Page 15 of Guarding Zuri
Warmth flooded her chest, and it annoyed her.
They started down the hallway, but then took a flight of stairs. “The door is down there,” Zuri snapped.
“Thank you for reminding me. We’re taking the scenic route.”
“Don’t argue, my daughter,” Bayo said from behind them. “We are being watched. Daemon has another way out.”
“Watched?” Zuri tensed. Had Daemon been right? Did they rush this meeting? Her breath came frantically. Her father had agreed to this meeting on her insistence. It had gone well. What went wrong?
Daemon squeezed her arm, massaging her. “Relax. I’ve got you. We’ll get out of this.”
She believed him. For the first time since she had fired him, gratitudefor his presence and reassurance filled her. If asked, she might even tell the truth that his nearness gave her strength.
They came to the third level, and Daemon walked them through a door and into another room that looked more like a housing unit than the small commercial building in which they held the meeting. Zuri inhaled the stench of sweaty bodies and rotten food. Bags of trash and old shoes littered their path. Daemon effortlessly guided them through the obstacles and they jogged down the hallway toward another door.
Daemon touched his ear. “Copy that.”
“Daemon’s team made it past the checkpoints,” David said from behind them.
Checkpoints? Had the Elite Guard set up checkpoints?They know we’re here!Zuri looked over her shoulder and saw that David, too, had a hand to his ear. “Who are you talking to?”
“My team,” Daemon said simply.
His team? Zuri stared at the side of his face, his powerful jaw tight, his eyes narrowed on the door in front of them. Who was on his team? How many people? “What is going on?”
“Street isn’t clear. Need to move you to another pickup point.”
“How is that possible? Our men—”
“Spotted military units moving in. They are surrounding the area. These connecting buildings should lead us straight to a couple of cars I have waiting.”
“Yourcars?”
He winked at her before refocusing back on the door. “My cars.”
When they neared a door, Daemon signaled and everyone moved to the side wall. Daemon stepped in front of her, pressing his backside into her front and pinning her against the wall behind them. Zuri gasped at the contact. Waist to waist, her chest to the solid wall of body armor fitted to his large back. Every inhale filled the space between them, deepening their contact. Without windows nearby and the door solid, they had no view of the street and whether it was safe to exit. Daemon’s fingers touched his ear. He gave the order to move, wrapping a thick arm around her waist, keeping her tight against his back—literally her shield.
Daemon led them out of the building to waiting black suburbans; shiner than the ones Joqi had secured for the meeting today and with weighted doors.Are these Daemon’s?Her knowledge about cars was deficient, but she knew these were expensive. Daemon put Zuri in the second seat of the second car before getting behind the wheel. Zuri caught her father’s strained gaze before Joqi ushered him into the vehicle in front. She exhaled and settled back into the seat. It was over and she was safely in the car.I want fried fish and couscous for dinner.They could splurge this once, right? To celebrate Bendola’s forthcoming freedom.
“Buckle up, Princess.” Daemon put the vehicle in gear and acknowledged whoever was speaking in his earpiece.
For the first time, she didn’t mind the irritating nickname—and she did what she was told.
Then pinging sounds rang in Zuri’s ears as bullets pelted the SUVs.
CHAPTERSIX
Daemon slammed the accelerator into the floor and the vehicle took off.These guys are everywhere!Had Parker’s numbers been off?
The time he had to get Zuri into the up-armored vehicle was shorter than originally thought. The eyes of his team weren’t to blame; the EG moved with efficiency while Daemon led Zuri and her father through two buildings to the SUVs.They were on us too fast.They were blending into their environment, or hired mercenaries supplemented their numbers. Daemon figured the latter as more reports of the EG shoving their way into homes and businesses and roughing people up—all in the dictator’s name—had surfaced the last few days.
Daemon knew the meeting location would be compromised. That mole gained more information about Bayo and the resistance than previously believed. Yet, even in a populated area, the Elite Guard wouldn’t miss them. The EG attacked vehicles from the other countries—including the State Department’s.
“Hold on tight!” He cried out as he yanked the steering wheel to one side. They careened around the corner on two wheels. Zuri slammed against the side of the door. “Got your seatbelt on?”
“What do you think?” She tightened the belt around her middle and braced her arms against the seat. He chuckled. “You’re laughing? What about this is funny?”
“This is fun,” David said from his position in the front passenger seat.
