Page 6 of Marked by the Protective Biker

I stand up and put a hand on his arm. “I can’t just quit.”

He grits his teeth. “And I can’t just walk away and leave you here.”

Wanting to buy time, I nod my head. “Fine. I’ll talk to the warden this week about beefing up security.”

He growls, and I hold my hand up. I’m not sure what I’m thinking letting this man, this inmate, try to tell me what to do, but the truth is I am feeling uneasy about being here without him. “Jack, I’m not just quitting on these people.”

He nods. “Okay.”

He gave in too easily. I may have only known him for six months, but I know that he gave in too easily. I tilt my head to the side. “Jack, you can’t…”

He cups my chin in his hand. I should be worried about someone seeing us, but I’m not. He presses his thumb to my lip and gently strokes it side to side. “You want to stay working here, I’ll make sure you’re protected, but you call me if you need me. See you soon, Emily Riles.”

He drops his hand and walks away without another glance. I almost call out to him, but I stop myself. No matter how much I want him, we’re too different. Nothing can ever come of us, and that’s the only reason I let him go.

I fall back into my seat and shake my head. Jack Felon is a murderer, a member of a motorcycle club, a tattoo artist… and the most dangerous man I’ve ever wanted.

CHAPTER 5

FELON

No matter how hard I try, I can’t get Emily out of my head. I’m thinking about her non-stop, and the longer I’m unable to see her, the shittier my mood gets. My first day at Heat & Ink and I’ve managed to piss off anyone and everyone. Alice has thrown her hands up at me, Gunner has already threatened to kick my ass, and I’m pretty sure Boss is ready to fire me.

“What the fuck, man? Pres said you wanted this job, but you’re sure not acting like it. What’s your problem?”

I ram my hand through my hair. This is my first day out, and my club offered to let me take a few weeks off, but I thought working would help me keep my mind off things. It hasn’t helped at all. All I can think about is Emily and how she’s at Jasper Prison… without me.

You can bet your ass that I have people on the inside watching her and protecting her, but it’s not enough. No one is going to protect her like I can.

I look at the biker in my work area. “I need to make a phone call. Can you give me a minute?”

Boss holds his hand up. “Sure, but first tell me what the hell is going on.”

I’m not used to explaining myself, but this is how the Guardians work. I have to remind myself that these are my brothers, and I need to lean on them. “Fine. My woman works at the prison. I have inmates watching her, but it’s not enough.”

Boss crosses his arms over his chest and levels me with a look. “So what do you need? What can we do?”

“Since I’ve been in, I’ve had some prospects watching her in the evenings, but I told them since I was out, they can stop and I’d take care of it.”

Boss looks at the clock on the wall and back at me. “So what? Your first day at work and you didn’t plan on working this late?”

I nod my head. “Yeah.”

Boss nods. “Fine. I’ll take care of it.”

Surprised, I rear back. “What?”

He shrugs. “Dude, I’d be the same way about Lexi. I’ll get some prospects over to the prison, and they’ll tail her home until you come and relieve them.”

For the first time all day, I let out a breath of relief. I trust Boss, but I also know how important this is. “Are you sure? I can make a call.”

Boss shakes his head. “Go in there and finish the tatt, Felon. I’m going to take care of it. I just need her name.”

“Emily Riles.”

Boss nods. “Emily Riles. I got it. She’ll be protected until you get there. Now quit worrying and get to work.”

I nod and walk back into my room. It feels as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I’m not sure what I’m thinking, but I panicked for a minute. On the inside, it was a good idea to let people know she was mine and to be protected. But outside the prison, I’m not so sure. The Exiled Guardians try and stay clean, but we have enemies, and those enemies wouldn’t think twice about going after my woman.

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