CHAPTER EIGHT

Noah

As I pull up my ride, the bike is barely stationary before Rhyan jumps off the back and starts storming for the clubhouse.

"Shit!" I mumble under my breath.

She's not wasting any time as she makes her way inside. I turn off my ride, kick out the stand, and take off after her. I'm a fair distance behind, when I enter the clubhouse, watching her approach her father. Tensing as she throws her hands in the air, I grit my teeth while she unloads in front of the entire clubhouse.

"Why did you have to start something, Dad?" she yells so everyone notices, and they all turn to the pair.

I hang back, folding my arms over my chest as Alpha glances my way, then back to Rhyan while Dutch slowly stands, Ellie beside him, her eyes concerned for her daughter and husband. "Rhy, baby girl… I'm not trying to start something. I'm just looking out for you. And Noah should have done the right thing and brought you home without telling you I called."

Rhyan snorts out a laugh. "He didn't have to tell me you called, Dad. I knew the instant he started talking to you. He didn't tell me. In fact, he made no attempt to tell me at all . I told him I knew it was you. We had such a fun day. I was honestly having the best time. I wasn't in any immediate danger, and Noah went out of his way to ensure I had a great day. I know you have your thoughts on him. I know you think he's a screwup who always acts out, but today, he went out of his way to make sure I was happy. I mean, what biker would have a mani-pedi and have his nails painted just to keep me happy? Not even you would do that," she jabs.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

My eyes widen in embarrassment when my brothers turn with gigantic smirks.

My pulse races faster as Dutch snaps his head to me.

Rhyan slams her hand to her mouth, realizing her mistake. She slowly turns to me, her eyes somber as she grimaces. I'm so sorry , she mouths.

Maverick steps up to my side, nudging me in the ribs. "I said be her friend. I didn't mean turn into her fucking girlfriend, brother."

Scowling, I huff as Dutch turns back to face his daughter. "You're only twenty, Rhyan. You can't possibly understand the complexities of life yet. Noah is a prospect. He needs to focus on getting his patch. You, my girl, need to focus on your career."

Rhyan snorts out a laugh. "So you're telling me who I can and can't have as my friends now? Do you hear how controlling you sound?"

Dutch puffs out his chest as Ellie stands beside him, placing her hand on his stomach to calm him. "Okay, let's take this down a notch. You're the princess of this club, baby girl. Everyone loves you. Your father especially. He's only trying to protect you—"

"He's smothering me, Mom."

Dutch grumbles something unintelligible under his breath while Ellie glares at him. "Your father is going to back off—"

"The fuck I am."

"Your father is going to back off !" Ellie glares at Dutch with such fierce intent that he instantly backs down. Ellie continues, "But you have to promise that you won't start acting out. You've been such a good girl. We'd hate for you to go down the wrong path now." Ellie's eyes land on me, and I have to admit, that shit stings a little.

Rhyan turns to look at me, then turns back to her parents. "I promise I won't do anything stupid," she replies.

My stomach sinks through the floor.

We almost kissed.

Thank God we didn't because if I had gone there with her, I don't think I would have been able to come back from that.

Rhyan is a good girl.

I am the club fuckup.

They're right—she deserves someone much better than anything I can give her.

Maverick glances at me, a sympathetic expression crossing his features before I spin, heading for the back of the clubhouse.

I need a damn breather from all this shit.

A second to pull myself together.

Heading for the farm, I make my way to the pig stall. The four pigs are moving about and rummaging around. So, I open the gate, letting myself in. Fajita and Nacho race up to me, instantly nuzzling into my legs and snorting.

I pet their furry heads. "Hey, guys," I murmur, walking over to the bench and sitting beside their trough. Taco and Salsa casually strut over to say hi as well. Bending over, I scoop out some of their feed and throw it onto the ground in front of me. They all snort, shoving each other out of the way for the slops.

As I watch the four pigs squabble over the best food, it strikes me that even creatures who spend all their time together and typically get along well will quickly turn on each other when it comes to something they love—without a second thought. So even though Dutch and I have a special bond, and he is that father figure I look up to, when I threaten something he loves, he's willing to fight me for it.

In this case, that thing is Rhyan.

Maybe for the sake of calmness between brothers, I need to let whatever attraction there is between Rhyan and me go. I'm not here to ruffle any feathers. I certainly don't want to fuck up getting my patch. Even if Rhyan is one hundred percent worth it.

Sitting back, I sink into the bench seat, watching the pigs rumble over their food as movement to my left catches my attention. I glance up at Ink, making his way into the stall, his broad tattooed arms resting on the wooden slats while he assesses the pigs. He lets out a snort, shaking his head. "I've never understood the fascination the club has with these guys. They're so fucking filthy," he quips.

Smirking, I glance up at him. "That's probably because you're a clean freak and prefer the smell of antiseptic over mud."

He snorts out a laugh, nodding his head. "Ain't that the truth?" He opens the sty doors, moving to sit on the bench with me anyway, crossing his ankle at his knee and sitting back like he's completely relaxed. "So… that in there was intense."

Scrubbing at my face, I let out a long exhale and groan. "Dutch isn't wrong, though, is he?"

Ink shrugs with a small chuckle. "Thing is, Noah, we all have our quirks. Out of everyone in this clubhouse, I know what it's like to be different, for people to look at you like you're a freak or not good enough. You should have seen the shit they gave me when I prospected. A guy with ADHD? Yeah, they put me through the wringer for being different. But the thing is, without that tough love, it wouldn't have taught me the resilience to fight through and become the tattoo artist I am today. You know, it was Dutch who told me I had what it took. He saw that when I was tattooing, my mind calmed, and everything seemed to become easier for me. He's the one who told me to pursue tattooing as a career. I said there's no way I could with the way my mind wanders, but he pushed me, and look at me now."

Raising my brow, I smile. I guess that doesn't surprise me. In a way, Dutch has helped almost every brother in this club in one way or another. "He's a great guy, an awesome brother. I don't hold any of this against him."

Ink slaps my back, turning back to face the pigs. "And that's the reason I know this is all going to work out okay. Because you have mad respect for him. And for Rhyan… I mean seriously, brother, you got a fucking manicure for the girl?"

I snort out a laugh and shove him in the side. "Fuck off! But yeah, I did. I don't even want to tell you what the fuck my toes look like right now."

Ink bursts out laughing as I shake my head, smiling at the memory of nearly kicking Amber in the face with my foot. Ink taps my knee, his laughter dying down. "You're one of the good ones, Noah. A fucking good prospect. Do you do stupid shit sometimes? Yeah. But we're all guilty of that. All I'm saying is, if you like Rhyan, which you obviously do, then don't give up because Dutch is pissed. Maybe slow it down and ease into it a little more carefully. Let him get used to the idea before you knock her up and propose."

My eyes bulge out of my head while I stare at him. "There definitely won't be any knocking up or rings in the near future."

Ink dips his head. "I think that is what Dutch is scared of. Rhyan is so fucking young. He doesn't want his baby to have a baby."

Nodding in complete agreement, I exhale a long puff of air. "I completely agree. No babies!"

Ink's head shakes slightly as if trying to clear his thoughts. "Don't know why my mind is racing today. Must be the copious amounts of alcohol I drank last night."

Snorting out a laugh, I ask, "Are you supposed to be drinking heavily with your meds?"

"Absolutely not. That's what makes me rebellious like you. Two peas in a pod, you and me." He winks as he lets out a laugh. "Though, at least you have someone willing to fight for you. Rhyan stood up to her father in front of the entire clubhouse for you. So even though Dutch is giving you shit, you have to be willing to fight for her, right?"

Fuck.

He's so right.

I don't know how to play this with Rhyan, but maybe taking it slow so her father grows on the idea is the way to go. Turning to Ink, I grip his shoulder, looking into his eyes. "Brother… you might just be my favorite person right about now."

He chuckles. "No one has ever said that to me before."

"Everyone underestimates you, Ink. But you're a real fucking legend ."

He grins wide, his right eye twitching a little. "Thanks, brother, you too."

Standing, I inhale deeply as I go to the sty gate, undoing it and stepping out. "I have someone I need to talk to."

Ink dips his chin. "Glad I could help. Now I need to go shower for a year to get this fuck-awful pig smell off me."

Laughing, my eyes droop in sympathy because I know he's definitely going to spend at least an hour in the shower. "I appreciate you making the effort."

He shrugs it off, standing, and makes his way out of the pig sty. "Happy to help. As I said, Dutch helped me when I needed guidance, so if I can help you, I am all too happy to do that."

I grip his shoulder, then spin for the clubhouse.

I need to make my intentions crystal clear.

The only way I'm going to be able to do that is to talk this shit out.

Man-to-man.

I enter the clubhouse, and everyone is going about their day like nothing has happened. Dutch and Ellie are sitting in the same positions they were in before Rhyan exploded, and she is now nowhere to be found. My stomach rolls in anxiety that she isn't here. The fact she probably saw me walk off while she was defending me is something else I'm going to need to address.

But first—her father.

Stepping up beside Dutch, he slowly glances up at me, his stare hard. Cold. He is annoyed that I am even near him. But that shit does not deter me.

"Dutch?" I state.

He stares right through me like he is looking into my soul. It's unnerving, but I don't show any signs of backing down. "What?" he grunts out.

I reach for the seat beside him and pull it out to sit and have a conversation with him, but he grabs the seat and stops me. "Did I say you could sit, Prospect?"

Exhaling, I drop my hand from the seat, my anger rising, but I push it down. "I know what you think of me… and I owe you a fucking lot. I wouldn't be here without you, but I need you to know I'm not trying anything here. There's no agenda—"

"Noah, when I found you, you were being bashed in a bar because you couldn't pay for the hooker you were trying to pick up. I'm not judging you for your choices, but when you start sniffing around my daughter, and I know you used to pay for sex, I don't want that…" he points to my cock, "… anywhere near my daughter."

I rub the back of my neck. "The thing is Dutch… I never told you the full story when you picked me up that night. Mainly because… I'd rather have you think I wanted the hooker for sex than know the truth and think of me as a pussy. I wanted into the club and away from my life so bad. I let you believe what you wanted."

Ellie widens her eyes, and Dutch scowls. "The fuck are you talking about?"

Slumping my shoulders, I huff. "I tried to hire the hooker so I would have someone to spend the night with who I could talk to. Who would listen without judging me. I had a heap of shit going on with Atlas, and I needed to fucking talk. About all that. About my mom. Fuck, man, I just wanted to cry with someone and not have them think of me as a damn pussy. Everyone I was hanging out with at the time definitely wouldn't have understood."

Ellie lets out a small sigh, her hand pressing to her chest. "Oh, Noah."

"But the hooker upped her fee when I told her I wanted to talk and not fuck, then when I said I couldn't pay that much, that's when her pimp came along, and the fight broke out. You know the rest," I tell him.

Dutch's hard glare softens before he sinks into his chair, assessing me as if to gauge whether I'm lying or not. He huffs, folding his arms over his chest. "If memory serves, you opened up to me that night, and you didn't cry, but you came damn close."

Nodding my head, I weakly smile. "You saved me that night, Dutch. I was drowning, so deep in my own personal hell, that I had no clue how I was going to pull myself out of it. Meeting you. You bringing me into the club. It saved me… literally. If I had to stay in the life I was in, I don't think I'd be here now. I owe that to you ."

He softens his posture and unfolds his arms. "Shit, kid. I knew it was bad, but I had no real idea."

"I know, and that's on me. I should have been more open with you. Like I am being honest with you now. Dutch, trust me when I say this… I promise I will do everything in my power never to hurt Rhy. I don't know what's happening between us, but the last thing I would ever want to do is cause her pain, harm, or grief. I swear it on our bond, Dutch."

He glances at Ellie, and she smiles, dipping her head at him. He groans like he's annoyed at himself for even thinking whatever it is he's thinking, but he waves his hand through the air. "You just remember one thing, Prospect."

"Anything," I reply.

He rolls his pointer finger at me, drawing me closer, so I lean in. "She is the princess of this club and my only daughter. If you hurt her, make her cry, if you so much as make her frown for one single second, I will beat the living shit outta you and demand Alpha strip you of that cut you wear. Don't even get me started on what I will do to you if you knock her up…" His face turns red, and the frustration is palpable. "So help me, God!"

Backing away from him, I widen my eyes. "Got it. And don't worry, I will treat Rhyan with the royalty she is if she'll have me."

Ellie lets out a small giggle. "She adores you, honey. For Rhyan to stand up to her father in front of the entire clubhouse like that? You must really be special to her."

Fighting back my smile, I shift my gaze back to Dutch. "I never wanted this to be a public spectacle for everyone to witness. I feel like crap that it all went down like this, Dutch."

"If I'm truly honest, seeing Rhy step out of her shell like that instead of being the shy, reserved woman we all know was a breath of fresh air. Who knows, maybe in some fucked-up way, you might be good for her." Dutch smirks.

A bright smile lights my face as I chuckle. "I'm gonna remember you said that."

He groans, waving me off dismissively. "Go on, fuck off. Go find my daughter and mend the wound between you before I change my damn mind."

"Thanks, Dutch."

"Get out of here, Prospect!" He grunts, and I turn to make my way to the bedrooms.

Anxiety flows through me. I have no idea what Rhyan is thinking, especially with me walking out on her like that, but all I know is I need to tell her that I am in.

I am all the fucking way in.

I now have to hope that Rhyan is still on board.

Otherwise, all this was for nothing.