Page 67 of Guarding Zuri
“We know they are. High-ranking officials, very close to Gohi.”
“He knows I’m here—in DC.”
“We have to assume.”
“How did Gohi figure it out?”
Blaine spoke. “I messaged Parker. One of the military officers the resistance spoke with hadn’t been heard from. They believe he was captured by the EG.”
“He would’ve been forced to talk!” Zuri cried.
A tense look passed between Daemon and Blaine. “That means Gohi knows about the coup,” Blaine said.
“We have to assume he knows we’re protecting Zuri,” Daemon added.
Zuri put a hand to her chest as it seized. “It’s over,” she said with a shaky whisper.”
“Not necessarily,” Daemon said.
“They’re here to kill me.”
“I’m not going to let that happen. We’re heading to the airport.”
The three of them rode the elevator down with Blaine talking on the phone with the driver of the SUV, that was moving into position to take them to the airport.
Ten floors from the lobby. “If this fails…” Zuri shuddered. “David would never forgive himself. If anything happened to the group, that officer—”
His large, warm hand circled her upper left arm. “We won’t give him a reason to. Don’t worry. My analysts have forwarded additional intelligence to our team in Bendola.”
Blaine ended his call. “David’s way ahead of us, anyway. He usually is. Parker confirmed he got the package. They’re reviewing it right now. There’s still hope this coup will succeed.”
“Do people know you live in Ashburn?” Zuri asked.
“Only people that need to know,” Daemon answered. “But ownership of the land was transferred to a separate LLC for insurance reasons.”
“They won’t know to check county records for that,” Blaine added. “And wouldn’t guess the name of the company if they did.”
“I’ve never seen their faces,” Zuri said. “They haven’t been on television.”
“They won’t be well known, but they will be well-trained.”
“Am I—safe to return to Bendola? If Gohi sent them after me, they could follow me anywhere. Where could I go?”
“There’s always the Alps,” Blaine said.
“Ever been skiing, Princess?” Daemon asked with a large smile, although his eyes still held a dark shadow of concern. “Private resort. Everything we need for a command center. And my board’s been lonely.”
“What about the coup?” Zuri asked, the idea of visiting the snowy peaks of the expansive mountain range appealing. She’d only seen it in pictures.
The elevator door opened to the hallway that would lead to the expansive foyer. Daemon placed his tablet back in his bag. “I know you want to be there. It’ll be very dangerous.”
“Perfect time to sneak Zuri in,” Blaine added. “We can handle dangerous,” he added and winked.
They rushed out, and then Zuri grabbed Daemon’s arm, forcing him to halt. “Shh! Listen.”
Daemon gave her a confused look. The sound of men’s voices could be heard around the corner. His eyes widened.
Zuri heard the unmistakable Bendolan accent in the English being spoken. “Yes. We are the delegation from Bendola, invited by Zuri Msongo…”
