Page 68 of Guarding Zuri
Daemon about-faced and took her hand, and they sprinted toward the back of the building, Blaine on their heels. With his cell phone to his ear, Daemon said, “Yeah, meet us out back. Front’s compromised.” He shot her a smirk that wasn’t at all comforting. “That was fast.”
“You assumed right. They know you’re protecting me.”
In a couple of minutes, they settled in the backseat of his SUV, speeding through the city to the private airstrip where Daemon’s plane waited.
“Bendola?” Blaine asked from the front seat. “Or did we settle on Switzerland? Have you been, Zuri? It’s incredible. And the Knight Resort is first rate. Of course, it should be. The name’s recognizable. If the sheets had hairs on them, the Yelp reviews would be brutal.”
“We’re going to Bendola,” Daemon said with an annoyed tone. “We can do the Alps after—no, wait. You’re on the roster for the next contract, Blaine.”
“What?!”
“They asked for you, specifically.”
“Who?” Blaine’s tone shifted from irritation to incredulity.
“Brief’s on your tablet. After we return Ms. Msongo to Bendola, you’ve got about a week. Plenty of time to get in a couple of hours on the slopes.”
“A week off? I gotta polish my resume.”
Daemon chuckled. He finished texting something and then settled his beautiful eyes framed with long, brown lashes on her, taking in her face and then the rest of her form. She always felt naked when he looked at her. It made her shiver, but not from fear.He’s looking at me for the last time.“Ready to go home?”
Unable to find her voice, she nodded.
His phone buzzed, and Daemon quickly answered it. He then put it on speaker. “David, Zuri is with me. A group of men are in DC. We think they’re here for her. President Gohi’s men. We’re on our way to—”
“The coup has started!” David shouted. “Zuri, come home no—”
The cell cut off. Zuri’s head snapped toward Daemon. “They’ve done it!”
“No, they haven’t, Princess,” Daemon said firmly. “We don’t know—”
“The coup has started! You heard him! That’s what he said. I must go home. David wants me to return home.”
Dropping his phone on the seat between them, he gripped her arms, his narrowed eyes on her. “We need confirmation first.”
“But—”
“I made a promise, Zuri. I swear we’ll get you home, but if the coup has started, there won’t be a more dangerous time for you to appear. We have to know that David can get you.” Something shifted in his gaze that caused Zuri’s heart to still. Daemon leaned in close, his hard expression making his words sound more fervent. “What if it fails, Princess? You’ll be hunted again. If something happens to you, the rebellion will probably die. You’re the beating heart of it all. Youmustlive.”
“David will be there to protect me,” she said softly, her heart painfully thudding in her chest, already sensing Daemon’s absence.
His gaze hardened, but he nodded and released her. “He’s one of the best. You’ll be in good hands.”
The car pulled up near Daemon’s plane. A few minutes later, the plane was gaining speed, with Daemon and Zuri strapped into large, soft leather seats. Daemon ended a call on his cell. “Homeland Security is monitoring the guys we saw. They were calling security at the building the same time we were heading out.”
“Will they arrest them?”
“They haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Yet!”
“I know, I know. But they entered legally. The law is hamstrung until they do something illegal. And then, they’ll be kicked out, probably on the next plane to Bendola—where you’ll be.”
As soon as the men discovered she wasn’t there, they would be returning to Bendola. And especially if they received word about the coup. Zuri stared at the side of Daemon’s face. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Daemon…”
Daemon sighed and brought his weary gaze to hers, hope faint in his eyes. “You won’t change your mind?”
Zuri shook her head. She didn’t want to fight with him, but she also knew where her heart needed to be—physically, with her people. She reached out and took a hold of his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. He was warm and strong, and she would feel safe with him anywhere, even in Bendola.
