.”

  There was a few seconds of silence and the tension was thick between them. Michael was scared to open his eyes, but did to make sure that Casey was still awake.

  “What in the hell do you have to be sorry about, Mikey? You’re here because you’re protecting me, just like you’ve done our whole life. This is all my fault and no one else’s. You know damn well that I’m right.”

  Michael held his index finger up to get Casey to be quiet. “This is not what I’m talking about.” Every now and then he had to stop himself to catch his breath. It was like breathing through a straw with a hole in it.

  “Mikey, you okay?”

  Michael heard Casey’s question but ignored it as he attempted to gain his breath. Shifting his weight again, he put more of his back against the wall so he wasn’t slouching, and that supplied temporary relief on his labored breathing.

  “I’m fine. Just tired. I’m apologizing to you because I should’ve taken better care of you after Dad died. We both ran wild. I should’ve been harder on you so we would’ve never been close to being in a situation like this.”

  The look on Casey’s face was full of disbelief. Michael didn’t care though, he had to get that out just in case if something did happen to either of them. Again, there were a few moments of silence and Michael’s words lingered over them, allowing both of them to sit and think about their past and how things could have easily been different.