6
Stanton was sitting at the end of the bar, on the red velour stool closest to the entrance, which was still halfway across the place. He chose it because it was the best location to spot his little biker girl when she stepped through the door on this crowded Friday night. The Champagne Room was the swankiest bar and lounge in the city, famous for the rows of upside-down champagne bottles used as muted lights hanging above the bar. Besides the champagne bottles that gave a hint of another era, everything was sleek and modern. Black walls enhanced the dramatic lighting on the shelves of liquor, the bar, and the islands of tables.
Stanton rapped his fingertips on the metal bar top and took a gulp of his seltzer water and ice to moisten his dry mouth. With his rash of bad luck, it was a bi
