Awakening: Montana Wolves, Book 2 (4 page)

As Chandra left the barn, she did her level best to keep her shit together. The fact that Jax hadn’t asked her to go along to pick up Ryan him had stung a little, but it was what she’d expected from him. He obviously wanted to make a point that this was going to be exactly what he’d said. Friends with benefits.

It was behavior afterwards had been flat out confounding. He’d seemed so eager to find out if she’d be around later that evening, and so focused in on her. Kind of like high school boy with a crush, which was ridiculous.

She smothered down the hoped that burned in her heart and tried to keep her feet flat on the ground as she headed back toward the homestead. Jax had been totally up-front from the beginning. She wasn’t his mate or even his girlfriend. They were friends, and she needed to make sure she didn’t let the bonus stuff go to her head or she was going to be in deep trouble.

It wasn’t easy to do, though, as little tremors still rocked her. Every detail played like a movie in her head. The line of his jaw, the feel of his skin, the way he filled her so perfectly. She’d felt so good wrapped in his arms, face buried in his neck. Even now, she felt boneless, fluid, like mercury.

Big deal; great sex. Get over it, you sap.

Wrapped in her own world, she was halfway to the house before she noted the strong scent of Chanel lingering in the air. Puzzled, she inhaled deeply, and again the overpowering perfume crowded her senses. Amber had left almost two hours ago. Out here in the open air, with this breeze, the scent should have been almost imperceptible by now. Especially since Amber had only gone from the door to her taxi.

Or had she…

Chandra’s hackles rose, and she picked up her pace to a jog. By the time she got to through front door, the scent had all but dissipated, but her discomfort had not. Something wasn’t right. She knew it in her bones.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Amalie stood in the foyer, her pretty, round face split into a smile. She was armed with her camera, as usual, and seemed to be on her way out.

“Pretty good. Just came back in from a run with Jax, you?” Chandra tried to keep her tone light. No point in worrying the alpha’s mate over what might be nothing.

“Fine, thanks. Everything okay with you? You look a little…spooked.” Her perceptive gaze searched Chandra’s face.

Spooked was the perfect word for how she felt. Filled with a vague but overwhelming sense of unrest. Maybe it was lack of sleep combined with nerves over what had happened with Jax.

And maybe that scent had triggered some residual—albeit, irrational—jealousy and you’re being a paranoid fool.

It was true, she realized with a start. Despite Jax’s assurances that nothing had happened between them, she still couldn’t shake her irritation over seeing that woman with her hands on him. And that was before he’d been hers.

Not that he was hers now.

“Nope, all good.” She smiled at Amalie so hard that her flaming cheeks hurt, but she could feel herself cracking under the other woman’s intense scrutiny. Did she looked as freshly sexed as she felt?

“I don’t think so. Something weird is…holy shit!” Amalee squealed, setting her camera down on the side table in the foyer before grabbing Chandra’s hands. “You guys did it, didn’t you?” She scrunched her pert nose. “Don’t lie. I can smell him on you.”

Damn that woman and her eerily keen nose. She’d only been a werewolf for four months, but she was already in tune with her newly-hyperaware senses in a way that never ceased to astonish Chandra. She’d been sure the fact that she and Jax had made love under the spray of the shower would mask his scent enough to pass it off as incidental contact, not worth mentioning.

Guess not.

“Oh, I can’t wait to tell Liam. I told him weeks ago this was going to happen. The way you two look at each other.” Amalie fanned herself and pretended to faint before giving her a smug grin. “Totally called it. So it this public news yet or do I have to keep hush hush?”

“Um…it’s not…we’re not…” She and Jax hadn’t discussed whether they were going to try to keep their little arrangement a secret. Better to play it safe. “If you can keep it quiet for a while, I’d appreciate it.”

Amalie lifted her hands to her lips and mimicked locking them shut. “You have my word.”

Which was good enough for Chandra. The alpha’s new mate had proven to be a fantastic addition to the pack and already Chandra trusted her more than she had most of her old pack, who’d she’d grown up with. It was a testament to Liam that he’d found a woman as morally grounded as he was and had molded his pack to be. If she made a promise, she’d do her damnedest to keep it.

Chandra let out a breath and tipped her head in thanks. “Great. If something changes, I’ll let you know. I’ve got to run out and do some errands, though.” And hopefully catch a rat while she was at it.
Speaking of which
… “Hey, is Liam around?”

The security cameras and recordings were kept in the alpha’s office, and she was dying to get a look and see if Amber had truly left when that taxi had arrived. At the same time, she didn’t want to call attention to Jax’s overnight indiscretion. If something was truly wrong, she’d have no choice, but there was no point in putting him on Liam’s bad side yet. Jax was overrun with guilt as it was, and the last thing she wanted was to add to his burden. No, she’d check it out herself and if she sensed a bigger issue, she’d go to Jax directly.

Luckily, of all the scenarios Chandra had run through, the most likely seemed that Amber was feeling put off by Jax’s rejection. Maybe she couldn’t fathom why she’d been sent packing, unfulfilled, and had decided to spy on Jax a little to figure it out.

Did that make the woman a little nutty? Yes. But was she dangerous? Probably not.

“He’s working in his office. There’s an investment opportunity on Jade Lake and he’s obsessed with getting a boat now.” Amalie winked at her conspiratorially. “You know our boys and their toys, right?”

Chandra forced a laugh, but her stomach churned. Was that going to be the thing, now? Couples jokes? Maybe she should’ve explained about the friends with benefits thing after all. She didn’t want Amalie getting her hopes up that it could be something more.

Like you are?

She pushed the subconscious thought aside abruptly and said a quick goodbye to Amalie before scurrying down the hall like her ass was on fire, hoping to avoid contact with the rest of her pack.

If Jax had meant what he said, and wanted to keep it strictly sex, there was no point in letting anyone else in on their arrangement. Things got around, and the last thing she wanted was for poor Ryan to be affected by this. It would be terrible for him to get ideas about her becoming his stepmom, but it would be just as bad if he wasn’t ready to face the idea of his father moving on.

Someday she’d have a family of her own, and, if she was lucky, a son like Ryan. One whose laugh would warm her from the inside out. And a mate who made her feel safe and special, and loved.

A tingle spread from her chest as she recalled her time with Jax. Whatever happened, even if it ended tomorrow, she’d never forget it.

She was halfway up the stairs when she caught it again…Amber's stale but lingering perfume. Chandra’s instincts went white hot, another stark warning that something was amiss. She wasn’t here anymore, that much was for certain. Chandra would smell her now that she’d tuned her senses to the other woman’s scent, but this couldn’t be ignored for even another second.

She headed to her bedroom, on a mission to solve this mystery before she did anything else for the day. Snatching up her cell phone, she tapped out a quick Google search.

The Naughty Kitty wasn’t far, maybe twenty miles away. She tapped her finger lightly on the case of her phone, mulling over her options. She hated to admit it, but Amber was too pretty to be relegated to the strip club’s afternoon shift. She had the face and body for prime time, so odds were, if Chandra went there during the day time, Amber wouldn’t be there. She could use the opportunity to ask around, see if there was anything strange about her, or if maybe she was a notorious weirdo stalker at least. Then again, if she waited until tonight, she could try to talk to the rat face to face.

Decisions, decisions.

She couldn’t get into Liam’s office right now, and the need to be doing
something
to get to the bottom of things won out. She washed up a second time, using a fair dose of mandarin orange body lotion to mask Jax's scent, before changing and jogging back down the stairs and straight out the door.

When she arrived at The Naughty Kitty less than an hour later, she was stunned to find the parking lot half full. Granted, it was the weekend, but the concept that there were at least thirty grown men so impatient to see some naked tail that they figured noon was a good time to get out to the club was surprising to say the least.

Note to self: If in need of fast cash, consider stripping.

She shoved open her car door and stepped out, taking a deep breath of the crisp air. It was all going to be fine. Maybe she was being paranoid, but that was okay. Her pack was her family, and family was all she had. Better to be paranoid than caught off guard.

She strode toward the door, smirking when she saw the sign hanging above it featuring a female cartoon cat with a Jessica Rabbit body encased in a bustier. Naughty Kitty, indeed.

She stepped through the doors, conscious of her carriage. Time to look confident and comfortable. The fact that she was a woman alone would definitely cause some speculation, but she'd 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 wouldn’t take kindly to a human trying to steal from them.