” Sophie felt his hand come down on her ass. “You little slut.” Sophie felt another slap before he lowered her dress and straightened them both....They had reached the twelfth floor. Again the doors opened and Sophie recognized Pastor Mike from down the hall. He gave her a smile which she returned as she and her father stepped out of the elevator. Not without manners, she introduced them. “Daddy, I’d like you to meet Pastor Mike. He lives just a few doors down, and he’s been such a great help. But please don’t just tell me the story sucks, tell me why you think it sucks. I’d also appreciate comments on which characters you like, dislike, are intrigued by, and so on. Thanks again! CHAPTER ONE Sean McMahon stood in the receiving line, murmuring and shaking hands. He no longer heard what they said, it was always the same. ‘Sean, I’m so sorry,’ or ‘It’s a blessing, Sean,’ or ‘She’s happier where she is, Sean.’ The words no longer mattered. They were a blur, and he only murmured in. ‘Yes we want to. No question there, not for me anyway.’ He scratched his scalp. ‘Now as to how….well I’m more worried about security systems than what we’ll find inside.’ ‘Oh crap…if the alarms are working, who knows what else is?’ ‘Relax. This is likely not the most sensitive of areas. And besides, turrets and such were considered bad for public relations. The corporation wanted to know who was snooping, and kept a lot of the measures non-lethal. Gas, drugged darts, electrified panels, that. The boy then looked me over carefully, and I took the chance to do the same to him: he was shorter than I; perhaps a whole head shorter; his clothes were baggy thrift-shop items, contrasting the gaudy regalia of his forebears; and his thick, long hair--the most striking feature for sure--was dyed hot pink.“What kind of music do you listen to?” was the first inanity I uttered, a vain attempt to break the ice.He barraged me with countless names--names of repellently obscure glam and goth acts,.