Fire Escape - Book Three: Troubled Heroes Series (An Action Thriller) (7 page)

             
“You okay there, bud?” Gregg glanced over at him as he chewed on the last bite of a hot dog.

             
“Yeah, why?” Michael sat up in his seat, noticing that his posture was slumped, just like his mood.

             
“You keep checking that phone. Got a hot date after this?”

             
“Just wondering what time it is.” The excuse came out more lame than it sounded in Michael’s head.

             
“Who am I kidding? I’m talking to Michael McGinnis, fiancé to Eva Crisante. Of course you’ve got a hot date, I mean, look at your woman.” Gregg gave his shoulder a slight nudge and he let out a throaty laugh.

             
Michael shot him a hard glance, attempting to keep cool at the mention of Eva. It was no secret that she was attractive, but the thought of Gregg of all people making that observation just made his skin crawl. He still was at a loss for words, and slowly diverted his attention back to the game, which gladly was in the ninth inning with the Mets up by two runs.

             
“Easy, killer. I’m only kidding.” Gregg nudged his shoulder again. “I’m not trying to steal her. It’s a compliment for both of you.”

             
“Let’s see if they can hold on to this lead and not blow it right here,” Mikey responded, not caring that his attempt to change the subject was so obvious. Luck was on his side, and the Cubs went three up, three down, giving the Mets a much needed victory.

             
Michael didn’t give Gregg much of a chance to converse afterward, and was practically halfway down the block before Gregg made any attempt to say anything.

             
“Yo, McGinnis, thanks for coming out tonight. It’s good to see people outside of work. Get to know the man behind the uniform, you know?”

             
Nodding, Michael realized all of the sarcastic things he could spout off, but kept it simple. “You couldn’t be more right, Walsh. I’ll see you at work. I gotta get home.” Turning on his heel, he quickened his pace until he was a far enough distance away from his coworker. He felt guilty for being so annoyed. Maybe Eva was right. Maybe he was a jealous asshole who couldn’t see past Gregg actually being there for her. He probably was a great guy and friend. Michael’s instincts said otherwise. The thought of Gregg’s snide comments and backhanded remarks made his skin crawl.

             
Taking one last glance at his phone, he grit his teeth when he saw Eva still had not replied to his text. He had so much on his mind, and the one person he needed to talk to was giving him the silent treatment.

Chapter Five

             
Eva was dozing off into a comfortable sleep when she heard the apartment door open and close with a loud thud. Just by the way Mikey slammed the door spoke volumes about his current mood. Burying her face into the pillow, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, bracing herself for what was in store for them. From the time she knew him, she knew he had a temper hotter than a bull, but at the same time, was quick to make peace and keep things from getting too hostile. He hadn’t quite reached his boiling point with the current situation, so it was all up in the air.

             
He didn’t turn on the light when he came into the room, but she could hear him getting ready for bed. He didn’t say a word as he went into the bathroom. The light peaked from underneath the door, giving her enough light to see his Mets shirt and jeans on the floor next to the hamper. Why he couldn’t just move two inches and drop them inside was beyond her. It was the little things that drove her crazy about him, but it was those same things that made her love him.

             
Michael flicked off the light as he came out of the bathroom, and Eva continued to stay burrowed under the covers, hoping he’d break the silence first. She felt the covers pull back and his body warmth envelope her. His musky scent was faint as he leaned in, hugging her from behind. His hands wrapped around her waist, his body fitting up against hers. She reached up and ran her hand down his face, his skin feeling like sandpaper against her smooth palm.

             
“You get my text?” He asked, his breath warm.

             
She did, but she didn’t have an excuse as to why she didn’t say anything. “Yeah. I didn’t want to say much since you were at the game.”

             
“I’d have much rather done that than hold a conversation with Gregg.”

             
Eva shifted to face him. “You didn’t have fun?”

             
“The Mets won, so the night wasn’t a total bust.” His grasp on her body loosened and he rolled over on his back. He clasped his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “The guy is strange.”

             
She propped herself up on her elbow, picking her words wisely. “Strange because he’s good friends with me?”

             
Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, his jaw clenched. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

             
“I’m just saying, you haven’t cared for him since you got back. Hell, since you were in Texas and found out about him. It’s like you’re holding this resentment over his head and I can’t understand why. He hasn’t done a damn thing to you, Mikey. So please, you explain why you think he’s weird.” Forget Mikey having a short temper. Her anger was getting the best of her.

             
“It’s just a gut feeling I have. I can’t put it into words.” His green eyes were sharp, like they could cut right through her.

             
“I can put it into one simple word, but you don’t want to hear it.” She sat up and leaned back against the headrest.

             
“And what word is that?”

             
“One simple word that can sum up this entire shitty situation. Jealousy. That’s right, Mikey, you are jealous.”

             
“Think what you want, Eva. I’m not jealous.”

             
She scoffed. “The look on your face tells me you just aren’t so sure. And what I can’t understand is why. Why are you jealous?” She held her ring finger up to his face. “You see that? I’m yours. You’re mine. Gregg is just a friend. So there, Mikey, you can think what you want,” She replied, mimicking how he had said that just a few seconds before. Kicking her legs over the side of the bed, she started toward the kitchen, but his voice stopped her.

             
“Eva, can I ask you something?” His head was ducked, almost as if he was ashamed. She suddenly felt guilty for their argument.

             
“What?” She folded her arms over her chest.

             
Looking up at her as if he were a boy in trouble, he raked his hand through his hair and hesitated before finally speaking. “Did you tell Gregg I’m an alcoholic? I won’t be mad if you did. It’s not exactly hush hush at the firehouse.”

             
Her curiosity grew as to why he wanted to know that, especially with the sudden change in his mood. Minutes ago he was pissed. “Yes, it came up with him at one point. I didn’t talk bad about you. He wanted a drink when he was here one evening and I told him why there was nothing here. He left it at that.”

             
Nodding, it seemed like it was the answer he expected.

             
“Why? Did you not want him to know? I know that you don’t announce it to just anyone, but like you said, it’s common knowledge with the boys at work. I’m sorry if you wanted to be the one to tell him.”

             
“It’s fine, Eva. I’m not ashamed of it. I was just wondering.”

             
She sat down beside him on the bed again, grabbing his hand. “You’re a bad liar, Mikey. I don’t know what is going on, but I won’t press you on the matter, at least not right now.”

             
He squeezed her hand. “Look, Eva, I don’t want to fight. This is stupid. Just trust me when I say I’m not jealous. It feels weird. Just be careful.”

             
“I don’t want to fight either.”

She leaned in and kissed him,
moving closer as he cupped the back of her head. His hand trailed down her side, brushing up against her breasts. It sent a shiver down her spine and a soft moan escaped her lips. His fingers rested at the elastic band of her shorts. Looking into his eyes, his expression changed from worry to adventurous, and his youthful grin melted her heart. He said so much with just his eyes, and at that moment, it was obvious what he was wanting.

Pushing her
on her back, he hovered over her. She slid his shirt off and his silver chained necklace dangled in front of her face. She intertwined her index finger in it, gently pulling it down to where he was close enough for her to kiss him again.

“If fighting means we get to do this, I’m up for
duking it out all the time.”

Mikey glanced down at his boxers. “Something else is up for it too.”

“You’re such a perv,” she replied, letting out a laugh as Mikey’s soft lips trailed down her neck and elsewhere. Sighing, she closed her eyes and enjoyed every second of it.

***

Eva left for work early that morning and Michael tried his best to go back to sleep for a while. He was glad to have the day off, but wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He had only had a couple of tours since coming back from being hurt, and felt antsy, like the apartment walls were closing in on him.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he stared down at his running shoes that were hanging out from the closet. It had been awhile since he hit the streets, and the weather was almost pristine for a workout. Stretching his arms out, he forced himself up and
got dressed in sweats, a hoodie, and a Mets baseball cap. Before heading out, he made sure he had his ear buds, an essential part of what he needed on his jogs.

The air was cool and crisp. The morning commute was thinning out, as well as the amount of pedestrians on the sidewalk. Michael stuffed his ear buds in each ear and cranked on some hard rock music to get motivated.

His lungs stung just a few minutes into the run, but he fought his body’s warnings and pressed on. He was not going to succumb to his brain urging him to stop. A couple of women stopped in their tracks and watched as he went by, one waving as he passed. He ducked his head under his hat bill and ignored them, oblivious to anything they might be yelling his way.  After about fifteen minutes he turned around and headed back. It wasn’t a bad run for not doing it in months. He stopped at the stoop of the apartment building and stretched his legs, enjoying the sweat that soaked into his shirt and down his chest.

The natural high was invigorating and it also helped with everything he had on his mind. Things that worried him thirty minutes ago seemed like mere hiccups in the whole scheme of things.

“Hey there.”

Michael felt a tap on his shoulder and he quickly turned around, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the familiar man behind him. He muted the music on his phone and pulled the headphones out, feeling awkward almost instantly.

“You’re Eva’s fiancé, right? Mickey?”

“Mikey,” he replied. “You’re her dad, right?” What was his name? Alvin? Alex? No, it was Albert. Michael hoped he didn’t see the contemplation on his face.

“Yeah. She around?”

“No, she has a shift today.”

“Oh, damn. I came in from Staten Island for some errands. Thought I’d stop by and pay her a visit.”

Michael nodded and looked up at the apartment building and back down. “The firehouse isn’t far from here if you want to stop by there. Chances of her being there are slim, though.” Hesitating, he lifted his cap and readjusted it on his head. “You can come up if you want. No sense in coming this far for nothing.”

Albert looked unsure. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I? Looks like you were really getting into that workout.”

Michael held up a hand as he keyed in the code and opened the door to the entrance. “I was just finishing up. It’s no problem.” He felt nervous. This was the man who recently lost his cool at the fact that he and Eva were now engaged.  He wasn’t hip to him being a firefighter, and showed no bones about it. To give him some credit, he did apologize for his outburst, but Michael was still uneasy around him. He had this look on his face like he knew he was screwing his little girl and didn’t approve of it. To make things worse, he was now at their home. He’d been with Eva for a long time, and this was the most he had ever been around her family.

Opening the door to the apartment, he was thankful Eva had straightened up and did some cleaning the night before. “You want something to drink?” he asked as he ducked out of his hoodie and draped it over the couch.

“You got any beer?”

Michael glanced up at the clock. Did he seriously want a beer at ten thirty in the morning? Reaching for the refrigerator handle, he shook his head no. “Water, soda, or tea. No beer, unfortunately.” He couldn’t help but think about how a beer would relax him, just like the night before at the baseball game. Why was he suddenly resorting to thinking about how a beer would calm him? He had been pretty good about shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind, but then again, he hadn’t been put into so many tense situations with people he didn’t know well.