Page 43 of Guarding Zuri
Roland snorted. “Sure you will, buddy. Sure you will.” He patted Daemon on the shoulder like he was a naïve boy.
“I’m not in love.”
Roland glanced at him. “I never said you were.”
“But you were thinking it.”
“So were you.”
Crap. He fell for it again. “What’s the latest on the Bendolan delegation visiting DC?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Still being monitored. You were right about their backgrounds. All but two had military training. We can confirm one was in the Bendolan Army and the others are possibly Elite Guard but we haven’t confirmed it. I suspect they know she’s in the US.”
That gave Daemon an uneasy feeling. His men had been monitoring social media feeds and chatrooms for any mention of Zuri’s presence. Many thought she had escaped to a nearby country, while some assumed she’d fled to Europe. But Roland was right: they had to assume the official delegation had guessed correctly.
“No indication they’ve connected Knight Shield to Zuri or the resistance,” Roland added.
Daemon’s insides settled. “Right under their noses. Sometimes it’s the best place to hide.”
“Daemon?” Zuri stood before him, her waist at his eyeline. He forced his eyes up her long torso and to her eyes. Her face appeared tight, and her eyes slightly red. Had she been crying?
Roland smiled at Zuri. “Heard you went into DC today and made some good connections. I know Bendola will prosper with the right allies.”
Zuri smiled at Roland while her gaze shifted to Daemon. “I owe it all to Daemon for allowing me out of the house.”
Roland laughed and stood. “I’m going to get some sleep before shift.”
“Goodnight, Roland,” Daemon said.
From behind Zuri, Roland winked. “Let me know if you need a spotter.”
“I won’t,” Daemon ground out. He stood and took Zuri’s elbow in his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“I was just reading the latest news about my country.”
Daemon frowned. “I know. It’s not good.” He tapped his iPad screen to wake it. “Still nothing from Parker…”
“Gohi could attack Bendola’s neighbors. We can’t just stay here and do nothing.”
Daemon sighed. They’d been through this. “Zuri—”
“I want to talk to David. Now.”
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Zuri followed Daemon into a conference room on the first floor and took a seat at the head of the black oblong table. The room sported giant screens opposite her, and technology devices she couldn’t name. Small, iPad-sized screens were fixed to the table in front of each seat, and she assumed they worked the monitors and whatever else was in the room. The chair she sat in molded to her bottom and was almost as comfortable as the couch in the main area.
What things money can give you, she thought. If she had a fraction of what was in Daemon’s bank account, the resistance army might’ve toppled Gohi a long time ago. Yet, she was proud they had scrapped and clawed for what they could get. It would make their win sweeter in the end. She did wish they had more money to buy clothes through the years. Until today, she’d never worn sweatpants this soft, as though a fleece blanket wrapped around her legs.
“Is the air okay?” Daemon asked. “Need it warmer or cooler?”
“The air is fine, thanks.” She just wanted him to connect to David. She’d spoken to him yesterday, but after what she had viewed on the computer monitor, things in Bendola were rapidly changing.
Daemon had pulled up the news feeds on the computer, and she’d spent the last two hours reading news reports, poring over data analysis of attacks in her country, and reading Twitter posts from people in her country. Journalists, who had to operate in secret, reported on the latest deaths from the Elite Guard and the impact of food shortages, in part due to the lack of rainfall this year and how the country had very little irrigation systems.
And she was sitting here in fleece sweatpants and a soft-as-cashmere-t-shirt.
She tried to temper her frustration. She had to be cool and level-headed when she spoke to David. Bendola could be at war with its neighbors in days, if not hours.
