Through Smoke: The Troubled Heroes Series Read Online Free PDF

but knew he had to.  He had some errands and things he needed to take care of.  Walking down the hall , he saw that the TV was turned on to a morning talk show.  There were no signs of Casey anywhere.
    “Casey?” There was no response.  He walked into the kitchen, craving a huge cup of coffee.  Turning to the coffee machine, he saw a small post it note next to it.  It was from Casey informing him that he had gone out with a friend and would be back later.  Michael crumpled the paper up and tossed it in the trash. There was no telling what type of trouble Casey was going to get into and if he would even come back.  He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and was surprised to see that it was Eva calling.
    “Hello?”
    “Hey Michael.  I didn’t wake you did I?”
    Michael looked at the clock.  He never got to sleep this late and somehow regretted it. He always felt worse than getting up at six.  “Nah, what’s up? You make it to Staten Island okay?”
    “Yeah, I left really early this morning. I’ll be back in Manhattan around six or so.  I was wondering if you wanted to go grab a bite to eat or something.  After a day like today a friendly face would be great.”
    Michael couldn’t help but smile.  He almost felt embarrassed by it and was glad that Eva wasn’ t there to see it .  “Sure, where do you wanna meet at?”
    “Do you mind meeting me at my place and we can go from there? I’m not sure what I’ll be in the mood for and you can feel free to choose the place too. Doesn’t matter to me.”
    “Sure, I’ll meet you at your place around six thirty.”
    After they said their goodbyes, Michael tossed his phone up in the air and caught it one handed, letting out a quick laugh.  He wasn’t sure why he got so excited about Eva but he knew he did like her.  Not only was she gorgeous, she was funny and smart.  Their friendship had suddenly taken off into a direction he was enjoying.
     
     
    He walked up the front steps to her town home at six twenty five.  He figured being a few minutes early wouldn’t be a bad thing.  Knocking on the door, it took her a few seconds before she answered.  Her hair was tied back and a few strands of curls loosely fell down on her neck.  Judging by her clothes , she wasn’t in the mood for anything too formal, but still looked very beautiful. 
    “Hey Mikey, come on inside.  I’m almost done getting ready. Sorry, I ended up staying on the island longer than I thought.  Dad had us involved in a game of poker that just seemed to never end.”
    Michael noticed how clean and neat her place was.   The living room was decorated in a very rustic manner.  It was a nice change from the way places were usually decorated in Hell’s Kitchen. 
    “Have a seat, I’ll be just a few minutes.”
    She walked back down the hallway and he sat down on the couch, his eyes still scanning everything.  He felt his palms grow sweaty.  Why was he feeling so uneasy? No woman had ever made him nervous like that.  He had to keep telling himself that it was just two friends hanging out, nothing more.  There was no reason to get crazy.
    “You ready to go?”  Her question jolted him out of his daydream and he stood up, running his hand through his hair.
    “Sure.”  He couldn’t help but stare at her.  She looked so beautiful.  “You look really great.”
    She scoffed and led him to the front door. “Thank you. You don’t look half bad yourself.” She winked at him and they walked down the steps.  “Where do you wanna go? I don’t care what you suggest , I’m starving.  I pigged out at my parent’s house; you’d think I wouldn’t be.”
    “There’s this new pub a few blocks from my apartment.  I thought about giving that a try. You up for something new or do you wanna go with what we know?”
    “That’s fine with me. Lead the way.”
    They got to the pub and sat down at a table toward the back of the bar.  They both ordered a beer and some hot