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Cas nodded once.
Asa took in a slow breath. Cas wouldn’t murder him right there in the kitchen. He’d wait until 4am when Asa was sleeping and he’d throw a hood over his head, haul him out of the house, and toss his body into the Chicago River.
“I could be wrong,” Asa started. “And if this is a terrible idea, I trust your judgement. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
Something flickered in Cas’s eyes but he otherwise didn’t move.
“I want to take her for a ride on the bike. South. Toward Peoria and back. It’s an easy loop. Couple hundred miles. There’s a state park where we can stop for a minute if she wants. Nothing crazy.” His voice got softer. “You and Devan can follow us. Youshouldfollow us.”Aaannndhe was sweating. Had he remembered to put deodorant on? He swallowed, trying to work moisture back into his suddenly dry mouth. “I think, and again, I could be wrong, but I think she needs to get out.”
Cas didn’t say anything for a long time.
Ultimately, Asa knew that Zara would make her own decision. But it would help a lot if her head of security was on board. He cared about her probably as much as her own father. If he expressed concern, it should be heard.
Asa looked at the larger man and decided to reveal something Zara probably never would.
“She’s not sleeping,” he said.
The lines between Cas’s eyebrows deepened slightly. He had to be wondering how Asa knew Zara wasn’t sleeping since they lived on separate floors. Asa wasn’t going to go into the details of how he knew.
The corner of Cas’s mouth may have twitched. It was hard to tell.
“Where’s the state park?” Cas asked.
Asa pulled out his phone and typed it into the search. He handed it over to the big man; the phone disappeared in Cas’s enormous grip.
Devan materialized out of the woodwork and Asa nearly jumped. That woman was a fucking ghost.
He rubbed his chest with a hand, trying to act like his soulhadn’tjust been snatched from his body.
Cas handed the phone over to Devan and they communicated telepathically. Or at least, that’s what Asa assumed since no words or gestures were exchanged. Didn’t bodyguards have to graduate from a special mindreading school? He thought he’d read that somewhere but it may have been a dream.
Zara stepped into the kitchen, fresh and ready for whatever came next. Her hair had been tamed into a braid. She was in jeans that looked thicker than average, a long sleeve tee, and Docs. A black leather jacket hung over one arm.
Something about her showing up ready to go without knowing how Cas would respond to Asa’s idea seemed very ballsy on her part. It was that kind of confidence that let her step out onto the stage in front of seventy thousand people and sing about the things that made her hurt.
It was really fucking hot.
Cas cleared his throat and handed the phone back to Asa. He gave a subtle nod.
For whatever reason, Cas’s approval was even more nerve-wracking than waiting for it. Asa’s stomach took a dive. He took his phone and slid it in his pocket before he looked at Zara again.
Could he take one of the most photographed women in the world out into public and not have anyone recognize her?
Or was he going to throw up first?
His mind flashed back to the night he rescued her from the afterparty. He’d been a wreck about that too. And then it had somehow turned into one of the best nights of his life.
He could do this.
“You wanna go for a ride?” he asked.
A slow smile spread across her face.
“There’s not a lot of space in town.” Asa dipped his chin. Because duh. “But we can head south and just ride. Or stop at the state park and walk around a bit. If you want.”
She laced her hands together and held them under her chin.
“I don’t want you to get too excited,” he warned, thinking about the very mediocre landscape that was Illinois. “It’s not life changing.”
