Chapter 6: RACHEL JONES

CHAPTER SIX | RACHEL JONES

ASPEN

“Who’s there?” Ronan asked, picking up the closest thing he could find and heading to the door.

He held the baseball bat tightly in his hands as he slowly crept toward the entrance of our dorm. Anxiety crept over me as I watched in anticipation and fear.

The person who had been listening in on our conversation shuffled, unsure of their next move since they had obviously been caught. I expected them to run for it, but instead, the door opened, and someone walked in.

Ronan lifted the bat, ready to strike, but paused when he saw who was at the door.

It was Rachel, his girlfriend.

She glared at him, eyeing the baseball bat in his hands. “You would have killed me with that thing,” she hissed.

The glare she shot his way was enough to make anyone falter, so he dropped the bat, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, Aspen.” She waved awkwardly.

“Why were you standing there? What did you hear?” I got straight to the point, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

She shuffled on her feet awkwardly, clearly nervous, but everything soon vanished and was replaced with confidence and the same queen bee expression she gave me the first time she introduced herself.

“I heard enough.”

I exchanged looks with Ronan, all the color draining from my face. I was scared, I’ll admit that, but I didn’t want to show it.

“I know you’re the wanted person, but apparently, you’re innocent, and Ronan wants to help prove your innocence. I have no idea why he would think you’re not the one when the image was clear.”

My chest constricted, and I found it hard to breathe. Every muscle in my body screamed at me to do something, but what could I really do about this pathetic situation?

It wasn’t her fault we had been careless. We should have checked around to make sure no one was there before we started, but we didn’t, and now, we might pay dearly for it.

“I’ll help you figure out the truth. I believe you’re innocent, and I want to help you too,” she suddenly blurted out, making all my fear and worry dissolve into nothing.

I was shocked that she wanted to help me, especially since she had no reason to. Hell, she had seen no solid proof that I wasn’t the person who killed those people, so why would she want to help me?

“Why?” I asked, watching her every move in suspicion. “Why would you want to help me? You don’t know me. And you don’t know for sure that I’m not the murderer.”

All the while, Ronan stood there, rigid and unmoving. I was too focused on Rachel’s offer to pay him any mind.

“Because I trust my man’s judgment. If he says you’re innocent, then I think you’re innocent too,” she announced proudly, staring at Ronan with love and admiration.

Jealousy exploded in my chest because of the way she called him her man. He wasn’t meant to be her man. He was supposed to be mine, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I wished she wasn’t in the picture so I could have him to myself.

At the same time, I was grateful that I didn’t have to beg or try convincing her that I was innocent. Most people would have rushed to expose me to the world, especially since bounty money was involved.

“Thank you,” I said at the same time Ronan whispered, “And why should we trust you?”

I was taken aback by his question and shot him a silent glare. Was he trying to make her mad and change her mind so she’d decide not to help me?

“Because she’s your girlfriend,” I said through gritted teeth, angry that he was questioning her in the first place.

Ronan shot me a glare as well, and I began to wonder if there was something else going on that no one was telling me about.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Aspen. I was asking her why we should trust her with an issue so sensitive.”

She simply shrugged, moving closer to him and wrapping a hand around his neck, smiling. “Because I would never betray you.”

I rolled my eyes, turning away from them in anger. Must they rub their relationship in my face?

Even after her answer, which was legit if you asked me, Ronan still wasn’t convinced. “Really?” he asked sarcastically.

“What is your problem, dude? Stop antagonizing her,” I hissed.

He didn’t even spare me a glance. All his focus was on Rachel. “Does that mean you wouldn’t betray your father too?”

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked between them, wondering what he was hinting at and who her father was.

She froze at his question and shuffled on her feet for a while. She even let go of him, obviously conflicted. “You do know that being on her side means you’ll be defying your father, whether directly or not. Are you ready to do that too?”

I could see her expression shifting, as if this fact hadn’t crossed her mind before she jumped at the opportunity to support Ronan. Meanwhile, I was simply confused, wondering who her father was and why he was so important.

“I think you should just trust her judgment,” I added after a few minutes of silence from her.

Ronan shot me a glare. “Do you have any idea who her father is?” he asked.

“As long as she isn’t related to Alpha Darius, then I don’t think it matters.”

Ronan scoffed, shaking his head as if disappointed in my recklessness. I couldn’t blame him, but I believed that when a woman is in love, she would move mountains for her man. I mean, look at me. I wasn’t just breaking one rule, I was breaking multiple rules that could potentially lead to my death if it ever came out, and yet, I was doing it for Adrian. My last act of love for him.

“Let me introduce you to Rachel Jones, Principal Jones’s only child,” he said, gesturing to her with an exaggerated clap.

Color drained from my face, and my eyes widened as I gazed at her, everything suddenly falling into place.

I understood the reason she was the only girl allowed to roam the school, even though it was against the rules. She did that because it was their school, and they made the rules.

Most importantly, standing with us automatically meant that she would be standing against her father. And from the look of it, she wasn’t ready for a commitment like that.

Which could only mean that my secret was about to be out in the open.