The Billionaire Bodyguard: Clean Billionaire Romance (DC Billionaires Book 1) Page 2

  Zuri turned to her father. “Father, please. Your men have done a good job. We need this meeting to happen.”

  “I admire your passion, my daughter, but you must remember to be cautious. What am I always telling you? Too much passion, and you make mistakes,” Bayo warned.

  “The people are counting on the support we’ve been promised. Have you not been cautious these past few weeks?”

  Daemon watched Bayo’s lips turn downward. He had no answer to his daughter’s argument.

  “I’ve been in the country for a couple of weeks myself,” Daemon said. “I’ve done my own surveys. I’ve established my own source network. I’m telling you, this is a bad idea. Security will be tight, yes, but I’m almost certain the location has been compromised.”

  “Almost certain.” Zuri smirked.

  “This isn’t a game. Almost is good enough in my book to skip plan B and C and go straight to G.” Zuri’s brows came together in confusion. “Keep the enemy guessing. You can never have too many contingency plans.”

  “You leave no room for spontaneity and flexibility.”

  “You’re right, Princess. I don’t want your flexibility to meet a spontaneous bullet. As your protector—”

  “I fired you.”

  Daemon smirked. “You think that matters to me? A rash decision made in naivety. I forgive you for that one. I rehired myself based on principle.”

  Zuri’s jaw dropped.

  “I appreciate your advice, Mr. Knight,” Bayo said.

  Here it comes.

  “But we have been planning this meeting for weeks, as my daughter has stated. To change now would set us back. We might not get another chance.”

  Zuri raised her chin, her smile triumphant.

  Bayo looked exhausted. For years he had been living like a mole, fighting, clawing for each and every win. Daemon understood why the man didn’t want to wait any longer. He too needed hope. “You only get one life,” Daemon said quietly.

  “And it is ours to do with as we see fit, Mr. Knight,” Zuri snapped. “I believe I dismissed you.”

  “Zuri—”

  “It’s okay, David,” Daemon said, slapping his friend on the shoulder. He held Zuri’s gaze. “I guess I’ll go. See you later, Princess.”

  “Not likely,” she shot back.

  Daemon turned on his heels and exited the room.

  “Daemon, wait.” Daemon slowed his pace until David caught up. “I apologize for Zuri. She can be…”

  “Stubborn? Demanding? Pigheaded? Rude? Stupid?”

  David winced at Daemon’s last adjective. Daemon eyed his friend closely. “You and her?”

  David shook his head. “No, no…” He nervously chuckled. “We…we are just friends.”

  Hmm. Daemon wondered. He could see that from Zuri’s perspective, but if he was as eager to taste that mouth of hers, then he’d be surprised if David wasn’t as well. The woman was an exquisite creature whose beauty had blown him away the first moment he set eyes on her—and David had kept that part a secret. Her picture hadn’t done her any sort of justice. He’d seen some lovely women since he had crossed the border, but none with Zuri’s presence. If she wasn’t a princess, she should be one.

  “Whatever,” Daemon said. “I’ll be at the meeting anyway.”

  “Even though she fired you?”

  Daemon barked his laughter. “You think I’m going to let Princess stop me? She thinks she’s in control, but she’s never met me before.”

  “And you’re a control freak. She’s met her match.”

  Daemon narrowed his eyes on his friend. “I resent that. It’s my job to control as many of the variables as possible. How else am I supposed to keep my clients safe?”

  “Point very well taken.” They paused at the back door, where they had entered earlier. “What will you do?”

  “Protect her. That’s my job.”

  David frowned. “You will have a hard time with that. She’s not going to let you.”

  Daemon chuckled. “You sound like you think she has a choice. Let me? David, how long have we known each other?”

  David’s full lips tilted upward. “Since the Army.”

  “Exactly. When have I ever asked for permission?”

  “Which is why you never surpassed me in rank.”

  Daemon smiled fully. “Right again. What she wants doesn’t matter when it comes to her safety.”

  They gripped arms, Roman style. “Good luck, Daemon. You’re going to need it.”

  Daemon opened the door and squinted as the bright sun hit him in the eyes. He slipped on his black custom Oakleys. He didn’t need luck. That’s what training and money were for.

  Chapter 3

  The car jerked and hitched. Zuri held onto the door handle, but it did little to steady her as the car continued to careen past marketplaces and blow through narrow alleyways. This was Bendola. Her beloved seaside country. All of what she and her father were doing to bring democracy to a dictator-weary nation would be worth it.

  For weeks, they had been planning this secret meeting with other foreign country representatives. It would pave the way for even greater public and international support. It couldn’t be stopped. Their time was now. Time for Bendolans to rise up and demand what was rightly theirs by virtue of being human. Freedom was their birthright.

  Daemon Knight didn’t know what he was talking about. Zuri bristled even now, thinking about the tall blond, whose shirt was too small for his massive arms and whose smirk made her itch to smack his face. What did he know about her people or their cause? Spend a couple of weeks in-country and suddenly you were an expert on culture and their needs? Zuri didn’t care where he trained or how much money he had to throw around. He was arrogant. She couldn’t have that kind of man protecting her or her father. He would make a mistake and get them killed.

  Zuri’s eyes landed on David who sat in the front passenger seat giving instructions to the driver on which turn to take along their secret route to the meeting location. How dare he. How dare David invite Daemon to their safehouse and introduce the arrogant man as her new bodyguard. What did he believe would happen? That she would graciously accept a decision about her life made without her input? Ha! She was a grown woman who knew how to take care of herself. She was the daughter of Bayo Msongo. The heir apparent to his cause should anything happen to him. And she had been preparing for this moment for years.

  She wished her father was riding in the car now but understood the reason to separate them. If they were both in the vehicle when it was attacked, the resistance would be without a leader, although David would likely be the next in line.

  Born in Germany to an American father and a Bendolan mother, David had chosen the US Military for a career. After being discharged, he had settled in his mother’s home country and taken an active role in the rebellion for democracy. They had become fast friends. Bayo had also groomed David to take a commanding role once the government was turned over to the people. David would make an excellent parliamentarian—once it was established.

  “Zuri, I want you to reconsider Daemon Knight as your guard,” David said from the seat in front. “He and I served together in the Army. There’s no one I would trust with your life more.”

  That surprised Zuri. She had wondered how the two of them knew each other and why David would give such a glowing recommendation to a man who couldn’t get her name right. It raked her nerves that he’d called her “Princess.” She was far from one.

  “Well, I don’t trust him. How am I supposed to work with a man I don’t trust?”

  “You trust me, right?” The car came to a stop. They were at the meeting place. David turned around in his seat and held her gaze. “Right? You trust me, Zuri?”

  Zuri sighed. “Yes, David. Yes, I trust you.”

  She jumped when the car door opened. Daemon Knight stood with his hand outstretched, that ever-present smirk on his face. “Hi there, Princess.”

  Zuri turned a murderous gaze back to D
avid, whose eyes went to the ceiling. “I take it back.”

  “Yes, I figured you did,” David said with a frown.

  Zuri slapped Daemon’s hand away. “What are you doing here?” She scrambled out of the car.

  “My job,” he said simply.

  “You no longer have one.”

  He took her elbow, his grip tightening as she tried to extricate herself. He forcefully moved her around the side of the building. “Let go!”

  “You seem to think you actually have a say in this decision. Stop fighting me, Princess.” His eyes twinkled as his gaze latched to hers. “You’re not going to win.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Inside. We need you off the main street.”

  A side door opened, and Daemon ushered her in. Only when David shut the door behind them did Daemon release her.

  “David,” Zuri started accusingly, “did you tell him?”

  “Your father did,” Daemon said. “I’ve known about this place, and the others, for at least a week.”

  Zuri’s jaw slacked.

  “Like I said, Princess, you don’t have a say.” He winked and then gestured down the shadowed hallway. “After you.”

  Zuri stomped down the narrow hallway, trying to drown out Daemon’s incessant chuckling that bounced off the walls. She stopped in the doorway of the meeting location and surveyed the room. The officials were already there, as was her father. She entered and then looked over her shoulder. Her lapdog didn’t follow. Instead, his serious gaze left her, and he whispered something to David, who nodded. David followed her while Daemon disappeared back into the hallway.

  “Where is he going? I thought he was supposed to guard me?” Zuri asked sarcastically.

  “There is something he doesn’t like, so he’s going to check it out.”

  Zuri didn’t approve, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. David sat beside her while the meeting started. “Did he say what it was?” Zuri whispered.

  “No,” David whispered back.

  Zuri huffed, feeling once again left out of something important. “Do you have any idea what it could be?”

  “A security issue, perhaps. But he’d made rounds right before we showed up, so I don’t think we’re in any immediate danger.”

  “Did you know he was coming?”

  David paused before saying, “Yes.”

  Zuri pinned him with a stare, while David kept his gaze on her father. She wouldn’t get into it with David during the meeting. After a few long seconds, Zuri also focused on the meeting.

  Representative after representative pledged their support to Bayo and the revolutionaries when the time came for them to offer their assistance. Zuri marveled at her father’s ability to command a room with his speech. She hadn’t inherited that trait, and she envied him. He’d often remarked how sharp her tongue was—like her mother’s. He had told her that her uncanny ability to parrot her mother had always made him laugh, but secretly, Zuri felt she’d disappointed him.

  How could she follow her father into politics if she wasn’t an influential speaker? Even David’s temperament was more suited to the role. What could she possibly offer the new democratic state of Bendola? Being the daughter of Bayo wouldn’t be enough for Zuri. She had the passion—as her father often pointed out—but hadn’t disciplined it enough to be applicable in any other area that mattered. Failing her father would be the worst thing she could ever do.

  After agreements were solidified through handshakes, Zuri and her father continued to thank the statesmen for taking the risk in supporting Bendola. Once President Abdullah Gohi was removed from power, Bendola would be a nation eager to partner with others in ways that mattered for everyone.

  “I had hoped this day would come,” Joqi said from beside her. “Hoped with all of my heart. My father wouldn’t have believed it, if he had lived.”

  The crow’s-feet around Joqi’s eyes deepened the more he smiled. Zuri gripped the arm of her father’s oldest friend. “Soon, Joqi.”

  “Good. I want to see my family.”

  “How long has it been since you’ve been back to your village?”

  “More than a year, now.”

  “I’m sorry, Joqi.” She squeezed his arm. “We’ve taken you away from them for too long.”

  He smiled down at her. “No. It is my duty to protect our future leader. If I do not, who else will?”

  Daemon’s smirk filled her mind’s eye, and she quickly released it. He was not Bendolan. He knew nothing. “You should go back to your family. After tonight. You need to spend time with your children. They need their father. Now that we have the support we need, my father will be okay. More people will join us.”

  Joqi nodded. “Yes. I think it is time to go back, but I can’t yet. It will be the most dangerous right before the peace. I will not abandon your father.”

  “Of course not.”

  Zuri didn’t notice when Daemon had entered the room. He gestured for Joqi to join him on the other side of the room. Zuri looked up at Joqi, anticipating his rejection of the order. Joqi squeezed her hand, still on his arm, and then politely removed it. Zuri stood stunned, watching her father’s personal guard obey Daemon without resistance or hesitation.

  Daemon spoke quietly to Joqi, who nodded without speaking. Joqi then moved to her father and whispered in his ear. She watched her father’s face droop. What had Daemon told Joqi to tell her father? Why was she always the last person to know?

  Her gaze snapped to Daemon, who was speaking with David. David then directed a few guards, who rushed out of the room. The hairs that had once stood on her neck sprang straight once again. She took a step toward Daemon, whose eyes had found hers. She was stopped by her father’s hand on her arm.

  Bayo smiled broadly, no sign of concern for whatever was happening around them. “My daughter. Today was a good day. We have what we need. Tomorrow, there will be a new Bendola.”

  Zuri offered a shaky smile in return. “Yes, Father. I believe you are right.”

  “It is time we go.”

  Zuri felt Daemon’s commanding presence and turned to find him a few inches away. It unnerved her that she could sense him without laying eyes on him and that her body unwillingly trembled at his nearness.

  “Time to go, Princess.”

  “Stop calling me that.”

  He smiled. “Never. You don’t pay me enough.”

  She growled when he took her arm again, moving her out of the room. She flexed her bicep beneath his grip, which only resulted in him tightening his hold and pulling her even closer to his side. Heat swept through her causing sweat to break out on her brow. “I know how to walk,” she hissed.

  “I’ve watched you walk. Quite impressive.”

  “You’re mocking me.”

  “A little bit.” He leaned close, his breath tickling her ear. “But I’m not lying when I say it’s nice to watch you walk.”

  They started down the hallway but then took a flight of stairs. “The door is down there,” Zuri snapped.

  “Thank you for reminding me. We’re taking the scenic route.”

  “Don’t argue, my daughter. We are being watched. Daemon has another way out.”

  “Watched?” Zuri tensed. Had Daemon been right? Did they rush this meeting? Her breath came frantically. She had pushed for this meeting. It had gone well. What went wrong?

  Daemon squeezed her arm, massaging her. “I’ve got you. We’ll get out of this.”

  They came to the third level, and Daemon walked them through a door and into another room that looked more like a housing unit than the small commercial building in which they held the meeting. Zuri inhaled the stench of sweaty bodies and rotten food. Bags of trash and old shoes littered their path. Daemon effortlessly guided them through the obstacles and they jogged down the hallway toward another door.

  Daemon touched his ear. “Copy that.”

  “The Americans made it past the checkpoint,” David said from behind them.<
br />
  Zuri looked over her shoulder and saw that David, too, had a hand to his ear. “Who are you talking to?”

  “My team,” Daemon said simply.

  His team? Zuri stared at the side of his face, his strong jaw tight, his eyes narrowed on the door in front of them. Who was on his team? How many people were there? “What is going on?”

  “Street isn’t clear. Need to move you to another pickup point.”

  “How is that possible? Our men—”

  “Spotted military units moving in. They are pretty much surrounding the area. These connecting buildings should lead us straight to a couple of cars I have waiting.”

  “Your cars?”

  He winked at her before refocusing back on the door. “My cars.”

  He led them out of the building and into two black suburbans. First, he put Zuri in the second seat of a car before getting behind the wheel. Zuri caught her father’s strained gaze before Joqi ushered him into another vehicle.

  Then the sound of bullets filled Zuri’s ears.

  Chapter 4

  These guys were everywhere.

  Daemon knew this would happen. Even in a densely populated area, the Elite Guard wouldn’t miss them. He’d heard that a few of the vehicles from the other countries—including the US State Department’s—had already been attacked by individuals in non-issued military vehicles. They were either blending into their environment, or the military was hiring mercenaries to attack the rebels. Daemon figured it was the latter, since the Elite Guard made no qualms about shoving their way into homes and businesses and roughing people up, all in the name of the dictator.

  “Hold on tight, Princess!”

  She yelled as he yanked the steering wheel to one side. They careened around the corner on two wheels. In his peripheral, he saw Zuri slam against the side of the door. “Put your seatbelt on, Princess.”

  “Stop calling me that!” She tightened the belt around her middle and braced her arms against the seat.