Page 1 of Guarding Zuri
CHAPTERONE
“My father was the assassin’s target. Not me. He should be protected,” Zuri Msongo said firmly to Joqi, her father’s personal bodyguard.He towered over her and crossed his arms. Despite his defensive posture, on this point, she would not budge.
She appreciated Joqi’s diligent efforts to protect her father. No unnecessary chances meant refuge for him and his followers. As the leader of the democratic resistance in Bendola, every day he breathed was a blessing to Zuri. However, her father had taught her to take care of herself, and she was doing just that. Zuri crossed her arms over her chest, lifted her chin, and stood an inch taller.
“Both of you were targeted. You are Bayo’s only heir. If he falls, the resistance will be on your shoulders.Youneed to be protected,” Joqi responded in a calm tone, undeterred by her show of dominance. The voice of reason and aged wisdom did little but irk Zuri’s nerves.“He would rather die than to see any harm to come you.”
“You’re a father, Joqi, so I understand your position. But Bayo Msongo is the one that’s going to lead us into the future. His safety is more important than my own, even if I’m his daughter.” She gripped Joqi’s forearm. “He will be our country’s first president. You must remind him of his significance. Where would our country be with him gone?” Bendolans wouldn’t look to her, a woman under thirty without a family. They would think she was too young and inexperienced to understand their hardships, despite her living a life as a resistance fighter.
Zuri’s eyes swerved to her father, who stood at the planning table with his other advisors. They were still working on the logistics for a meeting with their allies. And it couldn’t come soon enough.Oh, to get out of this safe house and see the sun again!“We have the Elite Guard on the run. Now is the time to make an appearance while we have the chance!”
“We should wait until the moment is safe,” Joqi said in a disagreeing tone. “And right now, the streets are too hot. Your faces are everywhere. In papers, on the television, in social media. The guards are looking for you and your father. We cannot put you at further risk.”
Zuri’s father caught her gaze, and she widened her eyes, tipping her head in Joqi’s direction in a plea for help. Her father just shrugged his shoulders.
“Father? You will not defend me at all?” Zuri came to the table. Neither the advisers nor her father would make eye contact. They spoke in calm tones about the routes to the upcoming meeting that would secure the support of foreign partners to overthrow the dictator. Heavy footsteps above them shook the ceiling. A light layer of dust rained down. Zuri held her breath to keep from sneezing.
Although living in safe houses had been her life for more than ten years, she couldn’t wait until the streets were safe for her to walk in the open air. The smell of bodies and poor ventilation kept the air stale in this safe house. Zuri stuck out her bottom lip and blasted air up her face.
A short buzz sounded, declaring the back door of their safe house open. Hopefully, it was David, who was always on her side. His loyalty was unquestionable. If her father wouldn’t speak up for her, then she could count on her oldest friend to back her up and insist that they attend the meeting. How would it look to their allies if Joqi and his men couldn’t guarantee Bayo’s safety enough to have a face-to-face meeting? If the risk was so great, they would decline helping. And who would blame them?And Bendola will never be free!
Ever since her father had declared on national television that it was time for the dictatorship to dissolve and for the people to usher in democracy to Bendola, he’d been a hunted man, with his family by his side. He’d lost his position as a businessman and educator. Years of moving from safe house to safe house, planning secret meetings with other influential people and young men and women ready to fight for their freedom, and creating partnerships with foreign allies—all came at a significant cost. Physically and emotionally. But the Bendolans were ready for a true democratic vote; to take on their destiny and be a free country, outlawing the persecution of thought and religion. All of it required toppling President Abdullah Gohi’s enduring dictatorial regime.
Pockets of dissension erupted all across Bendola. Without her father, the rebellion might not survive; at least, that’s what Zuri told herself. It was important for him to be seen by the people to keep the fervor for freedom alive. The state controlled the media. So far, producing videos in their underground bunker had been enough to stir up support, but they would need more than the Bendolan people could produce.
They needed international assistance.
Via secret channels, state leaders from neighboring countries, America, and the UK, had confirmed their attendanceat a meeting her father and his advisors were planning. If her father wasn’t there, they would back out and leave Bendola to handle its own affairs. The rebels would have to deal with President Abdullah Gohi, whose power dwarfed their own.
David entered the room, followed by a man who stood a couple of inches taller. David’s guest stood out amongst the darker-toned Bendolans. His shoulders expanded impossibly far, stretching his dark green button-down shirt across the expanse. He removed a nondescript black baseball cap from his head and shifted his dark shades to the top of his blond head. His light eyes surveyed the room with interest. His large, tanned hands went to powerfully built hips. Her gaze ran the length of his large legs beneath khaki-colored pants stretched too tightly over firm, defined muscles. Zuri swallowed, her hand going to the back of her wet neck and wiping off the gathering perspiration. When she forced her eyes back to his face, she found his satisfied grin mocking her. He’d caught her staring. Zuri ignored him and the heat growing in her belly and took hold of David’s arm.
“David, help me. Tell Joqi that it is imperative that my father attend this meeting. We could lose support if we don’t.”
“That will be up to me.”
Zuri’s head snapped in the man’s direction with the piercing eyes. His accent was distinctly American.Who is he? CIA?Dusty boots accompanied his attire. At least he dressed the part of the average Bendolan living and working in the city, although most of them wore sandals or flat shoes. He didn’t look like a US State Department official. Whoever he was, his jurisdiction ended at the shores of America.
He smiled easily, his gaze taking in her form as slowly as she had examined him. She opened her mouth to order his eyes back to her face when his gaze settled there. Zuri couldn’t read his expression beyond the cockiness he displayed as he walked past her to her father’s planning table. Did he just dismiss her?
Zuri’s sharp eyes landed on David, who shrugged his shoulders and nodded. “Is someone going to tell me who he is?”
Her father came over and cradled her face in his hands. “My Zuri.” He planted a swift kiss on her forehead before turning to the blond, who leaned a hip against the planning table with his arms folded, watching the two of them with a veiled gaze. “This is my daughter. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you for providing your services.” Her father extended his hand to the man, who shook it vigorously.
“My pleasure, Bayo.”
He was familiar with her father enough to use his first name? She observed the American with suspicious interest. Was he part of the resistance and she didn’t notice him before now? How? He was impossible to miss. “What services?” Zuri asked. “Who is this man? What could he possibly provide me?”
“Protection,” the blond said smoothly. “I’m Daemon Knight. Owner of Knight Shield Protection. A high-end security service. Any mess, anywhere, we can get you out.”
“Even a gulag?” Zuri asked sarcastically.
Daemon shrugged. “I don’t like to brag. But give me a challenge.”
“I do not need protection. We have it in place. Look around you, Mr. Knight. Thank you for coming all this way, but it was unnecessary. You can get back on the horse you rode in on.”
Daemon chuckled. “We’ve upgraded from horses to vehicles. Cars, boats, planes. Whatever you need. Even military-grade helicopters. We pride ourselves on having the latest in tech. And if we don’t, we have contacts that can get us what we need.”
“What we don’t need is—”
