Chapter 14. Heat and Anger

Joan POV

“Hey, you want to go for a walk?” I asked, sitting on the bed next to Rhoda, who had pulled the blanket over herself like it might shield her from the world.

She stared at me for a second before shaking her head, her lips pressed into a tight line.

Her bad mood was starting to affect me. We were supposed to have fun —not the jail kind of fun—but the kind where we could let loose and just be ourselves. Then Aaron had to ruin everything.

“Come on, Peach, you can’t be like this all day,” I nudged her lightly, trying to draw her out. She pursed her lips, the same way she always did when weighing her next words.

“He froze my accounts, Jo. I’m so mad at him right now,” she muttered, her voice low and bitter.

I blinked. “Permission to kill him?” I teased, and for the first time all day, she laughed—a soft sound, but enough to loosen the tight pressure in my chest.

“Unfortunately, no. I still love him,” she said with a shrug, sitting