Through Smoke: The Troubled Heroes Series

by J. R. Tate

  “We’re gonna make it Mikey. I swear to you, we’re gonna make it.”

  It had been the longest day of Eva’s life. She couldn’t believe she was still at work with Mikey’s whereabouts unknown. She felt like being there was betraying him somehow, like if she were out on the street looking in every crack, that it would somehow help him.

  Detective Matson had called her several times throughout the day, assuring her that they were searching for him. What didn’t make her feel too good was the fact that he had mentioned that Casey had been reported missing by some of his friends. She was now one hundred percent certain that this was Viper. And here she was at work, twiddling her thumbs. She honestly wasn’t sure what she would be doing if not at work, but at least it wouldn’t seem like she was brushing this off as just a no call no show for Michael.

  Walking to the Captain’s office, she had a plan of telling him that she really couldn’t stay any longer. She had done him a favor by being there as long as she had, and now it was time to go. She was lucky there were no critical patients because her mind was definitely not on the job.

  Knocking on the doorframe, she looked from around the corner. “Sir, I uhh, I really need to…” Before she could get another word out, the tones went off, dispatching the entire station to a warehouse fire near the river, all EMS included. “Never mind sir, we’ll talk about this later.” Grabbing her gear, she hopped in the ambulance, grateful her partner was driving. She couldn’t fight the unnerving feeling settling inside of her.

  “Damn, another warehouse fire. Maybe whoever is doing this will burn them all down and we won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

  Eva glanced at her partner. She worked well with him, but sometimes he spoke of nonsense, and today she had no stomach for any of it. “I call it job security.”

  He let out a laugh as he turned right, jerking the wheel so hard that it caused Eva to hold on. “You got that right.” He lightly punched her shoulder. “You’ve had a long face all day. Don’t worry, shift’s almost over. At least this’ll make the last hour fly by.”

  Eva didn’t have time to respond before they pulled up on scene. The warehouse was an old distillery that had been closed down long before she was even born. The kids in the neighborhood used to claim it was haunted. It was a normal hangout on Halloween night.

  “This is gonna taste like shit!” One of the firemen in Mikey’s spot for the day grabbed his axe and crowded around the Captain, waiting for orders.

  Eva’s stomach was in knots. Fires always made her think, but with the current events, her imagination went crazy with what the possibilities were in this. She walked through the crowd, keeping her eyes peeled for victims. She was always taught that arsonists usually stick around the scene of the crime to see their work. This was of course, her assuming this was due to an arsonist, but the last warehouse fires, including the one that killed Darryl, were from one.

  “Crisante, what are you doing?” Captain Rooker yelled toward her, pulling her from her daze.

  “Searching for victims, Sir.”

  “Okay, stay close by. We aren’t sure if there are any bystanders in the fire. Since it is vacant, we’re thinking it’s slim, but just in case, stand by.”

  She nodded as she pushed through some people. A large crowd had formed and she grew angrier when they wouldn’t move out of her way. “Don’t worry folks, this uniform isn’t just a costume, now get the hell outta my way!”

  She moved sideways to fit between two people who wouldn’t budge, glancing up, spotting someone who looked very familiar. Looking away, she did a double take. The man had shoulder length blonde hair and an arrogant smirk on his face. After a few more seconds of studying him, she was certain it was Viper. Her memory would never forget that morning in the alley when he cornered her.

  Eva quickly ducked into the crowd so he wouldn’t see her. She had to get the cops. Though she didn’t have proof, she was sure he did this fire. Panic settled in at the realization. Mikey had disappeared and Viper was at the scene of the crime. Her pulse quickened and she didn’t care who she knocked down as she sprinted back to where her team was.

  “Sir, do a sweep of the building, now! I need PD over here, I think I found the arsonist.”

  Everyone flashed her a look of confusion. “How in the hell would you know that, Crisante?”

  “Please sir, don’t ask questions. I’ll explain later. Get search and rescue in there. PD, come with me. We need to hurry.”

  Two uniform cops followed her back to where she had spotted Viper. He wasn’t there. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for him among everyone. Surely he hadn’t left already. Maybe he saw her and ran. “He’s got longer blonde hair, about average height! He’s gotta be near by!” She was almost begging with the cops to take her seriously.

  “Crisante, have you lost it?”

  Gritting her teeth, she grabbed hold of one of their arms. “Call Detective Matson if you don’t believe me. We’ve been looking for this guy for a while now. And I’m serious, he was just right here.” Eva didn’t realize how tight her grip was on his arm until she released her fingers. “I’m sorry, but we’re so close. And I think one of our firefighters is in there.” She paused and bit her bottom lip, her eyes scanning through the massive amount of rubber neckers. “Look, as I said, it’s a long story, but take my word for it.”

  “Average height, long blonde hair?”

  She nodded but didn’t have time to respond when she saw Viper on an adjacent street, walking away from the scene. “He’s right there!”

  Eva took off in an all out sprint, leaving the cops behind, but knew they were right there by the heavy sound of footsteps behind her. Viper had no idea they were in pursuit of him until they were about fifty feet away. He too, began to run, but one of the cops was quick and tackled him to the sidewalk. Viper looked up into Eva’s eyes, his glare so evil that it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

  “Where is he?” She knelt down beside him as they cuffed him.

  Smiling, he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m exercising my right to remain silent.”

  Resisting the urge to hit him, she backed away. “You son of a bitch! He’s in there, isn’t he?”

  Viper’s gaze went from one cop to the other. “You two have no basis to put me in cuffs. You can’t prove I’ve done anything.”

  “We called in to Detective Matson. He told me to scoop you up. I’m just following orders.”

  Eva knew Mikey was in that warehouse. She just wanted to hear it from him. “Where is he, Viper?” Her voice cracked more than she intended it to.

  “Aww, is Fireman’s girlfriend gonna cry?” He let out a low laugh. “You know damn well where he is. The question you should be asking is, is it too late?”

  She sprinted back down the block in the direction of the fire, trusting the cops would handle Viper while she went to save Mikey’s life. “Captain, did they find them?”

  He shook his head no and held the radio up to his mouth. “Ladder Twenty One, any sign of victims?”

  Static blared through the speaker and was quickly replaced. “Negative sir, all levels have been checked.”

  Eva felt like she had swallowed a led balloon. Doubt settled within her. Maybe Viper didn’t have anything to do with this. There was no telling what he was up to. “Sir, something just doesn’t feel right.”

  “Help us! We’re over here!” The yelling was barely audible over the roar of the fire.

  “Did you hear that?” Eva walked closer to the building. “I think it came from the other side.”

  “I need your help!”

  Several firemen, along with Eva, ran to the south side of the building. Casey McGinnis was crawling out from what looked like a manhole in the alley. Cradled on his back was Mikey. “Oh my God!” Several emotions hit her at once. Mikey was out of the building. But was he okay? He was motionless as the firefighters lifted him off of his younger brother’s back. She reached out and helped Casey completely crawl ou
t. His face was covered in soot.

  “Eva, he’s still breathing. Get your partner to bring the ambulance around, now!” Mikey’s replacement for the day lowered Michael to the ground.

  She knelt down beside Michael, quickly feeling for a pulse on his neck. “Pulse is weak.” He too, was covered in soot and dirt. There was caked blood under his nose and on his lips. His left eye was completely swollen shut. He had a head wound just under his hairline on his forehead. “Damn it, what the hell happened?”

  Casey was nearby, pacing as she and her partner took vitals and started the needed IV’s. “BP is eighty over sixty. We gotta get him to the hospital. Breathing is very shallow. There appears to be blunt force trauma to his head.” Her partner pulled her hand away. “Eva, you sure you’re okay to do this?”

  She ignored his question and secured Mikey on the backboard. “Let’s lift him on three.”

  “Eva! Do I need to get one of the firemen to help?”

  She didn’t want to look up at him in fear of him noticing the tears in her eyes. A part of her didn’t want to do this. Emotionally she was a wreck, and she was thankful no one could read her mind. The other part of her wanted to stay on the job and make sure Michael got the proper treatment. “I’m fine. We gotta get going.” Her voice was low. “Please. Let’s get him in the ambulance.”

  The drive to the hospital seemed to take longer than normal. Eva was in a daze and thankful that her partner had stepped up and took over with most of the duties. They wheeled him in through the ER doors where they informed the nurses and doctor of Michael’s situation. She continued to watch as they wheeled him into an exam room, pulling the curtain closed. Just like that, he was out of her sight.

  “He’s gonna be okay.”

  She tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. “I need to talk to his brother.” She walked to the ER waiting room where Casey sat with his head in his hands. She placed her hand on his shoulder, shocked to see that he had been crying. “We need to talk.”

  He nodded and wiped the tears away with the sleeve of his shirt. “Okay.”

  “First off, I think you need to go get checked out.”

  Casey shook his head no. “I’m fine. Mikey got the brunt of everything.”

  “You could be suffering from smoke inhalation.”

  “No. I don’t want to be checked out.”

  Eva nodded and looked up at the TV. A show was playing that she didn’t recognize. The volume was just loud enough to hear bits and pieces of it. “ Well, then I need to know everything that happened today.”

  Casey took in a deep breath. Eva couldn’t help but notice the striking resemblance between him and Mikey. They were almost identical when deep in thought. “Viper got me, took my phone and pretended to be me. He texted Mikey and lured him there.” He paused and rubbed his temples. “He tied us up. Hit me around a little, but damn it, Mikey got most of it just so Viper could teach me a lesson.”

  Eva’s stomach was in knots. Just the thought of the torture made her skin crawl. “So Viper beat him up pretty bad?

  “Yeah.” Casey’s voice was raspy. “While I sat by and watched, yet again.”

  Eva walked to the soda machine and bought some water. Handing it to Casey, she pulled him in for a hug. “You got him out, Casey.”

  He drank the water in what seemed like one giant gulp. “He should’ve never been in the situation to begin with.”

  She eyed the TV show. “No, he shouldn’t have, but you got him out.”

  “Is that really gonna matter if he dies?” Another tear fell down Casey’s cheek and Eva handed him a tissue. “What is taking them so long in there? And who’s to say that Viper won’t get us once he finds out we got out?”

  Eva sat back down beside him and put her arm around his shoulders. “The cops caught Viper. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. He’ll be put away for along time, especially with yours and Mikey’s testimonies.”

  “If Mikey lives to tell his.”

  “You gotta be positive, Case. That’s all I really can tell you right now. Just stay positive.” She was trying to not only convince him, but herself as well. It was easier said than done.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Son of a…” Mikey slowly opened his eyes to extreme bright light overhead. Shielding it with his arm, he tried to sit up, but felt a sharp pain in his side as well as tension in his arm. Was he still trapped in the warehouse? One of the last things he remembered was trying to find a way out with Casey. The rest was a blur. Did Viper have him tied up again? He gradually regained full composure and noticed that Eva and his mother were standing over him.

  “Mikey!” Eva grabbed his hand and squeezed it. It was very cold to the touch and his instinct was to pull away. “How are you feeling?”

  “Where am I?” He slammed his eyelids shut again from the extreme pain the light was shooting through his skull. “Turn that light off, please.” The light dimmed, but was not completely off. It was enough to ease the pain and allowed for him to open his eyes again.

  “You’re in the hospital.”

  He tried to sit up again, but his mom’s hand on his chest hindered the process even more than whatever it was restraining him. “Don’t move, hon, you’re on an IV. Just lay back.” His mom’s voice was soothing to him, yet he still felt frustrated at the fact that he couldn’t do what he wanted to.

  “How did we get out?”

  Eva’s smile grew at that question. “Casey got you out. He was so determined to make sure you were okay. I need to go tell him you’re awake. He’s been a wreck.” Eva turned to walk off but Michael grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

  “Wait. Casey got me out?” A sense of pride rushed over Michael. Casey had come through for him when it mattered most.

  “Yeah, he did. Want me to go get him?”

  Mikey nodded, regretting it the moment he did. It felt as if his brain was sloshing around inside his skull. Even his eye sockets were tender. “Just answer me this. When can I get outta here?”

  Eva ran her fingers through his hair, sending a chill down his spine. “The doctors said not much longer. You have a head injury but will make a full recovery. They just wanted to monitor it all.”

  Mikey let out a low laugh. “Seems I’m the king of head injuries. It’s amazing I’m still able to think a rational thought.”

  Eva leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. She smelled like roses. “Things could’ve turned out a lot worse than they did. I’m gonna go get Casey. I know he wants to talk to you. You up for it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m gonna go to the waiting room as well so you boys can get some privacy.” His mom wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I love you, Son.”

  “Love you too.” The room fell silent with the exception of some of the machines he was hooked up to. He had no idea what any of them were called. He just knew that they terrified him. The sooner he could go home, the better.

  “Damn Mikey, you look like you were tied up in a warehouse.” Casey’s voice pulled Michael from his thoughts. “I never thought I’d be so happy to see you awake, brother.”

  Michael watched as Casey paced at the foot of the bed. He was definitely nervous, but Michael was too. Their relationship was lacking in deep conversations and honesty. “Thank you, Case.”

  “For?”

  “For getting my ass outta there. I’d have been a goner.” Michael was embarrassed at the fact that he had to be rescued in a fire of all things. He could just hear cops making jokes about it now.

  “I should’ve never had to. It should’ve never happened. I swear that I’ll never get you into something like that again. Granted, I know I’ve said that a million times, but this really was an eye opener. I’ve had so much time to think in the waiting room…”

  Michael quickly interrupted him. “Damn Casey, shut up, man.” He laughed to let Casey know he was joking with him. “That’s the past. We got kidnapped and
almost died. It happened. What matters is you came through for me. Even if it was just this one time, it was probably the most important time. Wouldn’t you say that is a big deal?”

  Casey finally sat down in a chair adjacent to the bed, staring out of the window. “I suppose you’re right, Mike. I just can’t help but feel that way. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we’d have lost you.”

  Michael stared up at the ceiling, exhaustion settling in. Fighting it, he rolled to his side in hopes that changing positions would jolt his body awake for at least a little while longer. “I’m still here. Plan on being here for a while, so can the crybaby bullshit and man up to the fact that you saved me. Enough said.”

  Casey looked over his shoulder. “Eva will be glad to hear it. She’s a great girl. You better not screw this one up.” Laughing, he stood up and walked back to the edge of the bed again, shoving his hands in his pant pockets. “Just to let you know, I’m starting rehab soon. It’s time to get clean.”

  Michael let out a deep breath, enjoying the sense of pride that rushed over him. “Good for you, Casey. Good for you.” He tried so hard not to cry, but warm tears fell down his cheeks. Addiction recovery was a long and hard road, but just the fact that Casey was admitting himself into rehab was probably the hardest step of all. “I’m proud of you brother.”

  Casey grabbed Michael’s hand. “That means the world to me.”

  “Michael McGinnis, are you up for a few questions?”

  Michael didn’t even hear Detective Matson walk in the room with his partner until they said something. He couldn’t help but wonder how long they had been there and how much they had heard. Now he was wishing he would go back to sleep. He was in no mood to deal with all of the legalities of what had happened. Was Viper still out there? “I guess it wouldn’t matter if I was or wasn’t, you guys are still here and always get what you want.”