Through Smoke: The Troubled Heroes Series (21 page)

For a moment, Eva had no idea what he was talking about.  After a few seconds of silence, it hit her.  “Mikey, that guy was an ex of mine.  Believe me, there is nothing going on.  I will never be with him again.”

Michael began to pace again, pausing in different places, looking at random pictures she had hung on the wall, and never truly looking her in the eye.  “No?  He sure looked kinda friendly to me.”

“Well I hope you can trust me when I say that there’s nothing there.  You’re the one I
wanna be with.  I can’t control what you believe, Michael.
”  Eva felt ridiculous.  She knew the root of all of this venting was from the fact that Michael was upset about Darryl’s death.  It seemed to take a huge tragedy for all emotions to be let out.  The root of it all was Darryl and the bookie on Casey and his tail.  This relationship stuff would probably be best left on the back burner.  “I know it’s gonna take some time getting over Darryl, Mikey, and I’ll be here with you every step of the way if you want me to be.”

They both stood on separate ends of the living room.  Mic
hael’s gaze would linger to her
s and away.  She could tell he felt awkward about what had panned out, but honestly, he looked more at ease than when he had showed up on her doorstep.  He had gotten a lot of things off of his chest and she didn’t mind being his sounding board. 

After about five minutes of silence he walked toward her and pulled her into a tight hug, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist.  He smelt musky with a hint of whiskey.  “I’m so sorry, Eva.” He whispered into her neck and his breath was warm on her skin.  “I’m so sorry for everything.”

She closed her eyes and leaned into him, running her fingers through his moist hair.  “There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“I need your help.”

Despite the fact that he didn’t specify what, Eva knew exactly what he meant. 

Chapter Thirteen

Michael felt vulnerable in every aspect of the word. What was Eva going to think of him now?  Breaking down like that only made him look weak.  He was helpless with her and with Viper.  For all he knew, Viper was standing outside, watching his every move.  He had no protection.

Rolling over, he stared at the clock and felt Eva’s arms tighten around his waist.  He had ended up staying the night with her and honestly, it felt good to have her warm body next to his in her bed.  It was three AM and Michael couldn’t even remember ever agreeing to stay there.  There had been no sex or anything of that nature, just her caring embrace that led him to her bedroom.  Her arm lifted upward and he watched her hand skim across his bare chest. 

For her to still stick around after his blow up said a lot.  He was downright hateful to her and she didn’t take a single bit of it personally.  Not many could be that tough.  Now the Viper situation was out in the open and the last thing Michael wanted to do was bring her into the problem.  When he was in the midst of his panic attack, he had no idea what he was saying, almost like he had no control over it.  In reality, it felt good to get it off his chest, but he felt guilty that it had to be Eva.  He was thankful that she was there for him.

Kicking the covers off, he tried to move out from under her arms without waking her.  He couldn’t sleep and his mind was racing too much to lie there comfortably.  He grabbed his pants and shirt and put them on, gazing down at her for a few more seconds.  Her eyes slowly fluttered open and her expression was confused.

“Mikey, where you going?”

Michael ran his palm down the side of her face and she leaned into it.  “I don’t know.” He shrugged, feeling ignorant the minute he replied back. 

Eva sat up and looked from the clock and back to him, her brow creased.  “Is everything okay?” She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him down to sit beside her.  Her grip tightened around his fingers and he squeezed back, unable to let her go. 

“I just can’t sleep.  There’s…” he raked his hand through his hair, biting his bottom lip.  “There’s so much shit that’s gotta get done.  I don’t even know where to start.”

Eva leaned in and brushed her lips over his, looking him in the eye. “I always say take it one day at a time. One thing at a time. That’s about all we can do.”

Michael cupped the back of her head, pulling her close, the kiss growing more passionate.  “Thank you, Eva.” He spoke between kisses, hardly having any time to catch a breath.

Michael tossed and turned pretty much the whole night, and at around seven he decided to get up.  Eva got up with him and they ate breakfast together.  She had cooked eggs and bacon with strong coffee that he was grateful for.  She even had the newspaper out for him beside his plate when he came into the kitchen after his shower. 

“Well hell, how did you know?”  He smirked and hugged her from behind, kissing the back of her head.  Her hair smelled like flowers.

“People around the station talk, believe me.” She waved a spatula at him and turned around, her face growing serious.  “What’s on the agenda today?”

Michael sat down and skimmed over the front page, not really taking much of the news stories in.  Shrugging, he took a bite of bacon, realizing that this was the first real meal he had eaten in over twenty-four hours.  His stomach growled but he could only eat a little bit before feeling stuffed.

“I don’t know. I should probably go over to Darryl’s house and see if Janice needs help on anything.” He didn’t want to do that.  Looking into the face of a widow was one of the hardest things anyone had to face, especially when it was the wife of your best friend. 

Eva sat across from him, sipping on her mug of coffee.  Michael watched as the steam lingered around the rim.  “What about that bookie, Mikey?”

Here it came.  Michael was expecting this.  Of course she was going to worry about the bookie, who wouldn’t?  He flipped the paper over, his stomach jolting when he saw that the Mets had beaten the Yankees.  Another bet had been flubbed by Casey, which meant more fuel was being added to the fire. 

“Not much I can do about that. I’ve got other things to worry about right now anyway.  I’ve gotta bury my best friend in a couple of days. That takes seniority over some low life piece of shit who can’t do his own dirty work.”  The tone in his voice was harsh and he regretted saying that the minute it came out.  He needed to stop lashing out at her, the only person who had been there for him through it all.  He reached out and put his hand on top of hers, patting it. “I’m sorry, Eva.”

She nodded and slid her coffee cup from side to side.  “It’s okay, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to put him on the back burner.”

Nodding, Michael tossed the paper aside and smoothed his damp hair over with his hands.  “You’re right, I can’t.”

“What about the police?”

Michael took in a deep breath.  “I have no evidence of this guy doing anything to where the police could get involved.  He’s been very careful with all of that.”

Eva sat back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest.  “He’s threatened you. That’s a crime! Oh, and not to mention the note he wrote you about the warehouse fires.  What do you call that?”

Michael was surprised at how riled up she was getting and he couldn’t tell if it was directed at him or just at anything in general.  “It doesn’t have his real name on it.  And threats are a crime, but seriously, what more can they do but take my police report and move along?”  Michael paused and thought about it all, putting it all together.  “I guess I can take the note to the police and see what they have to say.”

Eva nodded.  “Cops are assholes.  This kind of crap usually gets filed away, but at least you can say you tried before it is too late. You gotta fire back with something or this Viper guy is gonna see it as weakness and make it even
that much worse.
  Whether it be police or yourself, you’ve gotta do something.”

Michael chewed on the inside of his cheek.  “He killed my best friend. Believe me, that won’t go untouched.”

Eva took a bite of her toast and Michael watched as some of the crumbs fell from the corner of her mouth.  “I think you should still let the police know.  You have nothing to lose in that since you have nothing to hide.”

Michael instantly thought of the incident when he broke Viper’s finger when Viper was pointing it in his chest.  He kept silent about that.  Eva didn’t need to know and he was almost certain that it wouldn’t ever be brought up again.  After everything Viper had put him through, it would definitely rank as self-defense.

Standing up, he leaned in and kissed her.  “Thanks for breakfast.  I gotta get going.  Lot’s to be done.”

Before heading to Janice’s house, Michael stopped off at his apartment and changed into some nicer clothes.  He was almost sure that there would just be family, friends, and fellow firefighters at her house, but he at least wanted to wear some nicer dress slacks and a polo shirt.  Staring at himself in the mirror, he ran his fingers over the dark circles under his eyes.  He smoothed his dark hair out, tucking in some stray hairs above his ears. It was time for a haircut, yet another thing to add to his list of things to do.

As he locked up, he thought about Eva’s advice on going to the police.  She was right.  At least they would have his side of things on file if something big did happen.  The last thing he needed happ
ening was Viper turning this
around on him and Michael becoming the fall guy.  He would talk to a cop soon. At the moment, he had to go check on Janice like he had promised.

The streets were
wet
from recent rainfall.  There were crowds of people out and some were obvious tourists.  Grumbling under his breath, he tried to push through a group of them who were holding things up because they just had to have a picture at that particular spot.  It never ceased to amaze Michael.  Out of towners would run out in the middle of rush hour traffic just to get that one amazing shot of Times Square up in lights. People were ignorant. 

He got past them and walked the few blocks over to Darryl’s place, a lump forming in his throat when he approached the outside of the complex.  The last time he was here Darryl was alive and well.  The Captain’s car was parked across the street.  The red Crown Victoria that every firefighter’s family dreaded seeing parked outside of their home.  The one that said, hey, your loved one is gone, never to be seen again.  He would never forget the night he looked out his bedroom window and saw it down on the street below.  The night he lost his father and his mom collapsed in the entryway of their house.  Here it was again, just a newer model, but held the same meaning.  

Taking in a deep breath, he buzzed up to the apartment, his heart racing when he heard an unknown voice answer. “Hello?”

“It’s Michael McGinnis.”

Nothing was said and he heard the buzz that opened the door.  Instead of taking the elevator, he took the stairs in hope that it would relieve some of the stress.  He got to the fifth floor and knocked.  Janice opened the door, revealing a living room full of people.  She smiled, but Michael could tell it was forced. She was in her mid forties and as beautiful as ever. Even in the midst of her sorrow, her features were striking. 

“Mikey, it’s so good to see you.”

He pulled her in for a tight hug, fighting back tears.  “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”

Janice pulled away and led him to the living room where most of the other firefighters were.  “Don’t be silly.” She paused and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.  “There’s tons of food in the kitchen, more than we could ever eat.  Help yourself.  We’re all just pretty much hanging out.”

Michael nodded and ducked his head.  “Do you need help with anything?”

She shook her head.  “All of the arrangements have been made.  There’s a viewing this evening at Saint Elizabeth’s.  Funeral is tomorrow at two.”

Michael tried to ignore the sudden sharp pain his stomach, like someone had punched him.  “Okay.  Eva said she’d be here soon.  I’m pretty sure she’s on her way. You sure you don’t need me to do anything?”

Janice closed her eyes for a second, thinking about his question.  “Ya know, I think you can do something for me.”

“What’s that?”

“Can you talk to Braden for me?  I would get one of these other guys, but you have gone through this before.”  She stopped in mid sentence.  “If you don’t feel comfortable with it, I understand.”