Read Awakening: Montana Wolves, Book 2 for Free Online Page B

thought ahead.
    "Can I help you?"
    An attractive and well-dressed woman in her early thirties stood behind a podium in front of the door, smiling inquisitively.
    "Um, yes." She perused the space with interest, surprised for the second time by this establishment. The lounge area was actually really nice. What she'd assumed would be a tawdry dump with a lot of red velvet and gaudily made up chippies walking around with their boobs out was actually quite the opposite. It was dim, but very clean and glamorous in an old Hollywood sense. Wide, curve-backed couches, low slung tables, and a gorgeous, gleaming walnut bar gave it a ritzy feel that she was digging.
    The room was empty, save for her and a couple members of the staff, but she could hear slow, grooving music oozing through the curtains to the right.
    She faced the brunette, admiring her classic red lipstick and fifties-style dress before replying. "I was hoping to fill out an application.”
    To her credit, the hostess didn't even flinch. "Server or dancer?"
    Chandra glanced down and almost laughed. Her b-on-a-good-day cups weren’t exactly the kind men threw money at, but she was oddly flattered. "Server."
    "I will go grab you a form, and you can have a seat at the bar. Trudy will get you a drink while you wait."
    She sat down at the bar and a redhead in a tasteful but sexy corset top came over. "Hi there, I’m Trudy. You looking to bartend or cocktail waitress?"
    She hadn't thought that far ahead and shrugged. "I'm easy. Either or."
    "Adaptable. I like it.” Trudy gestured behind her to the array of bottles. “So what'll it be?"
    Thinking it would encourage girl talk, Chandra ordered a glass of Merlot, making sure to give Trudy a large tip.
    "This place is so nice, I've never been inside," she said, before taking a sip of her wine.
    Trudy's grin didn't waver and she nodded enthusiastically. "It's a good place to work, all things considered. Not what I imagined I'd be doing at thirty, but my student loans aren't going to pay themselves," she said with a good-natured chuckle.
    Her warmth made Chandra feel like a heel, but she'd come here for a reason, and it wasn't to make friends.
    "I hear you there. Hey, I have a friend who works here, actually. Maybe you know her? Amber Jansen."
    Trudy instantly shut down, and looked away, her face going pale. "Shit, I knew something was wrong. She’s been so strapped for cash lately, and all this drama with losing her house. I won’t lie, it’s been affecting her big time.” She paused and wrapped one arm around her stomach, eyes going wide. “God, she’s not dead, is she?”
    Chandra set down her glass, her pulse racing out of control. Jesus, what had she stumbled onto? “No, no, nothing like that. At least, not when I saw her this morning. What would make you ask that?”
    Trudy’s shoulders slumped a little in relief, but she stiffened and backed away a moment later, hands held up in front of her defensively.
    “I don’t want any trouble. She…she was here with a weird-looking guy. Older. In his fifties. I overheard them talking money. I don't know what he was into, but he looked...off. Not right in the head. I told her when he left that she should watch her ass. I've seen those types before and they can get some strange ideas in their heads. I don't know if she kept the money or her date with him, but it definitely got me worrying about her."
    Chandra chewed on that information, considering her next move. Amber’s extracurricular activities had nothing to do with her or Jax, now that he wasn’t planning to see her again, but that didn’t make her any more comfortable about the situation.
    If Amber really hadn’t left when she’d pretended to, maybe jealousy wasn’t her motivation after all. Maybe she was so desperate for money that she’d seen the lux accommodations and decided to case the joint? If she planned to rob them, she was in for a rough go of it. Wolves were territorial by nature and her pack