Don't Look Down

Je

Don't Look Down

For Bob amp; Je

who never gave up on us

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank:

Lisa Diamond, Henry Du

The Cherries, who read the forty different versions of the first scene of this book and improved it every time.

Kari Hayes, Corrina Lavitts, Robin LaFevre, Valerie Taylor, Judy Ivory, Deb Dixon, Pat Gaffney, and Heidi Cullinan, who read all or parts of this book in manuscript and gave us feedback, especially Heidi, who gave Pepper the binoculars.

Jen Maler, who put up with both of us for an entire day and took great photographs, and Charlie Verral, who let us use his brownstone as a studio in which Jen could work her magic.

Kari Hayes for ru

Mollie, again, for ru

Meg Ruley for rolling with the punches and representing us beyond the call of agenthood.

Je

And everybody at the Jane Rotrosen Agency and St. Martin's Press for their enthusiastic and never-ending support.

Without these fine people, we'd never have made it through.

Chapter 1

Lucy Armstrong was standing on the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge when she first spotted the black helicopter coming at her through the sunset.

Based on the rest of her day, that wasn't going to be good.

Twenty feet to her right, her assistant director, Gleason Bloom, ignored the chopper and worked the set like a depraved grasshopper, trying to organize what Lucy had already recognized as her career's most apathetic movie crew. Her gratitude to Gloom for his usual good work was only exceeded by her gratitude that he hadn't yet seen that the movie's stunt coordinator was Co

Of course, Gloom was bound to notice Co

Off to the west, the helicopter grew closer, flying very low, just above the winding Sava

garnished with swamp and probably full of predators. "The low country, " Co

Lucy rocked back as fifty-some pounds of five-year-old niece smacked into her legs at top speed, knocking her off balance and almost off her feet.

"Aunt Lucy!"

"Pepper!" She went down to her knees, inhaling the Pepper smell of Twizzlers and Fritos and Johnson's baby shampoo as she hugged the little girl to her, trying to avoid the binoculars slung around Pepper's neck. "I am so glad to see you!" she said, rocking her back and forth.

Pepper pulled back, her blond Dutch Boy haircut swinging back from her round, beaming face. "We will have such a good time now that you're here. We will play Barbies and watch videos, and I will tell you about my Animal of the Month, and we will have a party!" Her plain little face was lit with ecstasy. "It will be so, so good!" She threw her arms around Lucy's neck again and strangled her with another hug, smashing the binoculars into Lucy's collarbone.

"Yes," Lucy said, trying to breathe and hug back, thinking, Great, now I have to play with Barbies. She pulled back to get some air and said, "Nice binoculars!" as she tried to keep from getting smacked with them again.

"Co

"Good for Co

Lucy thought, Good for you, honey, and stood up, smiling at Pepper. "But I have to work first, so-"

"I will help you work," Pepper said, clinging to her, her smile turning tense. "I will be your assistant and bring you apples and water."

Lucy nodded. "You will be a huge help." She took the little girl's hand and looked back at Co

The way he was talking to the brunette, the way she leaned into his comfort zone, they were sleeping together. And she looked to be about twenty-two.

That must be his target age, she thought. I should tell Gloom that, he'll laugh.

Gloom. She looked back toward the set and didn't see him, but the helicopter was now zipping underneath one of the port cranes, then banking hard toward the bridge. Lucy shook her head, trying not to be impressed. The pilot probably had Top Gun in permanent rotation on his DVD player. Whatever happened to the strong, silent type?

"Aunt Lucy?" Pepper said, her smile gone, her face much too worried for a five-year-old.

"You'll be a huge help," Lucy said hastily. "Huge. Now, where is your mama-Ouch!"

Her head snapped back as Gloom yanked on her long black braid from behind. "Co