Page 32 of Guarding Zuri
Arthur laughed loudly. “She’s on her way out, believe me.” He sauntered toward the front door.
Daemon did believe him.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Zuri didn’t breathe—and Daemon didn’t release her—until she heard the front door slam behind Arthur Knight. Her tight chest relaxed as her lungs filled with air. She thought Daemon the perfect example of all wealthy men: arrogant, egotistical, superior. But his father… Arthur Knight was—lecherous. Daemon never acted that way with her. How could her bodyguard come from this man?
Zuri didn’t pull away from Daemon’s hold, even as it loosened. Daemon would guard her even against his own father. She felt protected and cared for. Their eyes met. He gave an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry about my father.” He squeezed her arm tenderly before pulling back completely.
A few of the guys in the room whistled. “Your dad…” said one of them.
Daemon sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. “I know. Sorry about that, guys. We agreed I’d contact his secretary to make an appointment. I didn’t have any idea he was coming.”
“We know.”
Daemon grimaced. “We should buy a better security system.”
The guys laughed.
“There’s time to attach a tracker to his car. He’s still out front,” Colin said, standing at a monitor that gave a wide angle of the front of the house.
“One of his cars,” a tall, brown-skinned man with as commanding a presence as his voice. Zuri recalled overhearing his name was Roland. “To have full coverage, we’d have to track an entire fleet.”
Daemon bit his lower lip like he was considering the opportunity. His gaze moved to the monitor showing the front of the drive and Arthur Knight’s car.
“We might have to move,” another guy stated. “The best thing about being out here is you don’t need to have a lot of security. We’re out in the country. No one would even look here.”
“No one except Arthur Knight,” Daemon said dryly. “I should’ve never told him I was basing Knight Shield here.”
“He must really want you to take over if he drove all the way out here,” Blaine said, his lips forming a frown. “What’d you tell him?”
“Nothing, yet,” Daemon said quickly. He eyed Zuri’s plate. “That looks amazing, and I’m starving.” He moved toward the kitchen.
Zuri’s gaze followed Daemon’s back as he exited the room. So Daemon didn’t like having his father around.With a man like that for a father, who would?The elder Knight was interposing, not to mention disgusting. Although Daemon’s initial rejection of her had pricked her pride, she appreciated that he was different from his father. He was professional—until thirty minutes ago. But where Mr. Knight was sleazy, Daemon’s treatment of her felt respectful.
Zuri sat down and began eating while observing the guys at their desks. One of the flat screens televised the Bendolan news media. The ticker at the bottom stated the start of a new government education program. Zuri almost choked on her delicious food. All the government programs were laughable. Designed to be ineffective, keep the people in desperate need, and line the dictator’s pockets. Democracy for her country couldn’t come soon enough.
Daemon reappeared with a plate piled high with food. He took a seat beside her. “How’s the food? Good?”
She swallowed. “It’s incredible. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
“Yeah, I made a good call hiring our kitchen staff. The chefs are amazing. If you’re enjoying dinner, just wait until you have dessert.”
Zuri frowned, although her taste buds were dancing with joy. “I feel guilty eating this well when a lot of my people go without food for days.”
Daemon nodded. “I’m no stranger to impoverished conditions. I deployed to Afghanistan and witnessed the devastation people experienced under terrorist rule. Farms burned, livestock killed. Land that had been owned by families for generations confiscated. Starving ourselves isn’t going to help them.”
He understood. Zuri’s heart warmed. “I thought with your boat and your plane—”
“And this house, and the food, and the limo, that I’m indifferent to others?” He grinned while chewing his food.
“Rich people flaunt their money, in my experience.”
“Would you consider that experience limited?” Daemon asked in a lighthearted tone.
He hadn’t asked threateningly. In fact, conversing with Daemon on a soft leather couch in his command and control center living room and eating the most divine pasta she’d ever tasted evoked comfort. The cheese sauce was everything, and it was a shame she couldn’t hire the chef. Zuri determined that living the high life for a few days would not change her. It was only going to be a few days, right?
“I can concede I don’t have a lot of experience,” she said in between bites. “It is limited to what I’ve seen in Bendola and some of the other countries I’ve visited. In Bendola, only a few people have money to throw away. The ‘Select.’”
