Fire Escape - Book Three: Troubled Heroes Series (An Action Thriller) (31 page)

             
"Look what you've done, McGinnis!" Gregg's hand shook and tightened around the trigger. "Now we're both trapped!"

             
Michael stared up at him. If he could just stand up and get a good look at what was happening, he could devise an exit plan. Gregg was in no mindset to come up with something. His head pounded and his leg felt detached from his body. From what he could tell, the bullet had just skimmed his skin, but it sure felt worse than that.

             
The fire was edging closer and Gregg still stood with the gun pointed at Michael. He had to do something. They were literally down to seconds. Letting out a deep groan, he felt the most excruciating discomfort and kicked upward, knocking the gun from Gregg's hand. It went flying and fell closer to the fire. Without batting an eye, Gregg went after it, ignoring the fact that he would have to go through the wall of flames to get it back.

             
Edging himself up on his elbows, Michael got his first real glance at the fiasco around them. The fire was billowing up the walls, already destroying the second floor. How it hadn't gotten to their area yet was nothing short of a miracle, but that soon would not be the case. He yelled out to Gregg, unable to find him in the smoke. Standing up, he limped forward, only to be knocked backward by a huge explosion that careened him against the wall. His head and upper body hit hard, knocking the breath from his chest. What had blown up? Did Gregg bring in more flammable materials that Michael wasn't aware of?

             
It was down to the wire now. There was a far window that would require crawling through a thick blanket of smoke to get to, but it appeared to be the only safe exit they had. Looking back toward the inferno, he tried to spot Gregg. His morals toyed with him. Should he go back and try to save him? The man nearly killed him and had put him through hell on earth. On one side, he wanted to say to hell with it. Leave him behind. The other side said he wasn't the type to do that. It wasn't his place to judge and decide the fate of someone else. He also needed Gregg for proof that he was the man behind it all.

             
Attempting one last burst of energy, he crawled back toward where Gregg had disappeared. "Walsh!" The roar of the fire was so loud that it was doubtful that he would hear. He had to stay low. The fire was so close to the floor that if he lifted up any, it would get him. His eyes scanned. What had happened to him? Did he get away and Michael wasn't aware of it? Did he get out and leave him to burn?

             
He finally spotted him a few feet away, his body motionless. Michael's lungs burned and he wasn't sure how much more of the toxic air he could take. He grabbed on to Gregg's  clothing and pulled him back toward the only window that would serve as their fire escape. Grunting and groaning, he fought tooth and nail, ignoring all of his body's warnings to get to a safe place. He couldn't even tell if Gregg was still alive, but he had to get his body out. Michael wasn't sure if it was the fact that he actually wanted to save Walsh, or if he wanted his body for proof to the police. It didn't matter. He'd sort that all out later.

             
He could barely see the window behind the black smoke, but knew that the fire wasn't there yet. Luck was on his side. Almost the entire rest of the building was consumed. He tried lifting Gregg up to the pane but he was dead weight. Hovering over him, he shook his shoulders in a desperate attempt to wake him up.

             
"Gregg! Wake up!" Leaning down, he tried to listen to see if he was breathing. He backhanded him, causing his eyes to jolt open. He took a deep breath and coughed uncontrollably, looking confused. "We gotta get out, Gregg. Now! Work with me!"

             
"I'm sorry... Mikey." His words came out in short pants, and Michael ignored him. Now wasn't the time to make amends. Pulling on him, he noticed that Gregg had a gaping wound in his abdomen. A long trail of blood was on the floor beneath them, and a sense of dread overtook him.

             
"Holy shit," Michael muttered, trying hard to mask the shock on his face. "Try to get up. Once we get outside you can rest."

             
Gregg nodded, but was unable to push himself up. His body shook with each failed attempt. "Uhh, what happened to me?"

             
"Don't talk. Save your energy."

             
Michael's leg burned. His head pounded. His injuries were nothing in comparison to Gregg's. Checking the window one more time, he swung a piece of wood at the glass, breaking it enough that they could fit through. Biting his lower lip, he hoisted Gregg over his shoulder and pushed him through the window to the ground outside. The fire was coming right at him, and if they would have waited another five minutes, they both would have been trapped completely.

             
Jumping out, he landed next to Gregg, his lungs screaming for fresh air. He coughed uncontrollably and his head ached every time he moved. Gregg lay motionless and Michael fought for one more ounce of energy to pull him farther away from the building. Flames were shooting out of the windows Michael had to assume that there were more explosives inside.

             
Sirens echoed in the distance, and he hoped that it was for them. He sat on the curb with Gregg's head in his lap. His eyes were barely open and his breathing was shallow. Michael took his hoodie off and placed it over his wound, applying pressure to it. Gregg was pale. He had lost a ton of blood. He must have gotten injured in the explosion. Michael never saw it happen.

             
"You son of a bitch," Gregg muttered, shifting his weight and wincing. "You're a stupid man, McGinnis."

             
"Why is that?" Michael could tell he wasn't going to make it. He was having to fight too hard to speak.

             
"Trying to save a man who wants you dead."

             
Michael noticed two cops on scene, both standing nearby. "Sounds like there's an ambulance on the way, Walsh. Just rest. You're gonna be fine." His chest was tight and even for him, it was hard to say much. He had taken in so much smoke that the night air wasn't even enough to help him recover.

             
Gregg laughed and it transitioned to a hoarse cough that he couldn't gain control of. His body lurched and he closed his eyes in pain. "I have a hole right through my stomach. I'm a dead man."

             
"Just shut up. The ambulance is pulling up right now. There's some fire trucks too."

             
Gregg looked Michael right in the eye, his pained expression switching to remorse and seriousness. "I'm so sorry, McGinnis. I'm sorry I tried to frame you. Thanks for getting me out."

             
Before Michael could respond, the medics pulled him away, rushing Gregg to one of the ambulances. Two other medics went to work on him, assessing the injury on his leg and immediately supplying him with oxygen. Michael wanted to push it away and refuse, but it felt so good to breathe it in. His lungs welcomed it. He let out a deep groan when the medic pulled his pants leg up and applied pressure to his calf muscle.

             
"Looks like it was just skimmed. You still need to go to the hospital and get it cleaned up."

             
Michael didn't say anything. He watched the ambulance with Gregg speed off, the sirens so loud and haunting. He couldn't understand why he was so concerned about whether Gregg lived or died. As he had said, maybe Michael was stupid.

             
"Let's get you on this gurney."

             
Michael snapped back to reality, declining it. "No. I'll walk."

             
"I wouldn't advise it. Your leg needs to be stitched up."

             
He stood, ignoring the medic's advice. He felt light headed and had to grab on to one of them to brace himself. The small amount of pressure he put down was horrible, but he wasn't going to admit that he needed to be wheeled back. Limping slowly, he was grateful to finally sit in the back of the ambulance. Before they shut the doors, he got one last look at the burning warehouse he almost fell victim to. It was now raging out of control with multiple engines and fire companies on scene. What he'd give to help them fight it, but right now he had to get to the hospital, not so much for himself, but to find out about Gregg.

Chapter Twenty One

             
Michael was taken to the ER where they put him in a semi private room. They still had him on oxygen and a nurse had cleaned up the wound on his leg. He had asked about Gregg several times, only to get the usual answer that they give in a hospital - they didn't have a current status on him, but would notify him when they did.

             
He leaned his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. All hospitals had the same smell. Bleach or whatever strong cleaner they used, and other stuff he couldn't pinpoint. He had seen enough of hospital walls. He wanted to just sign out against medical advice, but that wouldn't be the wisest thing he could do. He checked his phone. He had three missed calls from Casey and a text message that read, "Are you okay? What is happening?" He needed to call everyone. What worried him the most was that the cops hadn't been in to see him. If he was still a wanted man he assumed they'd be at his side.

             
As if the NYPD could read his mind, Detectives Reynolds and Vasquez walked in. Detective Reynolds tried to force a smile. "How are you feeling, McGinnis?"

             
"Can the small talk. Why are you here? To arrest me? Restrain me while they observe me?"

             
She shook her head no. "I'm here to let you know that you're a free man. The two uniforms that were on scene at the fire heard Gregg Walsh's apology to you. They immediately radioed it in and we sent another unit to his apartment where we found plenty of evidence to get the heat off of you, no pun intended."

             
"Did he confess to you?"

             
She looked over at Vasquez and shook her head. "He died on the way to the hospital. As I'm sure you're aware of, he had extensive internal damage to his abdomen. Past that, I don't have much more information."

             
Michael looked away. Damn it, why did he care so much that Gregg had died? "As long as you can leave me alone now. I don't want anything else to do with this investigation."

             
Vasquez moved closer to the bed, his once tough exterior let down by a more sympathetic stance. "Witnesses at the scene tell us that you pulled Walsh out. He was still alive when you did it. Can I ask why? Why save him when he was trying to kill you?"

             
Michael shrugged. "I've been trying to figure that out myself."

             
"On behalf of everyone involved in this case, we want to apologize for how it was handled. We should've taken more time before assuming it was all on you."

             
Michael wanted to yell out that the apology wasn't accepted. Instead, he replied, "I know that you guys were just doing your jobs, but I do need to get this off of my chest."

             
"You're entitled to say whatever you want, McGinnis," Reynolds replied.

             
"You put not only me through hell, but my family through hell. I've got a pregnant fiancé at home worried sick. You've tarnished my reputation. I'm sure you'll let the media and everyone know Gregg Walsh is the man behind it all, but there will still be that doubt behind my name. People will recognize me as the firefighter who was blamed for arsons. People remember who was blamed. They never remember the part where those people are exonerated. They like scandals."

             
"We are truly sorry for it all. We will personally make sure that all of this will not follow you."

             
Michael had more to say, but the best thing to do was shake their hands and move on. It was done. "I understand."

             
Eva and Casey came in, interrupting his heated conversation with the detectives. He let out a sigh of relief. It had grown awkward and he needed a change in subject.

             
"Mikey, oh my God, I'm so glad you're okay." Eva pulled him in for a tight hug and he took in every second, breathing in her scent, feeling her soft hair, nuzzling her neck.

             
"We'll see you around, McGinnis. You're a free man."

             
Michael nodded at both detectives and turned his attention back on his brother and Eva. "How did you guys know I was here?"

             
"I went to the warehouse. Saw the madhouse and freaked out. Thankfully a cop told me they had taken you here. I stopped by and grabbed Eva and we rushed over. We didn't know what to think. What the hell happened?"

             
Michael grabbed Eva's hand and kissed it. "Gregg asked me to meet him there. I was suspicious but knew something had to be done. I went, he tried to corner me and kill me and things didn't go as planned. I had to pull him out. Not sure why I did, so don't ask."