Fire Escape - Book Three: Troubled Heroes Series (An Action Thriller) (6 page)

“You make it too easy.”

Laughing, he leaned in to her touch. “No means no, Miss Crisante.”

“Is that right?” Her beautiful smile made Michael’s heart skip a beat. He never thought it would be possible to love her more than the minute before, but with each second that passed he proved himself wrong. So many women had come into his life, but she was the only one who could melt his heart with just a simple smile. Screw being tired. He had waited too long for this. There was no looking back.

Chapter Four

Casey stared out of the front window of the sober living facility he had checked in to after rehab.  He had mixed emotions about staying in Texas, but knew for everyone, himself included, it was probably the best decision he could make about his recovery.
He made new friends there, friends that set the same goals as he had. If he had gone back to New York with Mikey, he would have been exposed to the same crowd that he hung out with before he got clean.  He sometimes wondered how his older brother was able to go back and remain sober.  He was certain Eva had a huge hand to play in it, and while he was glad of his brother’s engagement, a part of him was also jealous.

             
Folding his arms over his chest, he felt the heat on the window.  At eight AM.  It was time for fall to come around and the temperatures were still blazing.  At least the wildfire season was coming to an end and most of the departments were getting everything under control.  After witnessing everything the men and women had gone through, he told himself he’d consider joining a volunteer department if he had completely decided to put roots down.  It was a big decision, and something he pondered more often than not.  Mikey had even mentioned that it would be good for him and allow him a sense of worth.  Waking up knowing he had a purpose would be good for him. He liked the thought of the idea.

             
“You headed to work?” One of the counselors popped their head out of their office. 

             
“Yep. Leaving here in a sec.”  He had obtained a part time job at a grocery store.  It didn’t pay much and he didn’t get as many hours as he would like, but it gave him a steady paycheck to help with making ends meet.

             
“Transportation on their way?”

             
Casey nodded and stared out the window.  One thing he did miss about life outside of the rehab facility was his freedom.  In New York he could just walk where he needed to go. Down in Austin if he needed to go somewhere, he had to wait on transportation from a driver that worked there, or walk, and in the heat of the day and the far distances between things, it was frowned upon. 

             
He feared relapsing more than anything else. He had regained trust with Mikey. It was a feat that seemed almost impossible just a few short months ago. A relapse would only mean that the trust would be ripped away, never to be felt again. With his older brother beginning a family, losing contact with him would be even more painful than all of the times before. He wondered if he’d ever be able to go back up to New York. Would he ever get to visit Mikey and Eva in their home? Would he get to see his nieces or nephews if they decided to have children? It made his stomach churn at the thought that he’d be weird Uncle Casey, a family member they rarely saw except for when they were able to visit wherever he decided to put roots down. That is, if he could stay sober. Every day seemed like a bigger challenge than the day before, and he couldn’t help but think that the rehab stint he was in was just prolonging the inevitable.  When it came down to it, he was weak. He craved it constantly. The only thing saving him was the life within the walls of the facility. Out in the real world, he felt as helpless as the day he decided to go to treatment.

             
“Casey, your car is out front. Better get a move on or you’re gonna be late.”

             
“Thanks.” He forced his legs to move forward, fighting the sense of dread in the pit of his stomach.  When he let the negative thoughts take over his mind, he went to an emergency session with a counselor. Right now, it was out of the question.  He couldn’t call in to work – he was too new and didn’t want to lose the job.

             
Giving a small wave to the driver, he clicked his seatbelt and leaned his head against the window beside him, eyeing the road as they drove toward his destination. If he couldn’t get in to a counselor when he was done with his shift, he’d call Mikey. He didn’t want him to worry, but for some reason his brother always knew what to say. Since they were kids, he was always the best person to talk to when shit got heavy.

             
“Looks like it might rain,” the driver said over his shoulder.

             
“Yes sir. We sure do need it.” Casey fought through the small talk, thankful that the silence was broken. Swallowing hard, he put on his game face. The real world was a tough place, but he had to rise above it all. Cravings were just cravings. Having a relationship with his family was priority.

***

              “Hey Mikey, we’ll be out early enough to catch a Mets game tonight. They have a late game with the Cubs. What do you say?” Gregg asked as they finished up a secondary search on a vacant warehouse fire that turned out to be a quick extinguish.

             
Ducking back from some soot that fell around them, Michael adjusted his hat. “I gotta make sure Eva doesn’t have anything planned.” Eva would definitely be fine with it, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to spend nine innings with a guy he didn’t know that well. He was more Eva’s friend than his.

             
“You serious?” Gregg arched his eyebrow and kicked through some sludge. “You gotta loosen the leash, man. You have plenty of years ahead of you where she’ll tell you what to do. You’re not married yet.”

             
Michael let out a sarcastic laugh. “This, coming from a guy who’s been divorced, or so I’ve heard.”

             
“Who told you that?”

             
“You kidding me?” Michael asked as they made their way back out to the street. The fresh air was refreshing after breathing in the remnants of smoke that lingered after the blaze. “Take away the testosterone and all of the firehouses in this city are damn slumber parties. I know more than you think.”

             
“Eva can come too. It’ll be fun. Knock back a few cold ones, have a hotdog. Maybe the Mets will pull their heads outta their asses and win it. Either way…”

             
Michael held his hand up and cut him off. “If you knew me like you thought you did, you’d realize exactly what was wrong with that statement.” He pulled himself up onto the truck, flashing Gregg a smirk. A baseball game did sound nice. Down in Texas all he heard about was how awesome the Rangers were. The Mets were definitely in a dry spell, but it had been so long since he’d been at the ballpark. “I’ll talk to Eva after the tour. We’ll go from there.”

             
“That’s what I’m talking about!”

             
By the time they finished up on scene and got back, it was time for shift change. Michael was fortunate enough to sneak out without being cornered by Gregg, and decided to talk to Eva when he got home. She was watching TV on the couch when he got there, slightly dozing off. He sat down hard on the couch, jolting her from her mild sleep.

             
“Damn it, Mikey, you scared the crap out of me!” She slugged his arm and leaned in for a quick peck on the lips. “Heard about that warehouse fire. They had something brief about it on the news.”

             
“It was vacant. Not bad at all.” He sat up and scrubbed his palm down his face. “Listen, Gregg asked if I wanted to catch the Mets game tonight. Is it okay if I go?”

             
Eva glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “You’re asking me? What am I, your mother? Go if you want to!”

             
“Just thought I’d make sure you didn’t have something else planned.” The look on her face made him skeptical. She seemed hesitant. “What? You sure it’s okay?”

             
She slid the TV remote across the table and propped her feet up. “I just didn’t think you and Gregg really knew each other. He doesn’t seem like the type of guy you’d hang out with is all.”
              “But he’s the type of guy you made friends with when I was gone?” It came out harsher than Michael had intended. His tone made him sound like he was jealous of the friendship Gregg and Eva had made, but it truly was not what he meant. The look on her face was enough for him to know she took it all the wrong way. “I didn’t mean it like that…”

             
“He was good support when you were out there. That’s all it was.” Her voice was low and she ducked her head.

             
“I know. I’m gonna go to the game with him. He seems like a good guy. I didn’t mean that any other way.”

             
Eva looked up. “He seems clingy, but that’s just Gregg. You can take that however you want.” She stood up and walked toward the bedroom, but Michael grabbed her hand before she could completely get away.

             
“I’ll be back in a bit. I love you.”

             
She gripped his hand tight. “Be good. Love you too.”

***

              “Pretty good seats for spur of the moment tickets.” Gregg’s eyes scanned the first base line as the scooted past a few people to get to their places.

             
“I don’t think the Mets have had a sellout crowd in years.” Michael took in the smell of the fresh cut grass and the sounds of the wooden bats crack against the baseballs as the players warmed up with batting practice. He enjoyed the smack of the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt. The sound alone was evident enough that it was a strike. Everything brought back memories of when he was a little kid and his dad would bring him and Casey out for weekend games.

             
“Eva give you hell?”

             
“No. I told you she wouldn’t. Nothing sucks worse than making plans after she’s been at home cooking or you know, has something else in mind.”

             
“You really do love her, don’t you?” Gregg asked, motioning toward the beer vendor. “You want one?”

             
“I’m good. I’ve got a drink.” He sipped on the soda he had picked up from the concession stand before going in.

             
“C’mon, McGinnis! That’s not a drink. Get yourself a drink!”

             
“Gregg, I’m good. I don’t want one.” He tried to keep his cool, but the constant nagging, not only from Gregg, but from others, was starting to wear thin.

             
“You trying to be an all-around good guy?”

             
Taking a deep breath, Michael watched a pop fly that landed several rows behind them. “I’m trying to stay sober. I’m an alcoholic. Surprised you hadn’t heard that yet.”

             
The color drained from Gregg’s face. “No one told me. I’m sorry, man.” He waved the vendor away. “I won’t drink one either.”

             
“Have as many as you want. I’m not so fragile I can’t see one. Hell, if that were the case I couldn’t step foot in this place. Every other sign is for
Budweiser
or
Coors
. I’m stronger than that.” Or he at least hoped he was. He couldn’t be so sure. Glancing over at Gregg, he was slightly embarrassed, but at the same time, it was like one hundred pounds had been lifted off his shoulders. It was better he find out from him rather than the guys at the firehouse.

             
“You’re a lucky man for winning Eva over.”             

             
Gregg’s random comment sent a chill down Michael’s spine. He had no idea how to respond, so he nodded and watched as the game finally began. It was an odd situation, to see Gregg outside the walls of their work. Was he like this with Eva? How was she able to find comfort in venting to him when he was hesitant to say much to him? Maybe he was being jealous and wasn’t even realizing it. Gregg had his quirks. Everyone did. His judgment of Gregg could have been clouded by the grudge he felt for the man who got to comfort Eva when he was gone.

             
A beer definitely would have relaxed him. A beer would make him enjoy the awkward situation a bit better. But a beer would also screw up every other aspect of his life. He shook the thought from his mind and focused on the game. The Mets were actually playing decent and as the innings progressed, proved they had a shot at pulling off the win. It’d be a great ending to an otherwise mediocre night.

             
Glancing down at his phone, he sent Eva a quick text message. Hesitating on what to write, he finally put, “I’m not jealous. It all came out wrong. We still friends?” He put the phone back in his pocket and tried hard not to obsess over it like a lovesick teenager. He failed miserably and continuously checked it and each time he saw she hadn’t answered, the knot in his stomach grew tighter.