Saturday, December 2, 9:20 p.m.

Mia pulled into Dana's driveway, later than she'd wanted. She'd stayed longer with Jeremy than she'd planned. But after the week she'd had, it felt good to sit with a small boy who'd needed her to be there as much as she'd needed it herself.

She had her hand on the front doorknob when Dana and Ethan moved into view through the window. Dana was laughing and Ethan had his hand on her stomach. Then he leaned down and talked to Dana's middle and just like that, Mia understood.

To her consternation, there was no wave of joy. Just a huge empty sadness. And shame. Her best friend was pregnant and had been too concerned about her emotional state to bubble her happiness. How selfish can I be? Tonight, pretty damn selfish. Like a coward, she backed away and almost made it to her car when the front door opened.

"Mia?" Dana stood on the front porch shivering. "Come in, for heaven's sake."

Mia shook her head. Pursed her lips. Drew a breath and forced a smile. "I just realized I'm late. I promised…" But no lie leapt to her tongue and Dana's face fell.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you."

"I know." She swallowed hard. "I'll come by tomorrow and get all the details."

Miserably, Dana nodded. "Where are you staying tonight?"

"With Lauren." When hell froze over. "Hey, do you have room for another kid?"

"Actually, we do. DCFS gave the kid that was coming back to his mom."

"I have a kid that needs a good place. His mom was murdered last night."

Dana's eyes filled. "Hormones," she muttered. "What's his name?"

"Jeremy Lukowitch. He's a nice kid." Who deserved better than what he got. But then don't we all? "I have to go. Get some rest." She grinned awkwardly. "Boil water."

He'd had to park on a side street far away not to be seen as he waited. But it was worth it. Through his binoculars he saw Mitchell talking to the redhead, then she got in her car and drove away. He followed her.

He hadn't even been waiting all that long, having made a stop on the way, wanting a backup. A check of the public records showed her mother's address. And on a lark, he'd looked for Solliday's as well. Sooner or later she would show up at one of those places. And if he got desperate, he'd planned to wait outside the precinct. But as luck would have it, none of those measures was called for. He'd found her. He'd follow her, and when her guard was down, he'd take her out. Sooner or later she had to sleep.

Abruptly she sped up when she got to the highway, slipping in front of a big truck. He floored it, his heart in his throat. But she was gone. She'd lost him.

I lost her. His temper was ice cold. Fine, he'd just make her come to him.

Saturday, December 2, 10:00 p.m.

They said misery loves company and that must have been true, because after ditching the pesky, lying Carmichael, Mia found herself parked in front of Fire Company 172 hoping she'd find David Hunter on duty. He was in the kitchen making chili.

"That's so cliche," she said and he turned around, eyes widening.

He shrugged. "It's also good. You want some?"

"Sure." She sat down at the kitchen table. "Smells good."

"I'm a good cook." He put a bowl in front of her. "You find him?"

"Not yet."

"Then why are you here?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "I swear I'll deck the next person who says that. I came by to see how you are. The fire at Brooke Adler's was… devastating."

He joined her at the table. "I'll be okay. I imagine you see worse on a regular basis."

She thought about Brooke Adler, the burns and the woman's excruciating pain. "No, I don't think so. That was bad, David. Don't feel bad if you need to talk to someone."

He said nothing, leaving her to stare at his GQ face and compare him to Reed. She must be nuts, because Reed came out on top. She sighed. "I wish I wanted you, David."

The initial surprise in his eyes gave way to wry amusement. "Same goes."

"You, too?"

He laughed sadly. "A few times I've wondered why one person does it for you and another doesn't. Sorry, Mia, but you don't. Although there are about five guys in this company alone who'd kill to be with you. That was an expression, of course."

"Of course." When she got over Reed, she'd ask David to introduce her to one of those five lucky guys. "You're not over her, are you?" Dana, who he'd loved for years and who had absolutely no idea how much she'd hurt him.

His gray eyes shuttered. "Eat your chili, Mia."

"Okay. Listen, my car got ambushed the other night. The department will fix the windows, but one of the bullets hit the hood. Will you take a look at it in your garage?"

His dark brows went up. "Bullets hit your car. Your little Alfa."

"Yeah." Then she grinned. "It was damn exciting."

He threw back his head and laughed and for one moment she wondered if she and Dana were both blind and stupid. "I'll bet it was." He sobered. "Why are you here, Mia?"

She should tell him about Dana and the baby because as hard as it had been for her, it would be worse for him. But not tonight. "I'm at loose ends tonight."

His eyes shadowed. "Fair enough. We have a pool table upstairs."

"Can I ride the firepole back down?"

He grinned, lightening the dark mood. "Sure."

"Then rack 'em up, Ace."

Saturday, December 2, 10:50 P.M.

Lauren was on a date and Beth was sulking. It was eleven on a Saturday night and he was alone. He closed his eyes and let himself admit that he didn't want to be alone. He wanted Mia here, with him. He wanted her smart mouth, her rough edges and her soft curves. God, the woman had the softest curves. He remembered how it felt to sink into her, thrust against her, fill his hands with her. She'd been…

Perfect. He opened his eyes and stared at the wall wondering if he was both blind and stupid. Perfect. She wasn't elegant and the home she made would be filled with take-out boxes and sheets that didn't match. But it could be a home. She made him…

Happy. He fingered the chain around his neck. He'd hurt her. Mia.

But it wasn't too late. It couldn't be. He got up and paced. He wouldn't let it be.

His computer beeped at him. He either had new e-mail or a hit on the search he'd scheduled to run three times daily. He sat in front of the screen and his breath caught. It was a new hit on the solid accelerant search. The first four entries were his own. But the fifth had been logged just that afternoon. By a Tom Tennant of Indianapolis.

Reed found the number for the Indianapolis Fire Department. Ten minutes and three transfers later, he got through. "Tennant." It was a sleepy growl.

"Tom Tennant? My name is Reed Solliday. I'm with OFI in Chicago. You logged a solid accelerant fire utilizing natural gas into the database this afternoon."

"Yeah, I did. Heli of a fire. Nearly took out half a city block." In the background Reed could hear the tapping of a keyboard. Tennant was checking him out.

"You'll find my four entries in the database already. This is likely related to a serial murder/arsonist in Chicago. What was the name of the homeowner at the origin?"

"I can't give you that information right now."

Reed blew out an impatient breath. "Can you tell me if the last name was Young?"

There was a beat of hesitation. "Yes. Tyler Young."

One of the sons. Shit. "Did he survive?"

Tennant hesitated. "I need to check you out first. Give me your badge number."

Reed rattled it off. "Hurry. Call me back when you've verified." They'd found one of the Youngs. Too late it seemed. They might be in time for the other three. He started to dial Mia, then canceled. He'd wait until Tennant called-