Page 47 of Guarding Zuri
“Then choose wisely,” Zuri said.
“We will.”
Daemon and David discussed evacuation plans, if the safe house was discovered, and the movement of assets. Daemon had already routed another plan from central Europe to their location. Parker reported the team in Cote d’ivoire was ready to receive them.
Daemon hung back while Zuri and David said goodbye. When Zuri thanked him for the call, he nodded in acknowledgment. She left the room with the expectation that she would be returning to Bendola in a matter of days. And if David was right about the swell of support for the resistance, then Zuri would get her wish. She said goodnight with a wave over her shoulder, and hurried out of the room, leaving Daemon to do battle with the unrelenting sense of loss that continued to chill his soul.
He wouldn’t ask her to stay, even if he wanted to explore what they were on the precipice of discovering. It wouldn’t be fair to her, nor to her country—or Bayo. No, it was better this way. Theirprofessionalrelationship had to end. Besides, he would be too busy with the next client.
Which reminded him; he had a confirmation and contract to send out to his newest client.
“Daemon?”
He looked up. Zuri stood at the door. “Thought you were going to bed.”
“I was thinking about—your mother.”
“My mother?”
“Her preserve. Do you think we could visit it? I’d like to see some of the animals she painted.”
Why didn’t he think of that? She was lonely for home. His mother’s preserve was a beautiful, outdoor adventure that transported everyone into the natural world. “Of course. When do you want to go?”
“I have a few virtual meetings tomorrow.”
“Then I’ll set it up for the day after.”
“I’d like that.”
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Daemon’s private jet landed at Tampa International, where a car waited to drive them to his mother’s preserve in northeast Tampa.
“Are you going to tell me?” Daemon asked when they secured the seat belts.
“Tell you what?”
“Why you wanted to see my mother’s preserve?”
Zuri smiled at the thought of Maude Knight. The initials MK signed in the corners of her paintings. The landscapes and animals positioned around her bedroom had made Zuri so comfortable. Like she had been transported into a land of idyllic peace. “I feel like I know her—or want to know her. She painted so beautifully.”
“She was an amazing artist.”
His parents seemed so different. “How did your parents meet?”
“My mother loved animals. She worked most of her life around them in some capacity or another. My mother was giving a benefit to raise money for a zoo, and my father was there as a guest of a friend. He loved her presentation and funded the zoo expansion and updated its veterinarian services. After his donation, she continued working as a vet. I grew up with animals, but being in the military and my job now—I don’t have time for a dog,” he ended with a chuckle.
She gave him a playful slanted look. “You came from her?”
He laughed. “You think I’m more like my father?”
She smiled in return. “No, I don’t. Not after the proof I’ve seen,” she said about his willingness to help her, his kindness. “That means you must be like her.”
“She did influence me. They both did. She championed my going into the military. Thought I was brave—and that I looked handsome in my uniform.”
Zuri sucked in her lips and tried not to smile. She could imagine Daemon in a military uniform. And he would indeed look very handsome. “And your father?”
“I suppose I got my business acumen from him. Despite a few left-field life choices, he taught me how to be disciplined, even before I joined the military.”
