Page 13 of Guarding Zuri
“You trust me, right?” The car came to a stop. They were at the meeting place. David turned around in his seat and held her gaze. “Right? You trust me, Zuri?”
Zuri sighed, knowing what he was implying: she trusted Daemon by default. Another choice made for her. “Yes, David. Yes, I trust you.”
She jumped when the car door opened. Daemon Knight stood with his hand outstretched, that ever-present smirk on his face. What was he doing here?
“Hi there, Princess.”
Zuri turned a murderous gaze back to David, whose eyes went to the ceiling. “I take it back.”
“Yes, I figured you would,” David said with a frown. He opened his own door and exited the vehicle.
Zuri slapped Daemon’s hand away. “What are you doing here?” She scrambled out of the car.
“My job,” he said.
“You no longer have one.”
He took her elbow and forcefully moved her around the side of the building. “Let go!”
“You thinkyou have a say in this decision? Stop fighting me, Princess.” His grip tightened as she tried to extricate herself. His eyes twinkled as his gaze latched onto hers. “You will not win.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Where do you think? Inside, to the meeting. We need you off the main street.”
A side door opened, and Daemon ushered her in. Only when David shut the door behind them did Daemon release her.
“David,” Zuri started accusingly, “did you tell him?”
“Your father did,” Daemon said. “I’ve known about this place, and the others, for at least a week. We have men watching the perimeter and are ready to move on my orders.”
Zuri’s jaw slacked.
“Like I said, Princess, you don’t have a say.” He winked and then gestured down the shadowed hallway. “After you.”
Zuri stomped down the narrow hallway, trying to drown out Daemon’s incessant chuckling that bounced off the walls and echoed in her ears. Reason and logic warred against her emotions. Having extra security was a good thing, wasn’t it? Then why was she kept in the dark about a new bodyguard? What was her father afraid of? She would’ve agreed to one if she’d known about it.
Maybe.
Okay, not likely, but she could’ve been convinced.
Probably.
She stopped in the meeting’s doorway location and surveyed the room. The officials were already there, as was her father. She entered and then looked over her shoulder. Her lapdog didn’t follow. Instead, his serious gaze left her, and he whispered something to David, who nodded. David followed her while Daemon disappeared back into the hallway.
“Where is he going? He’s supposed to guard me,” Zuri stated sarcastically.
“There is something he doesn’t like, so he’s going to check it out.” David had a peculiar look on his face. “I don’t like it either.”
Zuri didn’t approve, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. David sat beside her while the meeting started. “Like what? Did he say what it was?” Zuri whispered.
“No,” David whispered back.
Zuri suppressed the frustration of feeling left out of something important and calmly asked, “Do you have any idea what it’s about?”
“A security issue, perhaps. But he’d made rounds right before we showed up. His intel has the Elite Guard close.”
“The Elite Guard is always close. What’s changed? Did you know he was coming?”
