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vascular system impervious to the common cold, but he still needs tissues. Funny.”
    He paused for a moment as she sat silent, studying his green eyes. Then he said, “Angelee, I came here to help you.”
    He explained that her husband had worked for his company and had provided some assistance to him personally before he had died “in the line of duty.” Wanting to make sure Kim’s family was cared for, and to thank them personally, he got their address and came to visit them in Napa City, only to find that they had been evicted because the BASS salary had been their only source of income. The apartment manager had mentioned the downtown shelters, because that was where he had directed the young mother when she asked, “Where can we go?”
    â€œSo here I am,” the man concluded with that charming smile. “And I want to give you this.” He handed her a wad of cash, and squeezed her shoulder with his other hand. “That should take care of you and your son for now, but I’ll come back, or send someone to take care of you. I’ll have to think about what else I can do for you, and check on a few things.” He looked over toward the door.
    â€œWell, I have to go now,” he said, politely regretful. He gestured at the big cyborg by the door. “They have a security window for me—I can only be in public for so long. But I’ll see you again.”
    He smiled and walked away, dodging the miscreants and their makeshift homes, until he and the bodyguard had disappeared. Angelee sat with her mouth open, clutching the money, realizing that she never got the man’s name. Important people usually don’t need to introduce themselves, and an utter nobody like her was too intimidated to speak, let alone ask for his name. But none of that mattered to her at that moment, as her homeless neighbors gathered around her to begin the gossip and speculation that would give them all a reason for living in the days to come. And he said he would come back!
    *   *   *
    Now, lying on her bed in the brown room, Angelee was crying again, much like she did on that day when the beautiful man put his arm around her. But he wasn’t there to comfort her this time. In fact, more than a month had passed since he promised that he would come back, and apparently he had forgotten her. Thinking that he would be taking care of her, and knowing that holding on to that much money would make her a target for crime, she gave some of it to her extended family members who had qualified for federal housing. The rest she spent on food for herself, Chris, and Mariah, enduring the shelter until her knight in shining armor would ride in and take her away. But that day never came, and the money ran out. So here she was, about to return to the oldest profession.
    â€œYou got settled in by now, hoover,” Simon had told her earlier today. “So tonight you open for business. Get some sleep now, baby girl, cuz you won’t be sleeping much at night no more.” He groped her with both hands and added, “You won’t believe how they go for the new ones. Be real busy at first. But after a while, it’ll slow down some. Won’t be such new stew—be just like the rest.”
    She moved to take his hands off, but he drew his face up close to hers. “Ah, ah, stew,” he hissed through chemical breath, “You mine. An’ sooner you learn that, the better. You say no to me, or any my customers, you dead, and we put your kid to work. Simple as that, stew.” Finally, he drew back from her.
    â€œSample some of the merchandise myseff,” he said, “but wouldn’t wanna dirty it for your first night. Expectin’ to get some big money on that one. Good marketin’ mierda, you know.” He moved his hand across the air in front of him, as if depicting a billboard. “ Brand-new stew…”

 
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    Not long after the