Through the Noise

Through the Noise

Fountain Anthony · Ongoing · 56.7k Words

519
Hot
519
Views
156
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

Caleb Hart and Ryan Delgado built a love louder than the punk beats shaking their Seattle dive bar, The Static. “You’re my echo,” Caleb whispered, and Ryan’s kiss answered—raw, fearless, theirs. But now, bankruptcy’s clawing at the bar’s door, a vengeful ex-friend sharpens his knife, and a tech mogul’s got a deal that reeks of betrayal. Caleb’s family wants him gone—“Dump the bar rat or lose everything”—and the shadows are closing in. One wrong move, and they’ll lose more than the bar. Can their love hold the line, or will the noise tear them apart?

Chapter 1

The Static reeks tonight, spilled beer, damp wood, the usual. Rain’s slamming down on the roof, this steady thump-thump that’s kinda syncing up with the hum coming off my soundboard. It’s way past closing, like two-something, and I’m slouched over the controls, messing with tomorrow’s mix for the band. My fingers are sliding faders up, down, chasing that perfect bass kick that’s just out of reach. Place is dead now—well, almost. Just me, Ryan, and a couple of sad sacks nursing their drinks like they’re afraid to let go. The air’s thick with that stale bar smell, mixed with something sour I can’t place, maybe regret, if that’s got a scent.  

I sneak a look over my shoulder. Ryan’s back there behind the bar, counting cash from the register. His hands are dragging, like he’s not in a rush to finish. The pile’s pathetic, way too thin. Another shitty night. His big shoulders are kinda drooping, but he’s not saying it out loud. Doesn’t need to, I can read him like I read these sound levels. That busted neon sign outside’s buzzing away, throwing red and blue flashes across his face. Been broken forever, but I kinda like its glitchy charm, you know? Makes the place feel alive, even when it’s dying.  

“Still calling this a rustic joint?” I toss out, keeping it easy. One headphone’s slipped off, dangling around my neck like a noose. My voice bounces off the empty stools, sounds louder than I meant it to.  

Ryan glances up, smirks a little. “Rustic’s being nice. More like a dump with some attitude.”  

I let out a quick, rough laugh. “Attitude’s why I’m still here.” That, and him. But I keep that part locked up tonight, the air’s already thick enough. Been a long shift, feet aching from standing too long, head fuzzy from the noise. Still wouldn’t trade it.  

He shakes his head, goes back to counting. His dark hair’s a mess, falling into his eyes. I stare too long, catch myself, and swing back to the soundboard. The mix is almost there, gritty, loud, the way The Static deserves. My foot’s tapping to the beat, and I’m half-lost in it. Been at this for hours, tweaking knobs like it’s gonna save us. Maybe it will. Doubt it, though.  

Rain’s picking up, drowning out the last guy muttering at the bar. Think his name’s Hank, regular dude, gray beard, always in flannel. He’s hunched over, talking to his empty glass like it’s got answers. Finally, he knocks back the last of his beer, slaps a wadded-up five on the counter, and shuffles for the door. “Night, boys,” he grumbles, voice like gravel, boots scuffing the sticky floor.  

“Night,” Ryan calls, not even looking.  

I give a nod, but Hank’s already out. Door bangs shut, and now it’s just us. The bar feels huge when it’s empty, like it’s waiting for something, holding its breath. I yank the headphones off, let ’em clatter on the table, and stretch. My back cracks, ouch, too many hours hunched over this damn thing. My neck’s stiff too, and I roll it, hearing pops like gunfire.  

Ryan’s done with the cash. Shoves it into that metal box, locks it with a sharp click. Then he ambles over, hands stuffed in his pockets, stopping just close enough I can feel the warmth off him. “You still screwing around with that?” he says, nodding at the soundboard.  

“Almost,” I mutter. “Gotta nail it for tomorrow.”  

He snorts. “You always say that crap.”  

“‘Cause it’s true.” I flash a grin, spin my chair to face him. His eyes catch that neon glow, dark and steady, and my chest does that stupid flip it always does when he’s right there. Been like this for months, this dumb tug in my ribs.  

We don’t say anything for a beat, just stare. Rain’s a freaking wall of noise outside, locking us in. Then he steps closer, and I’m up on my feet before my brain catches up. My hands grab his waist, tugging him in. His lips hit mine fast, rough, like he’s been holding it in all night. I kiss back, tasting beer and salt, and it’s over way too quick. He pulls back, breathing hard, a tiny smile tugging at his mouth. My heart’s hammering like I just ran a mile.  

“Missed that,” I mumble, voice low, scratchy from the late hour.  

“Yeah,” he says. “Me too.”  

I’m about to go in again when his phone buzzes on the bar. Loud, jarring, slicing through the quiet. He freezes, and my gut twists. That sound? Never good news this late. He lets go, steps back, snatches the phone. His thumb hovers over it, like he’s debating just ignoring it. Then he picks up.  

“Yeah?” His tone’s flat, walled-off.  

I can’t hear the other end, but I don’t need to. Ryan’s face says it all, jaw tight, eyes narrowing. He turns, takes a step away, free hand scrubbing the back of his neck. “End of the week? That’s not what we...” He cuts off, listens. “No, I get it. I’ll figure it out.”  

Call’s over quick. He doesn’t hang up so much as jab the screen dead. Phone clatters on the bar, and he glares at it like it’s gonna bite. I step closer, heart thumping. “Who was that?”  

He doesn’t answer right away, just keeps staring. Then, “Loan guy. Wants the full fifty grand by Friday.”  

My mouth dries up. “Fifty grand? That’s...”  

“Everything,” he says, voice scraped raw. “Missed too many payments. He’s done waiting.”  

I swallow hard. The Static’s been leaking cash for months, dead nights, busted pipes, that stupid sign we can’t fix. Roof’s probably next, with this rain. But fifty grand by Friday? That’s a kick in the teeth. “What if we don’t?”  

Ryan looks at me, eyes dark as hell. “We lose it. The bar. All of it.”  

The words just sit there, heavy as the rain pounding outside. I move in, slap a hand on his shoulder. It’s solid, warm, real under my fingers. “We’ll figure it out,” I say, sounding way surer than I feel. But I mean it. We have to. Been through worse, right? Maybe not this bad, but still.  

He nods once, short and sharp, but stays quiet. His hand grabs mine for a sec, squeezes, then lets go. He turns to the bar, yanks a stack of papers from underneath, loan stuff, probably. Spreads ’em out, pages crinkling, and stares at the numbers like he can bully ’em into changing.  

I don’t budge. My hand stays on his back, just resting there, feeling his breaths go in and out. Neon flickers outside, red, blue, red, throwing shadows all over the floor. Rain keeps hammering, nonstop, and the weight of everything just settles between us. Quiet. Heavy. Real as hell.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Shattered Girl

Shattered Girl

748k Views · Completed · Brandi Rae
Jake's fingers danced across my nipples, squeezing gently and making me groan in pleasure. He lifted my shirt and stared at my hardened nipples through my bra. I tensed, and Jake sat up and moved back on the bed, giving me some space.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Was that too much?” I could see the worry in his eyes as I took a deep breath.

“I just didn’t want you to see all my scars,” I whispered, feeling ashamed of my marked body.


Emmy Nichols is used to surviving. She survived her abusive father for years until he beat her so severely, she ended up in the hospital, and her father was finally arrested. Now, Emmy is thrown into a life she never expected. Now she has a mother

who doesn't want her, a politically motivated stepfather with ties to the Irish mob, four older stepbrothers, and their best friend who swear to love and protect her. Then, one night, everything shatters, and Emmy feels her only option is to run.

When her stepbrothers and their best friend finally find her, will they pick up the pieces and convince Emmy that they will keep her safe and their love will hold them together?
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

1.8m Views · Ongoing · Jaylee
Soft hot lips find the shell of my ear and he whispers, "You think I don't want you?" He pushes his hips forward, grinding into the back of my ass and I groan. "Really?" He chuckles.

"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."

I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.

Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.

"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."


New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.

Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates

When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.

But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride

The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride

506.2k Views · Ongoing · Riley Above Story
On the day Evelyn thought Liam would propose, he shocked her by getting down on one knee—for her stepsister, Samantha. As if that betrayal wasn’t enough, Evelyn learned the cruel truth: her parents had already decided to sell one daughter’s future to a dangerous man: the infamous War God Alpha Alexander, who was rumored to be scarred and crippled after a recent accident. And the bride could’t be their precious daughter Samantha. However, when the "ugly and crippled" Alpha revealed his true self—an impossibly handsome billionaire with no trace of injury—Samantha had a change of heart. She was ready to dump Liam and take Evelyn's place as the family daughter who should marry Alexander.
Yet Alexander made his decision clear to the world: “Evelyn is the only woman I will ever marry.”
I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

413.3k Views · Completed · Jessica C. Dolan
Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé.
Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now—billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn’t mind. I’d crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one?
Wrong.
One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.
So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster—my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise.
Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.
Enter him.
Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I’d met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes.
It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.
But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.
And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.
And now, he’s not letting me go.
Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

126.6k Views · Completed · Xena Kessler
An original story by Xena Kessler
My back hit the desk. Pain exploded through my skull.
"Girls like you don't get to dream about guys like Kai." Bella's breath was hot on my face. "You don't get to write pathetic love letters."
She shoved me again. Harder.
"Maybe if you weren't such a desperate little—"
I fell. My head cracked against the corner.
Warmth trickled down my neck. Blood.
Their laughter turned to gasps.
The door slammed.
I tried to stand. Couldn't. The room was spinning, fading to black.
Someone... please...
Angelina, the most powerful Alpha who conquered forty-nine packs, dies in a yacht explosion—only to wake up as Aria Sterling, a fifteen-year-old Omega's daughter who just died from bullying.
The original Aria's life was a nightmare. Humiliated when golden boy Kai Matthews posted her love letter online, then shoved to death by his girlfriend Bella Morrison. But that's not all her family faces:
"You got until Monday," the tattooed gangster sneered at Aria's mother. "Ten grand cash. Or I'm taking collateral—your kids' organs fetch top dollar. That pretty daughter of yours? She could make us money another way too."
Now Angelina's lethal combat skills awaken in this fragile body. No more hiding. No more fear.
Armed with an Alpha's ruthlessness and a mysterious blood-red pendant, she'll dismantle everyone who hurt this family—one calculated move at a time.
The Biker's Fate

The Biker's Fate

1.3m Views · Completed · Piper Davenport
"You are absolutely my fucking woman, Dani. Got me?"
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Dani," he pressed. "Do you get me?"
"No, Austin, I don't," I admitted as I pulled my robe closed again and sat up. "You confuse me."
He dragged his hands down his face. "Tell me what's on your mind."
I sighed. "You're everything my parents warned me against. You're secretive, but you're also honest. I feel wholly protected by you, but then you scare me more than anyone I've ever known. You're a bad boy, but when I dated a so-called good one, he turned out to be the devil, so, yeah, I don't get you because you're not what I expected. You drive me crazier than anyone I've ever met, but then you make me feel complete. I'm feeling things I don't quite know how to process and that makes me want to run. I don't want to give up something that might be really, really good, but I also don't want to be stupid and fall for a boy just because he's super pretty and makes me come."
Danielle Harris is the daughter of an overprotective police chief and has led a sheltered life. As a kindergarten teacher, she's as far removed from the world of Harleys and bikers as you could get, but when she's rescued by the sexy and dangerous Austin Carver, her life is changed forever.
Although Austin 'Booker' Carver is enamored by the innocent Dani, he tries to keep the police chief's daughter at arm's length. But when a threat is made from an unexpected source, he finds himself falling hard and fast for the only woman who can tame his wild heart.
Will Booker be able to find the source of the threat before it's too late?
Will Dani finally give her heart to a man who's everything she's been warned about?
The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate

The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate

239.5k Views · Completed · Ray Nhedicta
I can't breathe. Every touch, every kiss from Tristan set my body on fire, drowning me in a sensation I shouldn't have wanted—especially not that night.
"You're like a sister to me."
Those were the actual words that broke the camel's back.
Not after what just happened. Not after the hot, breathless, soul-shaking night we spent tangled in each other's arms.
I knew from the beginning that Tristan Hayes was a line I shouldn't cross.
He wasn't just anyone, he was my brother's best friend. The man I spent years secretly wanting.
But that night... we were broken. We had just buried our parents. And the grief was too heavy, too real...so I begged him to touch me.
To make me forget. To fill the silence that death left behind.
And he did. He held me like I was something fragile.
Kissed me like I was the only thing he needed to breathe.
Then left me bleeding with six words that burned deeper than rejection ever could.
So, I ran. Away from everything that cost me pain.
Now, five years later, I'm back.
Fresh from rejecting the mate who abused me. Still carrying the scars of a pup I never got to hold.
And the man waiting for me at the airport isn't my brother.
It's Tristan.
And he's not the guy I left behind.
He's a biker.
An Alpha.
And when he looked at me, I knew there was no where else to run to.
Balance of Light and Shadow

Balance of Light and Shadow

242.4k Views · Ongoing · Chandrea
After escaping the brutalities of her pack, the rogue she-wolf is only interested in protecting those she cares for. While protecting the innocents during a royal raid, she runs into a wolf claiming to be the Alpha King and worse yet, he claims she is his Mate. She barely escaped that life alive and has been living as a human since she was a teenager and no one was going to make her go back.

Little did she know how much both worlds need her to bring peace and true freedom.
Thornhill Academy

Thornhill Academy

119.4k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
Allison was never meant to survive. She was born a siphon and hidden away like a mistake the world was waiting to break. The Council planned to shape her into a weapon or erase her before she became one. She was supposed to disappear quietly; another tragedy folded into the past. Instead, she lived, she thrived. When the truth of her bloodline comes to light, Allison’s carefully held world fractures, and power spills through the cracks whether she’s ready for it or not. She steals the magic she needs. She survives the way she has learnt. Everything is fine until she captured from the scrub lands and four men begin to orbit her life; each bound by something deeper than choice. Five men. Five obsessions. Five hearts tethered to hers by magic older than the Wall itself.

Hunted, haunted, and newly awakened, Allison is dragged into a rebellion built on blood and belief, the same fight her parents died trying to protect. As enemies close in and desire sharpens into something dangerous, she must decide what kind of power she will become. The weapon the Council always wanted. Or the storm that tears their world apart. When Allison rises, kingdoms kneel and when she loves, she loves like war.

Dark Academia | Reverse Harem | Dark Romance | Dark Humour | Action-Packed | Steamy | Unputdownable
My Possessive Alpha Twins For Mate

My Possessive Alpha Twins For Mate

839.2k Views · Completed · Veejay
"No... You can't do this to me..." I almost squeezed the words through my teeth, my voice trembling.
My drunk stepfather remained indifferent, his weight suffocating, making it hard to breathe as my heart raced.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and two figures burst in.
"Get off her!" a deafening roar echoed.
I didn't expect the twin brothers who'd bullied me at school to come charging in like gods to save me.
After my grandmother passed, I had to move in with my mom and stepdad, who treated me like a servant. I prayed every day for my 18th birthday to come, so l could leave and escape this broken home.
However, on my first day at my new school, l encountered the legendary twins everyone feared.
To make matters worse, the Moon Goddess revealed they were both my mates!
After helping me out with my stepdad, my twin mate cornered me, played with my hair, and whispered possessively, "You belong to us, our little mate..."
A Lesson in Magic

A Lesson in Magic

173.9k Views · Completed · Kit Bryan
One day I'm dealing with cranky toddlers and parents who work too much to actually parent, the next my life is turned upside down and I'm working in a bar for supernaturals. I might not know how to mix drinks, but strangely enough the skills needed to deal with misbehaving children seem to work well enough on vampires, werewolves and even witches. The good news is this job is interesting and hey, my boss might be a demon but I'm pretty sure that under all the grumpy expressions he is a total softie. The bad news is that humans aren't supposed to know about all this magic stuff and so now I'm magically bound to this bar until I can convince them that I won't go telling everyone. Or I die, whichever comes first. Sadly dying is seeming more and more likely because someone is after me. I don't know who or why but they are dangerous and they have magic. So I'll domy best to survive, and if that means spending some extra time with my scary but gorgeous boss then so be it. I'll convince him to trust me if it's the last thing I do.
Accidentally Crossing the Tycoon

Accidentally Crossing the Tycoon

115.8k Views · Completed · Riley
My name is Audrey, and I'm the adopted daughter of the Bailey family.
Four years ago, the Bailey family faced a devastating financial crisis.
Just when bankruptcy seemed inevitable, a mysterious benefactor emerged, offering salvation with one condition: a contract marriage.
Rumors swirled about this enigmatic man—whispers claimed he was hideously ugly and too ashamed to show his face, possibly harboring dark, twisted obsessions.
Without hesitation, the Baileys sacrificed me to protect their precious biological daughter, forcing me to take her place as a pawn in this cold, calculated arrangement.
Luckily, in those four years, the mysterious husband never asked to meet in person.
Now, in the final year of our arrangement, the husband I've never met is demanding we meet face to face.
But disaster struck the night before my return—drunk and disoriented, I stumbled into the wrong hotel room and ended up sleeping with the legendary financial mogul, Caspar Thornton.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?