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Many thanks to the usual suspects: ent, Helen Heller, and my editors, Anne Groell of Bantam Spectra, Anne Collins of Randoson of Warner Orbit Your help is, as always, much appreciated

Thanks too to my readers this time around: Danielle and Alison

And a special thanks to my copyeditor, Faren Bachelis, who has been with me for a few books and never properly thanked Soentle corrections, I ender-indeterminate antecedents and learn the rules of collective noun-verb agree my mistakes!

I

Brendan struggled to stay awake A tough battle--far tougher than it should have been under the circumstances

They'd approached hi turned to night He'd been cutting through to the shelter, hoping it would still have meals Hot meals would be too much to hope for at that hour, but he'd settle for free

The bank had erected a fence between itself and the shelter to ste the shortcut from the bus stop Brendan had been halfway up when the wo trouble, he'd only climbed faster, until she'd laid a hand on his calf and he'd turned to see not cops, but a ed couple--well-dressed professional types

They'd told hi their son to the streets and devoting their lives to helping other kids Bullshit, of course In real life, everyone wanted so Despite their sincere smiles and concerned eyes, he'd decided that what they wanted was sex And, as long as they illing to pay for it, that was okay with him

It wouldn't be the first trick he'd turned He'd briefly teamed up with a kid fro partner Brendan should have taken this as a sign If he wasn't good-looking enough to be a whore in LA he sure as hell wasn't going to o home now Too late to admit he didn't have what it took Too hard to face everyone who'd told him so

He did have talent Won the top role in every school play Got a job at the su Did two TV commercials for local businesses So, at sixteen, tired of his parents telling his and come to LA

Now the one and he'd found no decent way to earn ured they wanted, that was fine by him They had kind faces Maybe in Hollywood that didn't count for shit, but where he'd co

They'd driven hihborhood from a "Star Tours" bus trip he'd taken when he first arrived He'd sat in the back of their SUV, peering out the tinted s into the night, watching the fabled neighborhood pass They'd pulled into the garage of ahouse, then led hiry, despite his ruht be naive, but he knew better than to accept food or drink

When they'd taken hiuest bedrooe But they'd only turned on the lights, pointed out the adjoining washroo They hadn't even closed the door, but left it ajar, so he wouldn't feel locked in

Now, as he fought the urge to sleep, footsteps sounded on the stairs The woman's voice, sharp with an accent Then the man's Then another man's And another

Oh, shit