Write or Wrong (Common Threads #9)

Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I’M ON YOUR SIDE

ZARA

She’d cried herself to sleep last night.

Not because she’d wanted to but because her body needed to release the amount of stress it had endured that day.

So when she woke up, her eyes were overly dry and puffy, but her body and mind were clear and calm.

Such was the benefit of a good cry.

A heavy arm encircled her waist and heat at her back let her know Asa hadn’t left even after she’d fallen asleep. Not that she’d given him much reason to stay.

Carefully, she slid out from under the covers and out of his embrace, still fully clothed in the bodysuit and jeans she’d put on yesterday and the flannel that he’d given her at some point.

She went to the bathroom just off the bedroom, not the one in the hall where she’d spent so much time breaking down yesterday. The sight of her ridiculous hair brought her a small amount of peace. Some things were just always going to be consistent. Even if they weren’t the most helpful.

Someone had left toiletries in the bathroom for her and a change of clothes. Probably Gregor. She brushed her teeth and changed into the clean undergarments and fresh jeans. After she washed her face and failed to tame her hair, she put Asa’s blue and white flannel back on and buttoned it halfway. It was her flannel now. She wasn’t ever giving it back.

Back in the bedroom, she paused to watch Asa sleeping.

His handsome face frowning even in his dreams, his dark hair messy, his tattooed arm still outstretched to where she had been.

Her heart gave a small lurch, demanding she return to the bed, to wake him up and tell him all was forgiven. But she’d learned the hard way that her heart was stupid and did stupid things.

She needed a minute to think.

It wasn’t even so much what he’d done. It was how what he’d done had ricocheted through her belief in him, tearing it to shreds. One bullet breaking into a thousand tiny fragments that imbedded themselves in all the tenderest parts of her. The spaces she’d willingly let him into because she thought it had been safe. Which wasn’t even his fault.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault.

It was just a consequence.

The culmination of a lifetime of being let down and deceived and the loneliness that came with all of it.

She’d made the tragic mistake of putting all her faith in someone who was wholly human. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Not really. She even understood it.

But all the rationality in the world didn’t magically make the turmoil go away. It still felt uneven. Unsteady. Basically, the opposite of how she’d always felt with him.

And she didn’t know what to do with it.

Carefully, so she didn’t wake him, she left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

And entered a war room.

“Whoa,” she said, stopping short.

Gregor put a cup of coffee in her hand. “How you feeling?”

“Fine.” She nodded and took a sip.

“Are you ready for an update or do you want breakfast first?” he asked, eyeing her clothing choice but making no comment.

“Both is good,” she said, walking further into the living room that was now full.

Sonja was on the phone standing near the balcony door, Kenna sat on the couch typing furiously on her tablet.

Devan and Cas were chatting with a handful of similarly dressed men and women—no doubt extra security. She was pretty sure she recognized some of them.

Gregor pointed her to the breakfast bar and she took a seat. She watched her team work around her and each other like a well-oiled machine.

With the Kramer issue solved, that just left the fallout from Shelby’s actions to deal with.

She took out her phone and despite her better judgement, she searched her name.

Holy fuck.

The first thing that came up was a photo of XY Records with a small crowd of people loitering outside. She clicked on it to find it had been taken a just a couple hours before.

Johnny and Hannah were going to be pissed.

God, her life was always ruining things for everyone she cared about.

Gregor placed an egg white omelet in front of her and she put down the phone. She started to eat while Gregor filled her in.

“The Lincoln Park house will need to be cleaned up a little before you can go back,” he started. Because of the mess created when Kramer did whatever it was he did. “ If you want to go back.” He didn’t wait for her to decide. “It’s safe to say you’re no longer living here in secret. The internet is having a shit hemorrhage about you being in Chicago. Several media outlets have asked for a statement. I’m pretty sure Kenna just keeps putting them on hold.”

Zara snickered.

She hadn’t realized it, but she’d missed her team. They were good people. Not that she regretted her time in Chicago, far from it. But going back to her version of “normal” wasn’t going to be a hardship. As long as she didn’t think about what that meant for her and Asa.

“Which reminds me, does he have people?” Gregor asked.

“Hm?” Zara lifted her eyebrows in question.

Gregor jerked his chin toward the back bedroom. “The tattooed hunk of handsome who may or may not be part Belgian Malinois.”

Zara smiled down at her now empty plate and picked up her coffee. “He doesn’t have people.”

Gregor watched her carefully and nodded. She wondered how much he knew. It had to be quite a bit because Cas kept the team updated on the different people in her life. And she’d mentioned Asa to him in their weekly calls but had never detailed the extent of their relationship.

“He wouldn’t let any of us do anything last night,” Gregor said.

“What do you mean?” she asked, setting down her coffee mug. “What the hell were you trying to do?”

“We were going to start moving your stuff to the house in London and get you out of here in the morning. We thought it’d be best to get you as far away from this mess as possible. He pretty much told us all to fuck off and wait until you woke up. Cas and Devan backed him up.”

Huh.

He did that? Stood up to her team when she couldn’t?

Something about Cas and Devan having his back, as if he was just as much a part of her as anyone could be…

Some of those achy spots inside hurt a little less.

“I don’t want to go to London. I’m not done here yet,” she said, picking her coffee back up and ignoring all the tremors of warmth threatening to take over her thoughts.

“What are you doing here?” Gregor asked.

“Making something important,” she replied. Her gaze lost focus as she thought about all the things they’d created and all the things she still wanted to make with him.

She met Gregor’s gaze and he asked without asking. But she didn’t have an answer for herself let alone him. So she changed the subject.

“Is the label still pissed I ghosted them?” she asked.

When she’d left New York, she’d stopped returning their calls. Over and over again they’d violated her boundaries and ignored her requests. So she’d stopped giving them access to her. Sonja handled the legal parts of it, but Zara had decided that if they wouldn’t start treating her like an equal, she was out. She could get another contract easily. Or hell, even start her own label. Maybe she could partner with Johnny and Hannah.

Gregor smirked. “About that.”

She lifted her eyebrows, interested.

“They’ve…” Gregor twisted his lips to the side like he was searching for the right word. “ Reconsidered the structure of the board.”

“Oh?”

“Let’s just say, you can do whatever you want. They’ve offered a new contract that you should probably read with Sonja, but they’re not going to risk losing you. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Huh.” She blinked and contemplated the implications of such an offer. “I wouldn’t have to release on such a strict schedule.”

“Nope. The Beastie Boys would disappear for like five years between releases and no one freaked out. Their fandom didn’t dimmish and they made the music they wanted to make. You have that same magnetism.”

Zara smiled. “The Beastie Boys, huh? You think I’m good enough to compare to them?”

Gregor rolled his eyes. “My love, you compare to no one. But you’ve worked incredibly hard to be this successful. You’ve earned the trust of your fans. Do what you want. Follow your inspiration and we’ll follow you.”

She could make the music she wanted when she wanted. With whom she wanted.

The idea opened up the door to possibilities which filled her with a rush of excitement.

“You came here to get away from everything,” Gregor continued. “To put space between you and the world. To give them less to talk about. And the moment you’re spotted, it’s like a tidal wave. You’re trending on every site. Your being seen is the top five stories of every publication. The fanboards have exploded with theories and speculation and rumors. It’s almost as if your being away amplified their obsession with you.”

Her excitement fizzled a bit. He was right.

She thought about that photo of XY Records.

Asa’s life was about to be split right open. Again. The scrutiny and violations of privacy would never stop. If anything, they’d get a whole lot worse the longer his name was attached to hers.

Could she ask him to stand in the middle of her hurricane with her? Bigger question, could she truly trust him to be in it with her? As her partner? As her safe place? For the right reasons?

It was ironic in a way. All the things she could offer to someone to make them stay; money, security, travel, excitement. They were all the things Asa didn’t want or need. If he stayed, it could only be for one reason.

And that scared her more than anything.

If only she had someone who had been there. Someone she could talk to about balance and life and what happens when the person you’ve fallen in love with doesn’t do well with crowds. And how to trust that it’s real.

Beyond Gregor’s shoulder Cas caught her eye. He lifted his chin, a subtle way of asking her to come talk to him.

She eased off the stool and patted Gregor’s shoulder.

When she reached Cas and Devan her body flooded with relief mixed with guilt again. Last night could have gone so differently. Impulsively, she hugged both of them.

Devan chuckled and Cas patted her head. They probably thought she was silly but that was because they didn’t know how much they meant to her. An error she would rectify moving forward.

“We found Shelby,” Cas said, almost imperceptibly.

Zara’s whole body tightened and her heart took off at a gallop.

She’d assumed they’d look for Asa’s sister of course. But she had no idea they’d find her that quickly.

“Do you want to speak to her?” Cas asked, watching her carefully.

Zara nodded once. Slowly.

She had a few things to say.

Cas and Devan took her back to the parking garage, to a different vehicle than the one they’d been using, with blackout windows. They drove to a huge building and into the underground garage, where someone met them and led them to a secure, private elevator. Down a few corridors, up another elevator and to a floor marked Cipher Security.

Through all this Zara didn’t ask any questions. She’d assumed they were going to the police station or something. This wasn’t what she’d expected but she didn’t mind. The fewer people who saw her, the better.

At least until after she’d spoken with Kenna on the next steps for PR.

Cas led her to an empty conference room with a long table, chairs around it, and different coffee makers and accoutrements against one wall. She looked to her security for the next steps when someone she didn’t know entered the room.

She took in his black suit, shaved head, and the glimpse of neck tattoos that peeked out of the top of his buttoned-up collar.

“Oh good. You’re here,” he greeted Cas in a thick Boston accent. “That woman is a real fucking piece of work. What a mouth on her. And that’s coming from me.” His gaze flicked to Zara and he blinked. “Whoa. You’re right there.”

Zara’s face grew hot. What did he mean by that?

“Sorry,” he went on with a short shake of his head. “I’m usually in Boston. There’s a huge billboard with your face on it. I drive past it every day. Seeing you in real life is…different.” He cleared his throat and shrugged. “Do you want me to bring her in here now? Or wait for Quinn and Alex?”

Was he talking about Shelby? And who were Quinn and Alex?

“Let’s wait,” Cas said. “Zara, this is Dan O’Malley. He’s head of Cipher Security and helped us track down Shelby.”

Dan nodded and rock back on his heels. “She wasn’t hard to find. She’s got a loud mouth. Getting her here was like wrestling a feral cat into a bath though.” He made a face. “She’s mean.”

Zara snorted at his delivery. “Thank you for your help,” she said.

He shrugged like it was no big deal and she wondered how Cas knew him. He’d brought her Gregor, had taken care of Kramer and now there was this Dan O’Malley guy with the neck tattoos. He was this never-ending cornucopia of interesting revelations.

Needing to busy herself, she wandered over to the coffee station and started making coffee for everyone in the room.

She checked her phone and wondered if Asa was awake yet.

Her stomach threatened to cramp at the thought of him not being there when she got back. She wasn’t as upset with him as she’d been last night. But they definitely needed to talk. And it needed to be the kind of talk where big decisions were made.

The bubble was gone and it was time to find out if this thing was as real and scary as she hoped it was.

“Hey, Dan, big guy, Devan, right?”

Zara slowly turned towards the doorway to see Hannah Lee James entering the conference room and greeting the bodyguards.

What was she doing here?

Zara’s brain paused.

Of course. Of course! Why hadn’t she thought about Hannah until then? Hannah had left the industry, had found peace and love and happiness. If anyone could give Zara any kind of helpful advice or hard-earned wisdom, it would be her.

“I need to talk to you,” Zara blurted as the former reigning queen of pop approached her.

Hannah arched an eyebrow, her mouth tilting into a small smile. “I know you do.” She gestured to the table. “Let’s have a chat.”

Zara grabbed her coffee and took a seat. Hannah made herself a coffee and joined her. They turned their chairs to face one another.

Several years ago, Zara had won Best New Artist at the NMAs. Hannah had presented her with the award. It was the same night Hannah got arrested for assaulting a producer backstage and then subsequently disappeared from the industry. It wasn’t until Zara had started recording at XY Records with Sunshine Capone that she’d “re-met” Hannah in her new life.

She was settled. Happy. Still living mostly off-grid and adamant on keeping it that way.

Zara thought of the people outside XY Records that day and sighed. “I’m sorry about what’s happened.”

Hannah chuckled. “Babe. I saw this coming months ago. It’s fine. It’s all been prepared for.”

“How?”

Hannah hummed as she drummed her nails lightly on the table. “I’m so intensely paranoid when it comes to protecting the people I love that I make plans I hope never have to be used. And I happen to have…people that are even more paranoid than I am. The first time you showed up in the studio I knew this was a possibility. We started building contingencies at that time. And then after you and Asa made headlines last October, we had a direction.”

“You didn’t say anything,” Zara replied, throat dry.

“We spoke to Asa about it. Created a false business address in Miami where we listed him as an employee just to throw off anyone snooping too closely.” Hannah’s gaze lost focus and her lips tilted up on one side. “But when we asked him about his relationship with you, he lied.”

Zara swallowed. “What did he say?”

“He said there wasn’t anything happening between you two.” Hannah took a sip of coffee, her ice blue eyes on Zara.

“In October there wasn’t anything. He wouldn’t even return my texts.” Zara chewed on her lower lip. She should have just left him alone. None of this would have happened.

“And now?” Hannah asked.

Now?

She didn’t know. She loved him. But… She shook her head. “How did you balance it? The music and the fame and relationships?”

“Oh. My sweet summer child,” Hannah said with a small laugh. “I didn’t. I self-medicated with anything I could get my hands on.”

“But not now.”

“No. Not now. Now? I have more than I deserve. And I work really hard at protecting it.” Her smile turned soft as her expression turned reflective. “We protect our peace for as long as we can. But this is an imperfect world with imperfect people. All we can expect from them, and from ourselves, is to do our best with what we have. I’m fond of reminding myself that all we can do is all we can do.”

Those words were filled with more hope than Zara was ready to absorb in the moment.

Hannah was right. Asa did a human thing. Thinking he was doing the right thing. How often did she do that too? A little more of the hurt slipped away.

But what about the rest? Being in love in the public eye would ask so much from the both of them.

“I can see your mind is working up the urge to freak out,” Hannah interrupted her thoughts. “I spoke to Asa again. Just a few days ago.”

Zara was afraid to move. Afraid to breathe. Did she want to know the rest of what Hannah knew?

“He’s not stupid, Zara,” Hannah said softly. “He knows what the job is. He’s in this with you as much as you’ll let him be.”

Her mind raced back to that night in LA. Suddenly her hope was a large stone, pushing her anxiety and doubt out of the way and taking up her entire chest.

“Job is probably the wrong word for it. But if someone wants to be in a relationship with you, they’re gonna have to check their ego at the door. They have to be secure enough to step back and let you shine. They should be your biggest fan. I feel like that goes without saying.”

Was that—? Was this—? Did he?—?

Zara blinked back the sudden moisture in her eyes. Hannah was right. Asa wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly who she was and what being with her meant. He’d known it the whole time.

Why did that make everything in her body feel like it was flying?

Hannah smiled a small smile like she knew what was happening in Zara’s head and heart. She checked her watch. “I have to get going. I don’t want to be here when…you’ll see.” She finished her coffee and stood. “And trust me, Quinn’s services are well worth it. Oh! And maybe have Sabine talk to Ace. She might have some pointers on being the not-so-famous partner.”

That was a really good idea, Zara realized. Sabine had been thrust into the spotlight the first time she’d been seen with her rock star husband. Plus she was a kickass teacher. She probably had great advice.

Zara stood as well and watched Hannah leave.

She must’ve only been there to talk to her. That was super sweet. It made Zara feel less alone in all this. And Hannah hadn’t seemed pissed about the media attention either.

She finished her coffee and decided to make another one.

“Ms. Lorna, I hope we didn’t keep you waiting for too long.”

She turned to see a tall man in an expensive suit with chiseled features and icy eyes pull a chair out at the conference table. He didn’t sit down.

“I’m just Zara,” she said.

He nodded and another man, also tall, dark, and handsome but with glasses, took a seat next to the one the first man had pulled out.

“I am Quinn Sullivan,” the first man introduced. “And this is my associate, Alex Green.”

Okay, now she knew Quinn and Alex.

“We’ve set this up at the request of your head of security and Hannah Lee James.”

All right. Some things were starting to make sense.

Cas pulled out a seat at the head of the table and directed her to it.

“So you all know each other?” Zara asked, taking a seat.

“Some of my people have worked with Cas and Devan before,” Dan explained.

Alex opened a laptop and started clicking and typing, a bored look on his face.

“Let’s get the worst part out of the way, shall we?” Quinn nodded at Dan.

Dan made a face and left the room.

“I’m still not sure what’s going on,” Zara said propping her chin in her hand her elbow on the table. “In case anyone wants to fill me in.”

Alex’s lips twitched with the hint of a smile.

“I’m the one responsible for Ms. James’ continued privacy and long-term protection.”

“Just you?” Alex muttered.

Quinn sighed. “ We are responsible.”

Alex nodded in agreement.

“Shit,” Zara said. “Does this mean I’m in trouble? For bringing the paps to XY?”

“Not at all.” Quinn shook his head. “We’ll go over everything my services cover in a minute.”

“In here?”

All eyes turned to the doorway as Asa’s sister, Shelby entered.

She was in the same clothes Zara had seen her in the day before; black jeans and a black tank top. Her burnt orange colored hair pulled back into a short ponytail. She crossed her arms over her chest as her eyes roamed over the faces in the room.

“What’s going on, guys?” Shelby asked as she carefully made her way into the conference room. Her gaze continued to flick from person to person, but lingered on Zara the longest. She walked all the way around the table and chose a seat across from Quinn but close to Zara.

It was so weird. Her dark brown eyes and the shape of her nose were so similar to Asa. But vastly different. Where Asa’s eyes were warm and honest, Shelby’s were small and mean. Hard.

Shelby made a show of looking around the room. “I don’t see my brother here.”

Zara swallowed and sat back in her chair.

Shelby shifted, getting comfortable. She leaned forward, putting her hands on the table. “I still have the video and I’ll take what CELEBX paid me for the photos. For an extra 10k I’ll throw in Asa’s demos that he…left behind at my dad’s house.”

She couldn’t be serious.

Zara’s left eye twitched.

“You misunderstand,” Quinn said coolly. “You’re not here to be paid off.”

Shelby turned her attention on him and seemed to take a second look.

“People like you,” Quinn said, letting the “you” hang in the air for a beat to make his point. “Come back again, and again. You’re blackholes of greed and self-interest. No amount of money can make you go away. No, I’ve found the most effective way of handling your impulses is to threaten you.”

Shelby’s eyes flared and her mouth grew tight. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Is that so?”

Quinn’s eyes slid toward Alex.

“You’re currently unemployed and living with your mother in southeast Iowa,” Alex said with a hint of smugness. “You’re under investigation for embezzlement and fraud in three different counties. There’s a bench warrant out for your arrest for failure to appear for a drunk driving charge. And you’re married to two different people in two different states making one of those marriages unlawful. Does the poor bastard even know?”

Shelby curled her lip at Alex. “You gonna turn me in or something?” she asked, unimpressed.

“I was thinking about adding more to it,” Quinn said.

“What do you mean?” Shelby asked.

Quinn shrugged. “You’re not a productive member of society. You seem to take pleasure in hurting others and being irresponsible. So what’s a few more charges? How about some felonies?”

Alex nodded and started typing.

“Trespassing, vandalism,” Quinn continued. “What does someone get for felony extortion these days?”

“Up to thirty,” Dan said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Shelby’s confidence began to dissolve. “Extortion?” She puffed a laugh. “Yeah, okay.”

“Oh, I get it,” Quinn said, his voice glacial. “Because you’ve had mediocre success manipulating people in your life—people who care about you, no doubt—that’s given you a false sense of security. You think you can game your way out of anything.”

Quinn’s expression took on a wolfish quality.

“But you see, I don’t care about you. I think you’ll find it difficult to manipulate me. We have you on video threatening to release the photos if payment wasn’t provided. Further, a man was arrested later that night with intent to harm Ms. Lorna.”

Zara wished he’d stop with the Ms. Lorna. Also, Kramer didn’t find her place because of Shelby. She darted a glance to Cas who shook his head once.

“I didn’t mean?—”

“What did you mean?” Quinn asked, his voice a sharp crack that made Shelby flinch.

Shelby’s face flushed a deep maroon and her eyes glossed over. She looked down at her lap and back up, her gaze connecting with Zara’s.

“It was Asa’s idea,” Shelby said softly. “I told him I didn’t want to do it but he insisted.”

What was this fresh hell?

“He said that if I leaked the pictures, you’d be more willing to pay for the video. I was supposed to get half.”

Zara covered her mouth with a hand to keep from laughing. Not because it was funny, but because it was so absolutely tragic. Shelby sat there, unflinching eye contact, and lied.

Not a small lie either. But the kind meant to destroy. To ruin. All for what?

“I never learn,” Shelby continued, sounding appropriately contrite as she self-flagellated. “He’s always been like this. And I get caught up in it because he’s my brother and I care about him. I mean, you must know how he can be.”

Damn. She was so convincing. But Zara knew the truth. She knew Asa the way she knew her own mind. Not only would he never conceive of this kind of scheme, but he’d also never do anything to trick her or hurt her. Even his actions the day before had been an attempt to protect her.

For a moment, she was able to put herself in his shoes. See the maneuvering happening in front of her, recognize it for what it was, and know that she’d do anything to protect him as well.

Zara’s gaze slid to Cas. To Devan. To Dan. To Alex. To Quinn.

Quinn rolled his eyes and turned his body toward Zara. “What do you want me to do?” he asked.

Shelby fell silent, a hopeful breath paused in her lungs.

Zara stared at her. This familiar but unremarkable human who had brought so much chaos to the mind of the man she loved. Made him doubt his talent. Punished him when he dared to find happiness.

Part of her recognized that Shelby would never stop. Every time she was reminded that Asa had anything she didn’t think he deserved, she’d find ways of reminding him.

So threats it had to be.

“I like your ideas,” she said to Quinn.

Shelby’s eyes widened a fraction. She hadn’t been expecting that. “But it was Asa’s idea!” she repeated.

“No, it wasn’t.” Zara tilted her neck from side to side, stretching out the tired and tight muscles.

“Yes, it was. I can prove it,” Shelby started to pat her thighs and she lasered in on Dan. “Where’s my phone?”

Dan took a phone out of his pocket and handed it over with a small, unamused smirk on his face.

Shelby snatched up the device and started tapping frantically on the screen. “He called me three days ago. It’s in my call log. Wait. Where is it?” She shot angry daggers at Dan. “You tampered with my phone,” she accused.

“Nope.” Dan shook his head, unworried.

She was a quick thinker, Zara decided. Too bad she didn’t use those skills for something more beneficial.

“He did. He called me.” Shelby put both hands on the table and opened her eyes wide, pleading with Zara. “You’ve gotta believe me.”

Zara pressed her mouth together to keep from smiling, because she recognized that look. It was the same thing Logan would do to her. His, “please believe me, I’m lying my ass off” look. If she hadn’t had the kind of history she did, she might have been inclined to believe the woman across from her.

“I don’t believe you,” Zara replied. Further, she wasn’t going to waste her time explaining why.

She rotated slightly in her chair to face Quinn, a man she barely knew but still trusted more than Shelby. “This is what I want.” She held up a hand and ticked off her points on her fingers. “I don’t care about the photos or video. What’s done is done. Destroy them, sell them, print them and hang them on your wall. I really don’t care. I don’t want her to have contact with me or Asa ever again. Or Nikki. Actually, anyone in my life. All of them are off limits. I want her to get whatever she’s earned on her own, good or bad. I don’t want to know what that ends up being. And I don’t want her to hurt anyone ever again.” She faced Shelby as she said the last part. “No more schemes, scams, or manipulations. I want her life to be boring and unbothered.”

Quinn nodded. Alex looked slightly disappointed.

Shelby inhaled, her eyes getting small and hard. “And what’s to keep me from telling this to the press?”

“Try it,” Quinn said, unconcerned.

Shelby swallowed and sat back in her chair.

“Time to go,” Dan said, gesturing for Shelby to get up.

Shelby’s eyes swung around the room, looking for someone she could latch onto. “That’s it?” she asked.

“For now,” Quinn replied, waving a hand in dismissal.

Dan took Shelby’s arm and helped her out the door.

After their voices faded away down the hall, Quinn smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle from his suit. “On to the matter of my services and how much they cost.”

“You’re hired,” Zara said. She didn’t care about the details.

Quinn chuckled. “You may want to have a lawyer go over the contract with you. My fees are not…inexpensive.”

“That’s fine. I like it when my money goes to a good cause.” She glanced at Cas. “And I get to keep my security.”

“Of course,” Quinn nodded in agreement.

He went on to explain what he did and what Alex did. Most of it, she didn’t understand. Quinn owned, like, everything. Including the East Randolph Residence where she’d stayed last night. He also owned Cipher Security which was the company Cas had been working with.

Alex was a hacker. Okay, they didn’t say that in so many words, but Zara wasn’t an idiot.

“I’ve taken the liberty of familiarizing myself with your situation,” Quinn said, getting to the point. “If I’m assuming correctly, you want a permanent place in Chicago. I have a few options that might interest you. I’ve looked at the place you’re renting in Lincoln Park. They’d sell.”

“How would buying that house help?” Zara asked. “If anything it would make it easier for people to find me. It would draw more attention to XY.” But the thought of owning the house where she and Asa had fallen in love sent a ripple of excitement through her.

Quinn shrugged. “Maybe. But the houses next door would sell. And so would the ones across the street. In fact, the entire block is a reasonable investment and you’d get a good price.”

“Buy a city block?” she scoffed, crossing her arms. But then the idea took hold in her head.

Buy a city block.

“What’s the point in having all the money in the world if you can’t use it to make your life what you want it to be? And you can live in one of my apartments while you make the needed updates to Lincoln Park. Such as reinforced windows and camera installation. Things of that nature. We can help set all that up of course.”

Zara’s gaze lost focus as she considered what he suggested. She rubbed a hand along her forehead, thinking.

But Quinn wasn’t finished. “You don’t have what you want? Then build it. Just like you’ve done with everything else. Make it happen.”

“That easy, huh?” she said with more than a little sarcasm.

“Yes,” he replied evenly. “Exactly that easy. Your rise to stardom wasn’t a fluke. Your peace of mind and happiness won’t be one either.”

She chewed on her lower lip as his words sank in.

He was right. She had never given up on something she wanted before, why would this be any different? And she knew without knowing how, she wouldn’t have to build it alone. She’d have Asa.

Her heart lit up like a Christmas tree at the thought of building something with him.

She didn’t have to go back to how it had been before him. He didn’t have to fit in her world because they could create a new one that fit both of them.

And they were really good at creating things together.