Free Fire Escape - Book Three: Troubled Heroes Series (An Action Thriller) by J.R. Tate

day.”
    Albert walked toward the door. “Thanks for the water. We need to get together soon and have some real drinks.”
    Michael opened the door for him, but left that comment alone. He dreaded the day Albert found out about his habit. He was never ashamed of it, but with him, it was a different situation. He had gained the respect of a man he believed would be impossible to get close to. The last thing he needed was for him to make assumptions not only about his job, but about his problem as well.
    “I’ll tell Eva you stopped by.”
    Michael closed the door behind Albert and rested his forehead against the wood, closing his eyes. He thought it was going to be a boring day. What a day it was turning out to be, and it was only around eleven in the morning. He grabbed a bottle of water and took a long drink.
    He thought about Casey and his mom as he walked to the mail room. He needed to give them both a call, but with his brother’s crazy schedule with the grocery store, it was hard to catch him. He at least hoped it was his work schedule and that he wasn’t back to his old ways of being unreachable.
    Michael nodded at an older lady who was also checking her mail. Turning the key, he felt a sense of dread at the numerous envelopes indicating that bills were enclosed. Why did he even bother looking? One random piece of mail caught his attention that was addressed directly to him, in messy handwriting. The return address was Rikers, which meant that this was something that was probably from Viper.
    His stomach sank and his palms felt moist. He shot another quick glance to the old lady who was minding her own business. Rather than open it up there, he bolted back up the stairs, taking them two at a time until he reached his apartment. Flinging the door open, he pushed all of the other mail aside and ripped open the envelope.
    The note was on notebook paper and handwritten as well. Sitting down on the couc h, Michael let out a deep sigh as he began to read, fighting off the urge to just rip it up and not even give it another thought. His curiosity would not allow for it, and his sweaty palms clung to the paper.
     
    Mikey “Hero” McGinnis,
     
                  It’s been awhile. I hear you almost got yourself killed down in Texas. Those wildfires were something else, weren’t they man? My ass is still stuck here in Rikers. I’m waiting to hear on where I’ll get transferred to. Rikers isn’t designed for killers like me, and they are trying to find a more long term place for me.  I’m sure you are happy to hear that. Truth is, Hero, that I want you to come visit again. I’ve had a lot of time to think while here on the inside. What I’ve done to you and your friends is wrong. We have these sessions in here where we meet with other inmates about our mistakes in life. It’s given me a lot of insight into the decisions I’ve made. Long story short, Hero, is come back here and we’ll do some talking. I won’t provoke you like last time. My word is probably as good to you as shit in a gutter, but just think about it. Say hello to Eva for me. You’ve got a good woman. Don’t do a thing to fuck that up.
                                                                                       
                                                                                                      Kindly,
                                                                                                                    Viper
     
    Michael read it for a second time, unsure if he had read it right. Looking up, he wiped some sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. With everything else going on in his life, he hadn’t thought about Viper in awhile,