"Is she okay?" Mary Vanity asked, her heavily outlined eyes avid, trying to see Pepper as Daisy carried her toward the camper, hugging her the whole time.

"She got a little scared," Lucy said. "There was a gator."

"Moot?" Althea said from behind Mary. "Oh, no." She looked after Pepper with real sympathy on her face. "She must have been terrified."

"She's a tough little kid," Lucy said. "Everything is fine now." Or it's going to be, she thought grimly and headed for the camper.

"Hey," Gloom said to her and she stopped. "Real story?"

Lucy spoke low. "She was scared because all the adults were acting like idiots so she wanted to make sure there was a party tomorrow night and everybody would be happy."

Gloom shook his head. "We have to get her out of here."

"Working on it," Lucy said.

"Can I assume Captain Wilder was a big help?"

"Captain Wilder is a fucking hero," Lucy said, looking over at the edge of the trees, where Wilder stood still as a shadow, looking back into the woods, still protecting them. Oh, God, she thought as her heart thumped, do not get suckered into another one of those guys. You learned your lesson with Connor.

Gloom nodded. "He sounds like Will Kane."

"Give it a rest," Lucy said and turned toward the camper, only to stop when Gloom grabbed her braid and tugged on it. "Ouch?"

"Tell the nice hero thank you," Gloom said, and Lucy pulled her braid from his hand, took a deep breath, nodded, and went toward Wilder, determined to be grateful but businesslike.

"Thank you," she said when she reached Wilder, and he turned, looking surprised.

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, thank you very much." Lucy tried to say more and then realized she was shaking. "Look at me," she said, appalled. "I'm a mess."

"Delayed reaction," Wilder said. "You were tough when you needed to be. That was a good thing you did with the rocks."

His matter-of-factness undid her. Lucy held out her hands, trembling. "That alligator was right there."

"Shhhh," he said, moving closer, broad and solid in the darkness, and without meaning to she leaned against him, her forehead on his shoulder, her hands on his chest, so grateful he was there, she didn't care that she was shaking. He put his arms around her without hesitation, and she was grateful for that, too, more than grateful; it seemed like forever, maybe never, since anybody had held her and made her feel taken care of. He patted her awkwardly on the back, clumsy but sincere, and it felt so good that she sniffed into his collar.

"I'm sorry," she said, not really sorry at all as long as his arms were around her. "I'm not a wimp, I'm really not." But I could learn to be if it gets me this.

"No, you aren't," he said, "you were great in there," and she felt tears well up and relaxed against him until she remembered Pepper saying she'd just wanted them all to stop fighting.

She pulled away. "Don't be nice to me," she said, as he dropped his arms. "It's my fault she went in there. I was so caught up in all this movie mess that I didn't see her go-"

"None of us saw," Wilder said. "Jeez, lighten up."

Lucy started to laugh, blinking back tears. " 'Jeez'?"

"You did good in there," Wilder said, clearly ill at ease. "You backed me up, you were there when we needed you, you completed your mission."

"Oh." Lucy smeared tears away with her fingertips, hating that she was making him uncomfortable. "I'm a good soldier." Well, that was something.

"No," Wilder said, looking flustered. "I didn't mean… I meant you're a good wingman."

"Oh." She sniffed and nodded, trying to be chipper. "Wingman. That's great. Thank you." Get away from the poor guy before he hates

you for being so wet. She took a step back, not wanting to go, wanting to know she'd see him again off the set. "Uh, listen, we're having a Wonder Woman party for Pepper tomorrow night. Pepper would really love it if you'd come." I'd really love it if you'd come and I swear I won't cry.

"I'll be there," Wilder said.

Lucy nodded until she felt like that stupid Wonder Woman bobble-head. Then she jerked her thumb toward the camper. "I have to go. You know. Pepper."

"Right." Wilder nodded to the woods. "Me too."

"Right." Lucy took another step back and tripped, and Wilder lunged forward and caught her, steadying her with his hands again, which she liked a lot more than she should have. "Jeez," she said, her voice bright as he let go. "Tree roots."

"Well, it is a forest," Wilder said.

"Yes, it is," Lucy said and thought, Kill me now. "So, uh…"

"Party tomorrow," Wilder said.

"And stunts," Lucy said, brightly. "You know, you, falling out of a helicopter on a cable."

"No problem." He was fading back into the trees as he spoke, almost disappearing, and Lucy felt twelve again, digging her toe in the dirt and watching some sixth-grade boy go home, wishing he would stay.

"Yeah," she said, almost to herself. "No problem."

She turned and went back to Gloom feeling worn out and stupid and happy, which made no sense whatsoever. Her life was a mess, for crying out loud.

"Hey," Gloom said when she joined him. "What do you need me to get for this party tomorrow?"

"A Wonder Woman cake," Lucy said, looking back at the woods. "And a Wonder Woman Barbie." She faced him. "You got time to get that?"

"I'll make time," Gloom said, determination on his long face. "That kid gets her party."

"Why aren't you straight?" Lucy said, putting her arms around his waist. "I could live happily with you for the rest of my life."

"No, you couldn't," Gloom said into her hair as he held her close. "You need somebody who'll fight back and have sex with you. Which brings us to Captain Wilder the fucking hero. I think you should stop holding out."

Lucy let go of him before she betrayed herself. "We have to get back to work. But extend second meal for another half an hour. We've got the time and I need it right now."

"Daisy?" Gloom said.

"Yeah," Lucy said.

"Okay, family first," Gloom said. "But don't forget the hero, will you?"

"Not a chance," Lucy said and headed for the camper.

In the forest, Wilder was searching his brain. He'd heard that popping noise before, in some other place at some other time, but his mind couldn't process it. Too many females around, muddling his brain. Pepper and Lucy Armstrong. What a pair.

Especially Armstrong, coming unglued there at the end. Never thought he'd be patting her on the back while she sniffed into his collar. That had been, well, pretty damn good, actually. She'd felt great against him. And Pepper, trusting him like that in the swamp, that was-

Something moved in the trees and Wilder froze. A bird flew out of the brush and he relaxed again.

It hadn't been a bird in the swamp with Pepper.

Nash? The stuntman hadn't been in the base camp, but Wilder saw no reason the Australian would be messing with the alligator, especially with Pepper close by. He really seemed to care about Pepper. As he pondered it, Wilder saw no reason for anyone to be out in the swamp. Except that Pepper had seen a ghost.

Someone moved outside the trees. "Wilder?" Gloom called out.

"Right here." Wilder moved out of the woods and nodded toward the camper. "They okay?"

"Lucy's in charge, they'll be okay," Gloom said. " Thanks. For Pepper."

Wilder nodded, surprised. All these people, thanking him. What did they think, that he'd go out for a beer while they searched?

"Yeah, I know, you'd have done it for anybody," Gloom said. "Listen, about Lucy…"

"Yeah?" Wilder said cautiously.

"She's really special."

Wilder nodded.

Gloom shook his head. "No, really special. You know how some people see the glass as half full and some see it as half empty?"

What the hell?

"Well, Lucy looks at it and says, 'Somebody forgot to fill the damn glass,' and then makes sure it's filled up for everybody else." He looked back toward the camper. "But this time she's out of her league. You know?"

"Yeah," Wilder said, feeling sorry for him. The poor guy had no idea how far out. If he knew about the CIA, he'd probably have Armstrong's butt back in New York with the dogs by now.

"She's going to try to fix it all on her own," Gloom was saying. "Lucy's not good at asking for help."

"Okay," Wilder said, not following.

"But she thinks you're great," Gloom said. "Says you're a fucking hero."

Wilder didn't know how to react to that. "She was pretty good in there herself." A fucking hero? Damn.

Gloom nodded. "I love her a lot. Take care of my girl, will you?" Then he walked away.

Wilder watched him go, perplexed. That had been strange. Still, she thought he was a hero. That was pretty good. Wilder remembered LaFavre, talking the previous afternoon, saying, "Women are usually real grateful to heroes." Lucy Armstrong, grateful. That would be something.

Then he shook himself. Like Althea hadn't been enough trouble. Of course, she had acted like he ought to be grateful, like she'd done him a big favor and he owed her, which made him glad he was camping out in the woods. Mind back on the mission.

It hadn't been Nash in the swamp playing ghost, it hadn't been anybody from the movie; they'd all have rescued Pepper. Which left the only other players in the game.

Wilder got out his cell phone as he made his way to his Jeep, punching in the numbers. When Crawford answered, he said, ''Meet me at the diner in fifteen."

"I can't-"

"The fuck you can't," Wilder said and turned off the phone.

When Lucy got into the camper, Daisy was sobbing and Pepper was breathing hard, her eyes wide with fear.

"I'm so sorry," Pepper said, her little chest heaving as she clutched at her mother, "I'm really sorry," and Daisy cried harder, sobs shaking her thin frame, her pale face blotchy under her blond frizz.

"Okay, that's it," Lucy said sharply as Daisy began to hyperventilate. Her cries got louder, and Pepper's eyes got wider and she began to whimper.

Lucy got a glass from her cupboard, filled it with water, and threw it in Daisy's face.

Daisy jerked back and stared at her, eyes wide as the water matted her hair and dripped off her face, drawing in sharp breaths but not sobbing anymore.

"You are scaring your daughter," Lucy said gently, and Daisy turned to look at Pepper, now almost rigid with fear and guilt.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry." Daisy hugged her close, breathing hard but holding back the cries.

"It's all my fault," Pepper wailed into her chest.

"No," Lucy said. "It was nobody's fault, it was a misunderstanding because we didn't talk to each other." She stared at her sister until Daisy met her eyes. "So from now on, we're talking."

They sat in silence, Daisy rocking Pepper in the swivel chair until the little girl's breathing slowed and her body relaxed. When Lucy was sure Pepper was asleep, she stood up and held out her arms.

"Give her to me, I'll put her on the bed," she told Daisy, and Daisy stood up, staggering a little under Pepper's weight, and handed her over.

Lucy put Pepper on the bed and covered her with her blue-checkered quilt and then stood looking at her for a moment. She could have been gone in an instant, so little. It was a miracle they'd found her in time. No, not a miracle. Thank God for J. T. Wilder, she thought, and held on to her feelings with both hands. He was a good guy, a great guy, but that was all.

Then she got two root beers out of the fridge and sat down across from Daisy.

Daisy looked like hell.

"Here." Lucy handed her a root beer. "Now, you're going to tell me everything. I was being patient and tactful, but that's over. You're in trouble and Pepper knows it and you can't take much more and neither can she. You tell me everything now."

"I can't," Daisy said, her voice a whisper.

"I won't go to the police," Lucy said, and Daisy looked up sharply. "That's what you're worried about, isn't it? That whatever Connor's gotten you into is illegal-" Daisy started to protest and Lucy held up her hand. "Forget it, I know it's Connor. He's suckered you into something and you're afraid you'll end up in jail. Well, it's not gonna happen. Not on my shoot. Gloom wouldn't stand for it."