Fire Escape - Book Three: Troubled Heroes Series (An Action Thriller) (22 page)

             
She shook her head no. "I'm not leaving, so don't even suggest it again."

             
"At least get some food. Not eating will only hurt you and the baby."

             
Mr. Clifton came back in the room after having a talk with the cop. A sly smile was on his face and he looked like he was ready to get down to business. "You two don't mind that we talk here, do you? It'd be better than down at headquarters. We can get this all out of the way before his arraignment, which has to happen, at the latest, forty eight hours after arrest. That also depends on when you will get discharged from this hell hole too."

             
"No, you're fine, Mr. Clifton. They want me to stay awake anyway. What better way to entertain me than talk about my future in this country's screwed up legal system?"

             
He pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the bed and got a notepad out. "So they are charging you with the warehouse arsons?"

             
"Yeah."

             
"What evidence do they have to support it?"

             
Michael went into detail, his memory still fuzzy about it all. It was crazy how much energy it was taking to even discuss it. He felt worse than earlier that day and wondered how much longer it'd be before they would let him pass out. Eva sat quietly beside him, her eyes downcast through most of the conversation. He couldn't tell if she was just worried or if she was starting to think he actually did it. It was her first time hearing everything that happened in the interrogation room and as things progressed, she seemed to recede even further into her shell.

             
"Well, Mr.McGinnis, we have some work to do, but we'll get it done. I'm gonna take this home and work on it. You get some rest. Ms. Crisante, call me as soon as they discharge him. We need to persuade the judge that he qualifies for bail. This beat down he took will work in our favor for that part of it."

             
"Thank you, Frederick. We'll be in touch."

             
Michael looked out into the hallway as he left, seeing that it was the same cop as before. He felt like scum. Handcuffed to a bed with a cop right outside. This was the deepest he had ever been in any trouble. Laying it all out for Mr. Clifton gave him some perspective.

             
"I know I didn't light those fires and with everything against me, how are others going to believe it?" His voice cracked and he cringed when he felt the IV in his arm move. The thought of the cold needle stuck in his vein made him sick.

             
"I don't know, Mikey. How could your badge be at one of the scenes? I just don't get it." Tears began to fall down her cheeks and Michael longed to reach out and wipe them away. It sucked being so close to the love of his life and not be able to console her.

             
"I have a pretty good idea of who planted it."

             
"Who?"

             
"Gregg. I don't have solid proof, but as soon as I bail out it'll be my sole purpose to set it all straight. I'm not sure how I'll do it but I'll think of something."

             
Eva shook her head and stood up. Rubbing her belly, she paced back and forth at the foot of his bed. "I don't know, Mikey... I just don't know."

             
"You believe me, don't you?"

             
"Of course I do, babe. It just seems like we're grasping at straws. You and Gregg have had your riffs, but going so far as to framing you for arson? We're not in a movie. This is real life."

             
"Before talking to Viper again I'd have thought the same thing, but too much has fallen into place to be coincidence. I'm going to prove it with you or without you, Eva. I'm so sorry I'm putting you through so much shit."

             
She wiped her face with the back of her hand.  "I'm scared we're in too deep."

             
Though she didn't say it out loud, Michael knew her well enough to know that she had her doubts. How could she not? Everything brought out on the table tonight pointed right to him. If he had been looking from an outsider's perspective he'd have to question it too. He was screwed. Hopefully Frederick Clifton was as good as his mother had claimed. He had to find a way to prove Gregg and Viper were the masterminds behind it all.

             
The loud beeping of the IV machine was a sudden reminder that he was constrained in a hospital bed. His first course of action was to rest and recuperate. He couldn't get anything done until he recovered. Turning on his side as best as he could, he yawned and felt the exhaustion hit him hard. To hell with what the doctor wanted. With heavy eyelids, his body relaxed into the bed. Forcing a smile toward Eva, he drifted off into a light sleep, hoping that when he woke up, he'd have a whole new viewpoint on his situation.

Chapter Fifteen

              After a long and sleepless night at Michael's bedside, Eva waited out on the sidewalk at the court house. He had been released from the hospital after a night of observation, and the doctors were heavily pressured by the detectives to release him in time for his arraignment. She wasn't sure if he should've been discharged due to his injuries, but that decision was out of her hands.

             
Bail had been set and thankfully, it was at a price where they could work with a bail bondsman. She had to be thankful that at least one thing was working in their favor. Michael was inside, finishing up the fine print needed to be set free, at least until his trial came up. She couldn't stand to be inside. The smell of the building made her sick, likely from her thoughts about why they were there.

             
She heard the doors open and two people she didn't recognize made their exit. The sidewalk out front was busy with people, but she spotted Mikey as soon as he came out. His face was bruised up and he looked like he could lay down right there and sleep for days. His brow was creased with worry and she found it hard to make eye contact with him as he walked up.

             
"Well?"

             
He shook his head. "Well what?"

             
"What's the next step?"

             
"We wait." He walked down the street, his pace almost too quick for her to keep up.

             
"Wait on what? You'll have to forgive me, Mikey. I'm new to this stuff."

             
He jerked his head toward her, his expression looking nowhere near amused. "We wait on the case to come up in court. They said it can take from a few weeks to a few months. The longer it takes, the better case my lawyer can build."

             
"And the longer it takes the longer we have to sit and wonder what the hell is gonna happen."

             
Mikey was a few steps in front of her and his shoulders slumped. He leaned against a nearby building and ducked his head. He was a man defeated. He had been ran through the grinder, both physically and mentally. If it wasn't for the fact that they were in public, Eva believed he would've broken right down in the street.

             
Grabbing his hand, she forced a smile that killed her inside. "I'm sorry, babe. I know you don't need to hear that negativity."

             
He pulled his hand away and started down the street again. "Let's just get home."

             
The subway ride to the apartment was awkward. Mikey didn't say anything and any small conversation she tried to start was ignored. Eva had to chalk it up to him not feeling well. He was walking around with cracked ribs and a mild head injury. She was stupid to think that he would be energetic and talkative. But she couldn't take the silent treatment. She needed to know what he was thinking and what they were going to do next. She wanted to sit with the lawyer and find out how in the hell they were going to disprove the evidence against him.

             
She handed him his bag of belongings they had left with her at the hospital. Sitting down on the couch, he scrolled through his cell phone, grimacing as he put it up to his ear. Without skipping a beat, he threw it to the floor and let out a groan.

             
"What, Mikey?"

             
"Voicemail from Captain Rooker. He wants to meet with me as soon as possible."

             
Sitting down beside him, she wanted to hug him, but his body language showed that he wanted to be left alone. "Did he say what about?"

             
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I was arrested and charged for arson. I don't think it's gonna be good, whatever the hell it might be." Standing up, he began to pace in front of the TV. "Damn it, I feel like a rat in a maze."

             
Eva watched him for a few seconds, surprised at his sudden erratic behavior. "I know this is like putting gas on a fire, but calm down. Sit down and let's talk about it."

             
He threw his hand in the air. "What do you suggest we talk about? I'm screwed! It's gotten this far on what the police have. How is a jury going to see it?"

             
"If you're innocent, justice will be served somehow." She kept her voice low, hoping he'd calm down.

             
Turning to face her, he arched his eyebrow. His green eyes were bright as he stared down at her with so much frustration. "If I'm innocent?" His voice cracked. "If?" Sighing, he repeated, "If," only it wasn't a question the third time.

             
"That's not what I meant, Mikey."

             
"No? Well explain to me what you meant."

             
Eva stammered on her words. She truly did not mean to make it sound like it had. "It was just a general statement. The jury will be there with a clean slate."

             
Mikey interrupted her. "Just stop, Eva." He began to pace again and faced away from her, his head ducking again. "You don't believe me, do you? You think I did it."

             
Standing up, she grabbed his arm and made him face her. "I'm gonna be honest, Mikey."

             
He took a few steps back. "That's all I ask."

             
She thought long and hard before she put her thoughts into words. This was going to hurt her almost as bad as it would hurt him, but she had to let it be known. "I'm not sure what to think." A tear fell down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. "How did your badge get at the scene of one of the fires? I just..." Shaking her head, she looked him straight in the eye. "I love you more than you could ever know. I just don't know how it got to this." Her emotions got the best of her and tears flowed like torrential downpours.

             
They both stood in silence for what seemed like an hour. Mikey's cold stare sent a chill through her body. She couldn't read him like she normally could. Was he so angry because she had doubted him, or was he angry because it seemed that she believed the cops?

             
"Mikey, please say something."

             
"I'm... umm... I'm not sure what you want me to say." He backed up a few more steps, edging toward the kitchen. "You actually think I'm capable of setting those fires." He pointed his index finger at his chest. "My calling is to stop shit like that. How could I go out and do that? Go out and continue the same shit that killed Daryl. That killed my dad. That have killed so many men I've worked with over the years."

             
"I never said you did it. I just don't know how it escalated to the point of you getting arrested. You've come home late. You've had rough nights. You almost relapsed several times in just the past week. You've been through so much stuff. I just, I don't know." She wasn't sure what she was saying. The more she spoke, the worse it seemed to get. She couldn't come out and say she honestly thought he was capable of the crime, but really, any human being was, herself included. Everyone on the planet had day dreams and fantasies about doing something illegal. Could Mikey actually carry through and do it? Firefighters were some of the world's biggest pyromaniacs. Did her fiancé fall into that category?

             
Moving forward, he got close enough to her that if they wanted to, they could've kissed. His eyes were angry. How could she expect him to be anything but that?

             
"I guarantee everything that has happened within the past few days is no way to ensure that I don't go buy me a nice bottle of Woodford Reserve and drink it in one sitting." Raising his eyebrows, he laughed. "Damn, that sure would taste good right now. Nice and smooth. That burning sensation down to my stomach would be good therapy, yeah?"