Through Smoke: The Troubled Heroes Series (11 page)

Sweat began to pour down his brow and he adjusted his helmet, taking in a deep breath as they both began to move down the ladder.  His body burned and he found it hard to breath. The wind was harsh and despite the fact that it was cold out, it felt like he was running a marathon.  Looking down, it seemed like they had barely moved.  It was a mistake too. He fe
lt nausea overtake him.  If the
man was awake it wouldn’t be near as bad, but with him unco
nscious there was no give in
his body. 

“McGinnis, I need to stop for a second.” Rollins secured himself and the victim and wiped some sweat from his brow. “Sorry. The sweat was stinging my eyes.”

Michael nodded and glanced down at the fire engine.  Everyone was standing around watching with anticipation.  He spotted Eva down by the ambulance and knew they had to hurry and get the man down.  There was no telling what was wrong with him and he needed medical care as soon as possible.

He pressed the button
on his radio. “Go ahead and send the medics up on the roof for standby.” He heard some radio chatter and turned to Rollins. “Let’s get going, I don’t wanna lose him. If we move fast we’ll be done before you know it.” Michael could tell that Rollins was reluctant.  “You can do it. You got this far. We’re on the home stretch.”

Looking down, he saw Eva and her partner ready with a backboard and stretcher. Heart beating fast, he took a second to gain his composure and catch his breath.  They began their trek down the ladder again.  He could hear the man mumble from time to time but still wasn’t aware of what was going on. At least he was still alive.  That’s all that mattered, getting him out alive. 

“Shit.” Rollins voice cracked and Michael got pulled downward.  Rollins hand grabbed Michael, pulling all three of them down several steps, and if it weren’t for Michael grabbing the railing of the tower
,
they would have been in a free fall.  He finally stopped the tumble by finding one of the steps of the ladder, bringing the victim and Rollins to a halt below him. Rollins was dangling and barely holding on by a thread.

“Rollins, swing toward the tower and grab it. Secure yourself. The victim is fine, I got him.”

He wasn’t sure who yelled up, but someone asked if they were okay. He was preoccupied and unable to answer. He watched as the younger firefighter finally got hold of the metal pole, grateful that he wasn’t a probie, not after what happened to Harper at the fire.  He climbed down to Rollins, sliding the victim with him until they were on the same level. 

“Sorry, McGinnis, I lost my footing on one of the steps.”

Michael saw how close they were to the rooftop.  Only about a story up.  “Damn, Rollins, that’s one way to get us down fast.” His voice felt raspy from all the wind he inhaled and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Watch your step.”

The last part of the climb went fast and Michael had never been so glad to see solid ground.  He released the victim to Eva and her partner and watched as they went to work, taking him down the elevator and to the ambulance as they multitasked.  He was no medic, but from his years on the job he was almost certain the guy had a heart attack while up working.  Maybe he’d pull through. Michael was just glad he got the man down in time for some medical work to be done.

Taking off his h
at, he walked to the truck
and raked his fingers through his sweaty hair.  Maybe the rest of the shift wouldn’t be as dramatic.  Just him thinking that was going to jinx it.

“Holy hell, Mikey, you were giving me a heart attack. What happened when you guys fell?”

Michael chugged almost an entire bottle of water and kept his attention on the ambulance as it drove off, the siren echoing loudly even after it was out of sight.  “Just lost our footing. It’s all good now.”

“Well good work on stopping it. Someone was watching over you today, my friend.”

Michael finished the water and tossed the bottl
e in the back of the rig
. “Rollins did most of the work.”

Darryl patted him on the back. “That’s just like you, Mikey. Always giving credit to the other guy.”

Michael didn’t have response. Instead, he turned around and walked away from the crowd.  He was still shaking from the call and needed a moment to hi
mself
.  He would take on a five-alarm fire over a high rise save any day.  He just wanted to know if the guy was going to be okay. That would make it all worthwhile.

Casey was thankful that one of his ex girlfriends let him crash at her place.  It was a blow to his pride to beg to come back, but he was out of options.  He had looked into the shelter that Michael had mentioned, but if you didn’t get there by three in the afternoon there were no beds for the evening.  It was packed and he felt like scum around it.

He wasn’t even sure why he and Joy had broken up, but was almost certain drugs were a part of it. 
She was an addict herself.  In the past they had spent their nights high on whatever drugs they could find.
Fights were always stemmed from neither of them having enough money to get that one last hit they needed to get through the day.  Their last days together were nothing more than screaming and yelling, which led to the police responding.  It n
ever escalated to anything and
Casey remembered that he never wanted to be around after that. 

Now he was back.  She still looked the same, just thinner. Her once long and flowing blonde hair was cut short. It was as if she had one too many dye jobs on it. It was obvious she hadn’t gotten clean either.  Maybe that was a good thing.  Maybe it wasn’t.  He was trying to get clean and she would definitely expose him to things he couldn’t say no to. 

“So what brings you back here?” She exhaled a long stream of smoke through her nose and it lingered above them.  “Think I could hook you up again?”

Casey reached out, taking a long drag off of the cigarette and handed it back to her. “No one else wo
uld open
their
door to me, Joy
, not even my brother.”

She scoffed and extinguished the butt of the cigarette.  “Who is he to judge you? What an asshole.”

Before Casey could respond, a loud knock thudded across her front door. It was so hard that it looked like the
walls would cave in.  She glanced
down at her watch. “Who the hell would that be?” She looked out the window and back to Casey. “You know some dude with long hair and gold teeth?”

His heart skipped a beat. “Shit. How the hell did he find me?” He walked to the door and opened it. “Viper. What do you want?”

His bookie grinned and folded his arms over his chest. “Where does your brother work?”

“Why do you want to know about him? I don’t live there anymore. I’m not associated with him.”

Viper’s smile faded. “Don’t make me ask twice.  I know he’s some type of fire person or something. Now answer me.”

Casey leaned against the doorframe. “Why are you even worrying about it? The games haven’t even been played yet. I haven’t lost the bet. Aren’t you reacting too soon?”

Viper clenched his hand around Casey’s throat, shoving
him
back against the wall with full force.  Casey gasped for air. “No, you haven’t lost this bet yet. But you have lost others. You still owe me for the other shit you got into. Now answer my question before I do something to your chick that you won’t like.”

“He works at Ladder Twenty One.” Viper released his hand and Casey bent over, his vision dark and fuzzy.  “Please Viper, don’t mess with him. I’ll get you the money, just wait for the series to play out.”

“And if the Yankees lose?”  Viper slapped him across the face. “Don’t worry about your brother. You got your own things to be worried about.”

Chapter Seven

“Mikey, why are you pacing? You got used to those twelve hour shifts, didn’t ya?” Darryl patted his shoulder and sat down at the kitchen table, thumbing through the paper. 

Michael sat down across from him and looked up at the clock.  The twenty four’s didn’t bother him, but he had so much on his mind that he couldn’t focus on anything.  Even after Eva got back from transporting the tower victim, she was short with him.  She let him know that the guy was in critical condition but would more than likely be okay.  Nothing else was said.  So bad did he want to pull her aside and get it all straightened out.  It was best to play it cool at the moment. He didn’t want to scare her any more than he felt like he had. 

Darryl snapped, getting his attention. “Earth to McGinnis!” He tossed the sports section his way. “Damn, you need a nap or something?”

Michael shrugged him off. “I’m good.” He read the main heading about the Yankees and the upcoming schedule.  His stomach tightened.  They were on a roll in the previous four games, smashing their opponent with no problem. The Mets series was coming quick. 

“Hey man, you wanna see if we can get tickets to one of the Mets game when they play the Yankees? We should have at least one of those nights off.” Darryl leaned back in his chair.  “You need to get out, you’re acting all tense and crap.”

Michael tossed the sports section back to him and arched his eyebrow. “I hope the Yankees take the series.” He stood up and rummaged through the refrigerator. He wasn’t really hungry, but he was bored.  Baseball talk wasn’t helping his worries. 

“Huh? Mikey, what the hell are you thinking? Don’t tell me you’re creeping to the other side! Since when do you root for the Yankees?” Darryl leaned on the door and Michael didn’t even realize what he had said until Darryl had responded the way he had.

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t feel like talking sports.”

Before Darryl responded, one of the medics came up the stairs. “McGinnis, there’s someone down in the garage asking to talk to you.”

Michael was hoping it was Casey. “Who is it?”

“Some guy with long blonde hair. He looks kinda shady. Want me to tell him you aren’t here?”

Long blonde hair. Viper? Was that his name?  What the heck did he want? “Nah, I’ll go see what this is about.” His mind raced as he walked down the steps.  Maybe something happened to Casey and he was here to break the news. There was no telling, and Michael couldn’t ignore the nerves he was feeling. 

Viper was standing out on the sidewalk, exhaling a long trail of white smoke. He flicked the end of his cigarette into the gutter.  The same arrogant smile parted his lips when Michael walked toward him.  The same smile that Michael wished he could do something about.  He wasn’t here to help him.   His body language had trouble written all over it. 

“Well if it isn’
t Mr. Hero
in the flesh.”

Michael stood back, clenching his fists. How did he find out where he worked? “What the hell do you want?”

Viper lit another cigarette, extending the package to Michael. He declined.  “We need to have some dialogue.”

Michael shook his head, stepping closer to the nuisance.  “Casey is no longer staying at my place. You and I have no reason to ever speak again. I’m at work. I don’t have time to chat.” He began to turn away but felt Viper’s fingers dig into his arm, pulling him back toward him.

“Oh, I do believe you’ll wanna hear this, Fireman.”  The end of his cigarette lit up with every inhale. 

Michael jerked his arm away.  “I do believe you’ll wanna let go of me.”

Viper released him and let out a low laugh.  “You really have no idea who the fuck you’re dealing with, do you?” He stomped the butt of the cigarette out. “You’re brother is in a world of shit.  He owes more than what he might win off of this game he placed a bet on.  It’s only a dent in what he owes.”

Michael folded his arms over his chest, trying to hide his emotions.  He had no idea that Casey was in that deep.  There was a lot of stuff he obviously didn’t know about his little brother.  So many questions boiled to the surface, the main one was him wondering how credible this Viper character was.  He could be some doped up guy who was out of his mind.  “And how do I know you know what you’re talking about?”

“Because I’m his bookie.” Viper patted his chest
.  “I want to make damn sure you know about all of this.”