‘Come on, Nik,’ Jax said. ‘I told you never to come here. Never. You promised. Look at this place! Look at me . . .’

He pointed to his battered face but ignored the pain as he lowered himself onto the hard steel stool.

Nikki started to cry. ‘Listen, just listen to me,’ she said, her voice cracking. ‘I—

‘No, you listen,’ Jax snapped, the shame becoming too much. ‘I never wanted you to see me like this, ever! Why couldn’t you just stay away?’

The look of hurt in her eyes was almost too much to bear. Jax clenched his teeth. He knew he was being cruel, but letting her believe he was still the Riley she once knew – the Riley she once loved – was even crueller. He could never be the man she loved again. Especially not after what Marsh had done to him.

‘No, Riley, you listen to me, goddammit.’ Nikki’s blue eyes drilled into him. They were filled with fear. ‘I had to come. I had to.’ She inhaled sharply and her eyes darted around the room before settling back on Jax’s. ‘They were going to kill you if I didn’t,’ she whispered urgently, her voice cracking and turning into a sob as she finished speaking.

Jax’s stomach turned to ice.

‘Who? What are you talking about? What do you mean?’

‘The Gypsies,’ Nikki said, tears now streaming down her face. ‘They . . .’ She couldn’t get anything else out, as she was now hyperventilating, short, sharp gasps eating her words. ‘They . . .’ she tried again. ‘They said . . . They said they would kill you.’

‘Well, you should have let them,’ Jax said slowly and deeply as he stood. ‘I’m fucking dead anyway. Get out of here. Just go.’ He slammed the table between them with both fists, causing Nikki to jump and others in the room to look over with mild interest.

Jax hadn’t seen Rogers when he’d walked in. Rocked by the sight of Nikki at the corner table, he hadn’t surveyed the rest of his surroundings as he usually did. In the instant her eyes had met his across the room, the whole world had been reduced to just the two of them.

‘Inmate,’ Rogers shouted in his most official voice as he made his way towards them. ‘This is your first warning. Behave yourself or the visit is over.’

Official part out of the way, Rogers leaned in and whispered into Jax’s ear, ‘Do whatever she tells you to do. Take whatever she wants to give you. It’s not you they are going to kill if you fuck up. It’s her. There’s a van waiting at the gate for her. All I have to do is say the word – and she never makes it back home, mate.’

The guard’s words sucked the adrenaline from Jax’s veins and replace it with acid. He sat. He opened his mouth, but no words would come out.