"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.