Fourth in line waiting to enter the visitation room, Jett stared at the back of the inmate's head in front of him. One of the three guards stopped beside him. Keeping his cool under the inspection, he understood that he could be rejected for the appearance of his face.

The corner of his mouth was swollen, and he had a cut on his lower lip. A bruise covered his cheekbone. He kept his bruised and cut up right hand to the side of his leg, out of sight of the guard.

"What happened to you, inmate?" The guard leaned closer.

"Walked into the top bunk, sir." Jett relaxed his jaw.

Jenkins, a guard he'd paid off to clear him for visitation, yelled from the end of the line. The guard inspecting him walked off.

Jett closed his eyes an extra beat. Jenkins could've been faster. That was too close of a call.

It'd been six months since he'd allowed Sydney to visit him, and she sat on the other side of the door waiting for him. He inhaled deeply, keeping his head. To be denied the visitation because of his injuries would only fuel the rage that was constantly inside of him. A rage that got him in the condition he was in today.

He'd lived his life in control of his emotions. The fights he sought were a way to blow off steam or to further his purpose of gaining respect for someday being the president of Brikken. What'd happened to him yesterday was Sydney's fault.

She'd made him lose his damn head.

Chief found her inviting the same Brikken members who guarded the house into putting money down on some game and taking them for two thousand dollars. Her excuse—she needed to provide Kylie with the essentials for when she graduated in June.

"All right, inmates, keep your hands and body to yourself. If we see you touching or being touched under the table, you'll be restricted from visitations for six months. Stay in your seat and enjoy the time with your loved ones." A male guard opened the door.

He walked forward into the room and spotted Sydney instantly. She sat alone at the table—a request he'd made to Chief. He hoped going six months without seeing him would add to her punishment.

Two and a half years without having his dick in pussy, he hardened at the sight of her. He took the seat across from her. He inhaled and almost groaned. He could smell the apple scent of her shampoo from three feet away and wondered if he was only punishing himself.

She scooted to the edge of the chair. He couldn't take his gaze off her eyes. She no longer applied layers of makeup, resembling a punk rocker, though her plump lips, pink and shiny, partially opened as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

No longer looking like a sixteen-year-old girl but a young woman. A sexy young woman, a man of any age would look at twice, and he wasn't on the outside to keep those men away and protect her.

"You're going to give the money you conned out of the Brikken men to Chief, so he can pay them back," he said.

"I conned them because they follow me everywhere and I don't have a moment where I can con non-Brikken men," she said. "Kylie will need things like a dresser for the bedroom, money for the bus because she wants to look for a job."

Good. She was pissed. It was easier to make her pay for her betrayal when she had an attitude. It was when she talked sweet and depended on him that he found it hard to deal with her.

"You live in my house, you follow my rules."

"Maybe I'll move." She shrugged. "You obviously don't want me anymore."

He sprawled his hands on his thighs. "I want you at home when I'm released. I want you in my bed. I want to fuck you like I've wanted to do since you bawled your eyes out the night we met."

If she wanted him to talk, he'd fucking talk.

She shook her head. "Why are you treating me like you hate me?"

"I'm losing four years of my life because of you." His chest tightened. "Brikken is out there running without me. I'm away from the empire my grandfather built, not doing my share of the work. Because I'm locked inside, I've lost four years of riding besides losing time with Chief, taking care of my mom, and sharing life with Olin and Thorn. My baby sisters won't even remember their brother when I return."

She flinched.

He wasn't done.

"You know the last time I've slept? Really slept?" He fisted his hands. "You were in my bed."

She looked away. He studied her profile. The first in his family to be conned by a child, he'd made a mistake. He should've let the Brikken men lose their money that night so long ago.

Sydney sniffed and blinked hard. His shoulder muscles spasmed and hardened underneath his jumper, urging him to stand up and leave. Except his need to be with Sydney won and he continued sitting across from her. His anger a mask for the lies he spoke.

He wanted her.

He wasn't going to let her leave him. She'd stepped into his life and his future was set. He wouldn't allow anyone else to take care of her.

But, he wouldn't sacrifice Brikken and the security around the club because he'd become obsessed with Sydney.

"Which one of you were working with the police? You or Kylie?" he asked.

She snapped her gaze to him. "What? What do you mean?"

"I go looking for your sister—after you hid your family information from me, meet her for the first time, and she already knows who I am. Five minutes later, I'm handcuffed and Kylie's sitting in the front seat of the cop car while I'm getting my ass hauled to jail," he said, his voice deathly quiet to keep his cool and not draw attention to their table. "One of you helped get me arrested."

Sydney darted her gaze around the room, shaking her head. He put his hands on the table. More than punishing her, he wanted to upend the table and press her against the wall and taste her. He wanted that innocence he believed she had before he was arrested.

"Jett, the policeman—"

"Don't." He gritted his teeth. "You're done conning me, Syd."

"But, I—"

"I'll see you when I'm released." He stood. "Don't even think about trying to leave me."

Two guards moved forward as he broke the rule of getting up from the table. Breaking any of the visitation rules brought a punishment of six months. It was the only way of keeping Sydney away from him.

He needed to protect himself because if he spent one more minute with her, he was going to lose his heart. And, losing his heart to Sydney could ruin Brikken.

***

SYDNEY PUSHED OUT OF the front door of the prison and walked to the gate. Her scattered thoughts distracted her from the guard letting her out. She must've flashed her visitor pass because she was halfway across the parking lot when she ran.

Arriving at the back row of cars, she sprinted to Chief sitting on his Harley. She could barely see, she was furious.

"What did you tell him?" she demanded.

"Tell who what?" Chief held out her helmet.

She snapped it out of his hand. "Jett. Why does he think I helped the police arrest him?"

Chief shrugged.

"He blames Kylie and me for him being in prison." She slammed the helmet on her head. "He wouldn't even let me talk."

"That's his right."

"No, it's not. I came to see him. He told you I could come." She stiffened her arms and balled her fists. "I don't get it. I would never work with the police or do anything for Jett to be arrested."

Chief's expression never changed. He continued looking at her as if he listened but refused to comment or tell her his opinion about why Jett accused her. She glared. He was covering something up. She recognized the tactics he used to intimidate others.

"You knew," she whispered. "You brought me here, knowing he blamed me for being in prison and planned to hurt me."

Jett hadn't given her a chance to explain. She looked back at the prison. She wasn't a cruel person.

Why would she send someone she loved to prison when all she wanted to do was be with Jett?

"Sydney?" said Chief.

She turned, and he motioned her to the back of his motorcycle. There was no use staying here.

"I'm sure you'll have another chance to talk with him." Chief handed her a pair of sunglasses.

"I doubt that," she said, her heart sinking.

"Did something else happen while you were in there?"

She owed Chief nothing. Yet, she had nobody else to talk to about Jett.

"He stood up from the table before the hour was over," she said.

Chief inhaled heavily and muttered, "Fuck."

Maybe it was hearing Chief's frustration and disappointment or the seriousness of the situation but riding away from the prison seemed too final for her. She might never get to see Jett again until he's released. And, right now, she wasn't sure she could stay at his house knowing he only wanted to punish her, not love her.