Page 44 of Guarding Zuri
Daemon busied himself with the small touch screen near where she sat and turned on the monitors at the other end of the room. “I see that look,” he said. “You’re impatient.”
“Yes, I am,” she responded rather curtly.
“It’s only been a day. Once the representatives take your plans back to their companies—”
“I’m not talking about that. I mean—” her voice cracked. She blinked against the sting in her eyes and turned away while he continued to work on the tablet. A warm hand rounded her left shoulder and settled in the middle of her back.
“Zuri, I know you’re frustrated by not being there.”
“It’s my people. Gohi has been destroying their will little by little—for years. If I don’t give them hope—”
“But it’s not only you,” he interrupted with a rush of breath. “You’re not the only one fighting for Bendola—and you can’t be. You’ve put an unbearable weight of responsibility on your shoulders because your father was the leader of the resistance.” He gripped the armrest of her chair and spun her until she faced him. “You’ve got to rely on your team. That’s what I learned in the military. You’re not an island. No one’s alone. We protect and have each other’s back because that’s what a team does.” He blinked rapidly, emotion crashing over his face before it simmered away. “We pull each other along. And that’s what David and the rest of the resistance is doing right now. I know you want to talk to him, and I’ll try to get him on the line, but you’ve gotta trust your team. Trust they know what they’re doing and that they’ll complete the mission.”
His warm hand encircled hers and eased it from the armrest to his right knee. His lips trembled as they formed a smile. Her heart lurched. What she’d seen earlier—he was covering some pain, trying to be strong for her. “What was that?” she asked.
“What?”
“That look in your eyes. On your face.” Her free hand cupped the side of his face.
He cocked his head further into her hand. “It’s the look of admiration, Princess.”
She dropped her hand and shook her head. “No it’s not. You’re hiding something.”
“I’m hiding nothing from you. I meant every word I said.”
“I know you did, but there’s something beneath those words.” A flash of that emotion she had seen earlier skipped across his eyes, but his expression didn’t change. She covered his hand with her own. “I believe you’ll protect me. I do. I know I don’t act—grateful all the time, but I am. I swear.”
He smiled. “I know you are. And you’re right. There’s—my past. When I think about what happened, it messes with me. It won’t stop me from doing my job.”
“What happened?”
His eyes went cool, but he smiled. “It’s not important. I’ll do my job, and that’s a promise.” He squeezed her hand and disentangled himself.
Heat syphoned from her at his frigid declaration. “No. I refuse to accept that.”
He had stood and turned away from her, but he paused, looking down at her he arched a brow. “You refuse my protection? What else is new? Let me try to get David—”
She grabbed his right forearm, halting his progress. “That’s not what I meant. You’ve encouraged me and supported me. Let me do the same for you.” She gently kneaded his arm, hoping to persuade him to open up to her. “I trust you,” she continued. “Let me prove that you can trust me.”
He sighed and returned to his seat. “Years ago, I made a mistake, and it cost the life of one of my best friends.” Sheen filled his eyes. “It should’ve been me.”
Dread filled her. “What happened?”
“I wasn’t where I supposed to be.” He dropped his gaze as his shoulders slumped. “I was with a woman when I should’ve been prepping for a mission.” He laughed derisively. “I’m not my dad, but he would’ve been proud of that moment.” The skin at his throat tightened, and he rolled his shoulders. “Anyway, I thought I had time. I was late and left some important equipment in another tent and my friend—Jeremy—covered for me by going to get the gear while I got myself together. The enemy hit us with some rockets and…”
His gaze wavered and Zuri imagined what he left unsaid. The tent Jeremy was in got hit and he was killed. Again, he shifted his shoulders. The guilt and shame he still carried tore at her heart. She closed her eyes to her own tears. “Oh, Daemon.”
“I’ve heard it all,” his voice came out raspy. “It’s not my fault. I didn’t fire the rockets.” His red eyes met hers. “But it is my fault. He never would’ve been in that tent if he wasn’t protecting me—having my back when I wasn’t doing my job.”
Zuri didn’t argue. She appreciated his dedication to professionalism now, even if he did kiss her. The sense of rejection she’d felt earlier all but vanished. Suppressing her desire to taste his mouth again would take longer, but she would succeed.I won’t add to his guilt.Keeping to his standard of professionalism honored the memory of his friend.
Zuri glanced at Daemon’s lips and then quickly looked away.Enough.Whatever they had, or could’ve enjoyed, it’d ended in her room. She was grateful her heart hadn’t gotten hurt in the process. Not like last time.
“My mother…” She cleared her throat. “I was seventeen when she died.” She felt his gaze on her face, but she stared at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “My father told me I couldn’t go see a boy I liked, but I defied him. I snuck out of the compound we were staying in and I went to see him in a nearby village. My father had spoken out against the government about a year before and we knew the government wanted him silenced. But I—” She blasted out a breath, shaking her head in disbelief at the version of her younger self in her mind’s eye. “I was selfish and rebellious. Thinking only about what I wanted and how restricted my life had been over the last year. Mother found us right when some men tried to kidnap me. She—”
The sound of her mother’s cry, yelling at Zuri to flee—the look of fear on her face for Zuri’s life still haunted Zuri’s dreams. Her mother had sacrificed herself so that Zuri could escape. A single gunshot had echoed in Zuri’s ears and had halted her flight. Zuri turned to see her mother hit the street, lifeless. Zuri had the strength to keep running only because guilt had stalked her heels.
Tears rushed from her eyes and she covered her face with her palms. Warmth encircled her body, and she was pulled to her feet. “I know, Zuri,” Daemon whispered in her ear. “You were just a child.”
