CHAPTER TWO

Noah

Seven Years Later

The tang of this beer flows so fucking smooth as it goes down. After spending most of the afternoon in the blistering sun polishing bikes, I have to admit, it's great being inside the clubhouse, drinking a beer under the air conditioning.

But as I sit back, trying to relax, I can't help but let my mind wander.

It does that.

Slips back into pondering how the hell a fuckup like me landed myself in a place as good as this. I may only be a prospect, but LA Defiance MC is officially the best thing to ever happen to a piece of shit like me.

My father's six feet under, and I helped my mother put him there, yet she is the one serving a life sentence for the crime. Still, that doesn't sit right with me. It's probably why I'm such a screwup. Why I fuck up everything I touch while my mother sits and rots in a cell for the rest of her life, and I'm here, at the clubhouse, sitting pretty.

Sure, being a prospect isn't easy. Me, Hayes, and the new guy, Wes, get put through our paces, but it's all part of the process. And yeah, being a biker is dangerous. There are club wars and all kinds of shit we get involved in where we put our bodies on the line, but I have lived through worse.

Fourteen years of worse.

Then, on the other side of those years came more hell.

The foster care program is supposed to protect kids and support them. All it did was put me into a home with adults who couldn't control the assholes who lived with them. It was like going from one home with an adult who would beat the living shit out of me to another, but this time with a bunch of kids my age who would beat the crap out of me if I didn't do what they told me to do.

From one shit heap to another.

Only this time, I didn't have my mother to lean on.

I was completely alone.

I had to fend for myself.

My eyes shift over to Rhyan as she plays pool with Clover. Her long, flowing chestnut hair falls around her shoulders like some fucking Disney Princess while she laughs harmoniously at something Clover says.

How can I go from that hell to living in a place like this? With a woman like Rhyan here. I will never know.

Swallowing hard, I inhale sharply at how fucking beautiful she is. Her tanned skin, her long legs wrapped in short jean shorts, wearing her usual Converse. Don't forget the simple black and yellow Nirvana T-shirt. She doesn't even have to try, doesn't need to dress up or do anything special. She's stunning in casual wear.

I shift my gaze to her father, Dutch, the Wise One of the brothers. He's hugely respected here by everyone— especially me —because he's the brother who found me and brought me into the club.

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.

I owe him everything.

So, staring at his pride and joy—his twenty-year-old daughter, the way I am right now—is something I most certainly should not be doing.

Because she's the club princess.

Because of my loyalty to Dutch.

And because I am a fucking prospect.

The lowest of the low, the bottom of the food chain, in a motorcycle club.

Letting out a long exhale, I take another sip of my beer.

Stop looking at her, Noah.

I go to turn away, but she bends over the pool table, her short shorts riding up, her ass almost poking out of the hem. Inhaling sharply, I clear my throat as my eyes widen when I feel my cock start to harden in my jeans.

Fuck! Pull your shit together!

Maverick sits beside me and begins to chuckle as he spins to face me. I turn to him, and a confused expression crosses my face. "What's funny?" I snap, hoping Maverick hasn't caught me red-handed ogling Rhyan.

"Brother, if you stare any harder, your eyes are going to fall out of your damn face."

I snap my head to Rhyan, then to Maverick, my eyes wide as saucers. "What?"

"Just tell Rhy you like her."

I shake my head adamantly. "Nah, man, I can't like her. She's Dutch and Ellie's daughter. The princess of the club. I can't do that to Dutch. And as you said, I'm the fucking terrorist of this place." I shake my head again. "No, Mav. I have to stay faaar away from Rhyan. She's way too good for the likes of me."

Maverick swivels in his chair and grips my shoulder. "My suggestion, Noah… just be her friend. If it leads to more in the future, then that can only be a bonus. Right? And if not, at least you have a decent friendship."

"Be her friend…" Scratching the back of my head, I mull it over. "Okay, I can do that."

"Noah?"

"Yeah?" I ask, raising my brow.

"She's an awesome girl. Don't fucking mess with her head or screw her over. That's all I ask."

"I could never. Fucking with the police or getting drunk and brawling in a bar, lighting shit on fire, that stuff, well, that just happens… mostly for fun, and sometimes without even thinking. But hurting Rhy? I could never do anything to hurt her."

A slow smile lights Maverick's face. "Damn, dude, you have it bad."

"Fuck you." Chuckling, I roll my eyes before drinking the last of my beer.

"I still can't believe you told a cop to fuck that bucket of chicken. I would have killed to see his face."

I laugh, my grin almost reaching my ears. "Alpha didn't think it was funny when he had to bail me out of jail. I swear he was teetering on the edge of throwing me to the pigs that night."

"Well, I, for one, am glad he kept you around. You have a wild streak. But I think if you can focus that energy on something purposeful, you could become really fucking useful."

I grin. "Until then, I'm gonna light the bar on fire again," I say, not really meaning it but knowing I need to get the fuck away from Rhyan.

Letting out a groan, Maverick shakes his head. "No more flaming alcoholic drinks, Noah!"

I smirk as our VP, Loki, comes over with a walkie in his hand. "Prospect, there's someone at the gate. Says they wanna talk to you."

I furrow my brows. "To me? Who the fuck is it?""

Loki shrugs. "Says his name is Atlas. Something to do with your mom."

My breath leaves me instantly, my heart rate spiking hearing his name. The smile falls instantly as I stand abruptly, straightening my shoulders, and scrubbing my face. The tension rolling through my body instantly causes queasiness. "He alone?"

"Seems so. You want us to come with you, brother? Or do you want me to get Rip to shoot his ass on sight?"

I tilt my head. "I'd appreciate the backup on this one."

Maverick and Loki lock eyes. I can tell they're wondering what the fuck is going on as I turn and head for the front gate. My footsteps feeling so fucking heavy.

It's been at least a year, maybe a little longer, since I've seen this asshole.

Why he's here right now is anyone's guess, but I know it won't be for a good reason. How he found me is even more of a mystery.

"Rip, weapons hot," Loki instructs our other brother manning the gate, and Rip keeps his aim on Atlas while he opens it.

Rolling my shoulders, I stand in front of Maverick and Loki, the metal hinges squeaking while opening. My stomach clenches as if it remembers Atlas' fist slamming into it relentlessly, but he doesn't look as threatening as he did when I was younger. He's still tall, taller than me, but he's skinny, with bleach blond dyed hair, reminding me of old-school Eminem. Tattoos up and down his arms in no obvious pattern or design, but the track marks lining the inside of his elbows are clear to see.

Atlas' nose twitches a little when he looks down at me with a devious smirk. "So, Noah. The rumors are true?"

I can't help but shift uncomfortably and then huff. "What do you want, Atlas?"

"We go back, you and me. We're practically family."

Scoffing, I let out a laugh. "We were in the same foster home. That does not make us family."

Atlas presses his hand to his chest and scowls. "Ouch, that fucking stung. You should be careful the way you hurt people. It can have a habit of biting you when you least expect it."

"You should be careful who you threaten, asshole ," Loki growls back.

Atlas chuckles, nodding his head. "Oh yeah, I hear you. I just need Noah to hear me ."

"Get the fuck on with it, Atlas. We don't have time for your bullshit today," I jab.

Atlas folds his arms over his chest, staring straight at me. "I got word, can't tell you who from, that your mom is making waves inside. She's in for a long time, Noah. We need her to quit the dramatics, or that really long sentence she's got will end up being a long-term stay… in the morgue."

Anger surges through me. A red haze flashes over my eyes as I rush forward. All I want to do is kill this asshole for threatening my mother. My hands fly out to reach for the prick, but Loki and Maverick yank me back before I can get to him. My arms thrash about, spit flies out of my mouth as I try my hardest to get to him, but Maverick grips me too tight.

" Prospect, stand down," Maverick yells in my ear.

Atlas laughs like a maniac while I continue to try and get to the fucking asshole to wipe the smug look off his face, but it only angers me further.

"Get the fuck out of here," Loki yells at Atlas.

Atlas moves his pointer finger and thumb into the shape of a gun, aims it at my head, and pretends to shoot me. Then, without another word, he jumps back into his car and drives off, his tires skidding and kicking up gravel as he goes.

Breathing harshly through my nose, and after watching him leave, I finally calm down, my breaths coming hard and fast as I shove Maverick and Loki off me. I turn, pacing back and forth by the gate, trying to gather my thoughts.

Loki turns to me, throwing his hands in the air. "What the fuck was that, Prospect?"

My heart sinks through my chest as my somber eyes turn to look at my brothers. After all this time, Atlas could go after my mother, and I can't do fucking anything to protect her while she is in that goddamn place. The thought rips me to shreds. "My world falling apart around me."

Loki narrows his eyes on me. "Noah, tell us what the hell is going on."

I spin, racing for my bike. "There's no time, VP. I have to head to the California Institute for Women. Right fucking now!" I run for my bike, hearing them follow behind me as I throw my leg over my ride. I go to start it, but Loki places his hand on the keys, stopping me from turning them.

"Hold up. Why the fuck are you going to a women's jail, Noah?"

Letting out a huff, I try to calm my racing heart. "Atlas threatened my mother. He has something planned. She's in danger. I need to get to her, tell her to keep her eyes op—"

"Let's go talk to Alpha before you go running off into a damn prison. He might be able to figure something ou—"

"You don't get it, Loki." I cut him off. "There's no time. It's going to take me an hour to ride there. I may already be too late. Please, VP . Please let me go."

Loki glances at Maverick, then back to me, taking his hand from my keys. I don't hesitate to turn the engine over and rev my bike. "Thank you," I tell him, then kick up my stand and take off without looking back, hammering down out of the club gates and taking the long ride toward Chino.

I don't know what I'm going to find when I get there.

But I hope I'm not too fucking late.