Michael hadn’t moved from the doorway, his expression bemused. “You know what I do for a living.”

“And why aren’t you shaving yet? Don’t you care that a girl is here to see you?”

His brother hesitated. “Look. Gabriel. I’m not ”

“Forget it. You can wear one of my shirts.”

Now Michael gave him a look. “Like your shirt will fit me.”

Gabriel stopped in the doorway. “First, jackass, don’t flatter yourself. And second, don’t you know anything about girls?”

Michael just stared at him.

“For god’s sake.” Gabriel walked down the hallway to his own room, grabbed a slate-gray crewneck T-shirt, and brought it back. He flung it at Michael. “That’s the whole point.”

Gabriel had plates on the table and was serving Hannah a slice of pizza by the time Michael appeared in the doorway.

He’d shaved and pulled his hair back, and he was wearing the gray T-shirt with jeans that didn’t look too beat up. And yeah, maybe the shirt was a little too tight across the chest, but his brother didn’t look like a freak or anything.

It was better than looking like an angry serial killer.

Hannah seemed to appreciate it, anyway. She gave him a small smile.

“Hey,” Michael said from the doorway. He barely stepped into the kitchen, looking awkward.

So they were off to a rousing start.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m sorry to interrupt your dinner and everything ”

“There’s plenty,” said Michael. He still hadn’t sat down.

This was ridiculous. Gabriel shoved a plate in his direction.

“Hannah said she wanted to talk about the other night.”

At least that got Michael’s attention. He pulled a chair back and dropped into it. “Yeah?” Only now he sounded pissed. “Is Gabriel in trouble?”

“No!” Hannah looked startled. “I just ”

“You just what?”

God, it was like his brother had a time limit before he had to start acting like an ass**le. Gabriel gave him a look over the top of her head. Shut up, he mouthed. Be nice.

Hannah pushed her hair back from her face and sighed. She hadn’t even touched her pizza. “Look, I shouldn’t be here. It’s unofficial, okay? I just wanted to ask if you’d seen anything the other night, in the woods.”

Gabriel dropped into his own chair, wondering how careful he needed to be. “No. Like I said, just fire.”

“No people?”

He shook his head and picked up his slice of pizza.

“Why?” asked Michael.

“Because there have been a lot of fires lately.” She paused.

“And the fire marshal suspects arson. Did you hear about the fire over on Linden Park Lane last night?”

Gabriel shrugged and picked up his slice. “I go to school with the guy who lives there.”

“He’s lucky to be alive. They all are. A girl was trapped, but someone got her out.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow and tried to sound skeptical.

“‘Someone’?”

Jesus. He sounded guilty as hell. He shoved more pizza into his mouth. It tasted like cardboard.

He should have kept his mouth shut. Michael was staring at him now.

Hannah shook her head. “We were all in the front yard, and whoever got her out, went in through the back.” She scowled.

“The press is having a great time with this. We would have kept it out of the papers, but the mom talked. Now it’s all out there the unusual burn patterns, the way the girl escaped down the laundry chute, the mysterious ‘hero.’”

Her voice was full of disdain, but Gabriel was stuck on the mom. He could still remember the way she’d grabbed him around the neck, the way she’d sobbed her thanks.

He dropped his pizza onto the plate and cleared his throat.

“So you think someone is starting the fires just to save people?”

“No.” She paused for a long moment, and her voice dropped.

“Yesterday one of the other firehouses lost a fireman. We’re just trying to stop this guy before he kills anyone else.”

Gabriel’s appetite was entirely gone.

He wished he’d gotten there fifteen minutes earlier. Maybe he could have saved that guy, too.

At the same time, he wished he’d never gotten involved.

“I told you,” he said woodenly. “I didn’t see anyone.”

He could still feel Michael watching him.

His cell phone chimed. Gabriel grabbed it, glad for an excuse to look away.

Layne. Please be Layne.

No. Hunter.

Fire at 116 Winterbourne. In?

Gabriel stared at the display. Then he texted back.

Don’t have the car.

Hunter’s reply was lightning quick.

Pick U up in 5.

Gabriel shoved the phone into his pocket and realized Hannah and Michael were both staring at him now. He scraped his chair back. “I’m going out.” He glanced at Hannah. “Sorry I couldn’t help you.”

“Where?” said Michael.

“With Hunter,” he said, going through the doorway.

“Where?”

“Out,” he called back. He grabbed his backpack. “Remember, you told me to make friends.”

CHAPTER 16

Last night’s fire had wanted to play. This one was a raging wall of hot fury. Gabriel stood beside Hunter in the shadows of the neighbor’s storage shed and felt the power wash over him.