by Eliza Ellis
“I saw enough. I’ve flown over it a few times for other missions and assignments. Beautiful country.” His eyes held hers. “You represent it well.”
Her lashes dipped, and she looked away. “Thank you,” she said softly.
“Like your name,” he added. Her eyes snapped back to his. “Zuri means ‘beautiful,’ doesn’t it?”
Her lower jaw slacked. “How did you—”
“I may be a foreigner, Princess, but I’m not obtuse. Your father named you well.”
Her gaze turned wistful for a few brief seconds. “Who will you appoint as your liaison to Bendola? That person will likely have to spend a lot of time there if we agree to any contracts.”
Daemon smiled. Did she want to know if that would be him? He certainly wouldn’t mind spending extensive periods of time in her country. It would mean being close to her and maybe…
He rejected the idea. He had a protection company to run. He wouldn’t be able to provide the personal protection he prided his business on. Although, being in Bendola meant he could avoid taking over as CEO of Knight Industries.
Unless he ran it from Bendola…
It’s not like his father spent all his time at Knight Industries’s HQ. The company had satellite offices all over the globe. It was rare that Arthur Knight was even in DC for longer than a week at a time. He preferred to be on the move. Well, he might spend a month at his cabin in Boulder, Colorado, during ski season, or at his villa in Spain during the summer months, but never that long in DC.
He could actually make it work. Be in Bendola with Zuri and—
“Ah, we meet again.” Arthur entered the conference room and made a beeline for Zuri. He offered his hand, which she took at the same time sending Daemon a look that screamed SOS.
Irritated at the disruption, Daemon stood and walked right up to his father. “Dad,” Daemon said sternly.
Arthur’s eyes—the same as Daemon’s—mocked him. “Hello, son. I’m glad to see you pitching our company to Miss Msongo.” Zuri managed to pull her hand back. Arthur focused his attention on her. “You know, Knight Industries is amazing on paper, but how would you like to see it in action?”
“What do you mean?” Zuri asked.
“Dad,” Daemon’s voice held warning. He had no idea where his father was going with this. If he had to take a guess, it would involve Arthur and Zuri spending a lot of time alone.
“We could take a quick trip to Los Angeles. My jet is always gassed and ready to go. I’m sure you won’t mind, would you, Daemon? No one would know that she’s—”
“I do mind, and I would know,” Daemon said through gritted teeth.
“Nonsense. You’re trying to sell the company. Since Miss Msongo is already here, she gets to benefit from seeing our work in action. Once Bendola is ready to offer contracts—”
“I’ve already decided to pitch your company to the governing body, when it’s firmly established,” Zuri said in a rush. She stood and positioned herself slightly behind Daemon.
Daemon maneuvered one hand behind his back, and Zuri clasped it.
“Thanks, Dad. As you can see, I’ve got everything under control.”
Arthur held Daemon’s gaze, his eyes cold and threatening. “I really hope you do, son, because I’m counting on you.”
“I hope I haven’t disappointed you yet.”
Arthur chuckled, and his smile turned sad. “You don’t care how I feel about you. But you haven’t been a disappointment. Far from it.” He slapped Daemon on the shoulder. “I’d like you to see me before you leave today.”
“Dad—”
“It’s important, son,” Arthur stated firmly. He cleared his throat. “Please,” he said in a softer yet urgent tone.
Daemon watched his father exit the conference room. Zuri still held his hand.
“I don’t mean to offend you, but I do not like your father,” Zuri whispered in his ear.
“Neither do I. But he’s all I’ve got,” Daemon said, his mind still on his father’s strange behavior. The man never said “please.” Ever. His requests were more like demands. What could this mean?
Zuri squeezed his hand. “Are you okay?”
He switched hands to face her and keep the connection. “I think so.” He shook his head. “He’s going to talk to me about the CEO position. It’s all we ever talk about.”
Zuri searched his eyes, and he let her. Despite their rocky start, he didn’t have any fear of her knowing him better. For some reason, he trusted her. “You miss him. The man he was before your mother died.”
Emotion swelled up his throat, constricting it. “Yeah, I do,” he said in a croaky voice. He cleared his throat and dropped her hand. He moved back to his position at the table. He trusted her, but still felt a little weird opening up to her. Spending all of his time overseas and in the desert meant he couldn’t form any serious attachments with women. All of his relationships were casual or nonexistent. With Zuri, he felt like he could actually establish roots.
But she was a client. And in the next few years, she would be too busy running a country to distract herself with him—no matter how much she’d love it.
“Why don’t you tell him that?” she offered, taking a seat after Daemon sat down. “Let him know how you feel.”
“Tell my father that I want him back? I don’t think he’s in there anymore.”
“Have you tried?” Zuri insisted. “You complain, but you still have a father. And he clearly wants to connect with you, even if it’s superficial.” She dropped her gaze. Her hands shook. “I’d give anything to have my father back for five minutes,” she whispered. “To tell him everything I didn’t get a chance to say.”
She turned back to the prospectus on the table, lifting a shaky hand to the side of her face, obscuring her from his view. He knew she was fighting her own grief over her father’s death. She hadn’t had the time to really process through her emotions. Daemon wished she would rethink returning to Bendola and take the time to grieve here, uninterrupted. But if he knew Zuri, she’d press on, keeping the goal in mind. No sorrow would make her stop.
“You’re right,” Daemon admitted softly. “I’m probably taking him for granted.” Zuri didn’t respond. She kept her gaze on the paperwork. Daemon stood. “I’ll be right back. If you need anything, just see Jessica.”
She finally looked up. “Are you—”
“Yes,” he said simply and exited the room.
Yes, he was going to see his father.
Chapter 14
“I still haven’t made up my mind,” Daemon said as he walked into his father’s office. “I said I’d let you know.” He took a seat. Now that was out of the way, he only had to figure out a way to tell his father he wanted their relationship to go back to the way it was. During happier times.
His father reclined in his chair behind his desk. He neither looked annoyed nor like he was ready to pounce. His entire demeanor seemed…tired. After the interest he had just displayed to Zuri, and then demanding to be seen, Daemon thought it odd that his father, whose face drooped an inch or two, looked like he didn’t want to be bothered. What kind of manipulation tactic was this?
“Son, I think you’re going to have to take over whether you like it or not,” he said softly.
“What do you mean?” Daemon asked quickly. “I can’t possibly do it until after I’m finished with—”
“Not sure how long I have left.” Arthur smirked.
Daemon couldn’t inhale. His lungs burned as he stared at his father. And for the first time, he was noticing a different man. Pale skin, eyes slightly sunken with dark circles that appeared to be covered by—makeup! His father was wearing makeup?
He’s ill. The realization slowly sank in as Daemon found his breath. The trips all over the world, the joyrides in helicopters; he even swam with sharks and skydived. Daemon had thought his father had been influenced by his younger wife, but it all made sense. His father was dying, and he was living the rest of his life to the ful
lest.
“I know, I know. This is probably a shock to you.”
“A shock? That’s an understatement, Dad.”
“Believe me, it was a shock to me, too. And I’ve seen as many doctors as I could possibly pay for. The best. They all say the same thing. Cancer’s eating me up from the inside out.”
“Chemo? And—”
“Too late for all of that.” He grimaced and flung a hand in the air as though he was batting something really annoying away. “And I don’t want to be a shell of a man, dragging a catheter bag around, no hair left, watching my wife yuck it up with younger more virile men.”
That didn’t seem like Lola. Sure she married a much older man, but his father had never expressed any infidelity concerns. “I doubt that would happen.”
Arthur harrumphed. “I’d bet money it would.”
And he had plenty of money.
“But don’t worry, I’ve set everything up with my lawyer. The bulk of my estate will go to you. I have some money set aside for your mother’s charity—which I still contribute to, by the way.”
That surprised Daemon. His father rarely—if ever—mentioned the love of his life. Even after she died, Daemon had tried to get through his grief with his father, but for months, he’d become reclusive.
Daemon didn’t know his father was still involved in his mother’s charity. She loved animals, having worked most of her life around them in some capacity or another. His parents met when she was working as a zookeeper, and he was going to provide funding to expand the zoo and its veterinarian services. After his donation, she had continued to work as a vet. Daemon grew up with animals, but his time in the service and subsequent job as a bodyguard hadn’t allowed him any time to even have a dog. His father no longer kept pets either, spending most of his time traveling.
“I haven’t reviewed the charity’s donations in quite a while. The board gives me updates, but I didn’t know you still had a hand in it,” Daemon said.
“You’re not the only one.”
“When you stepped down from the board, I just figured…”
Arthur sighed. “You don’t know how painful it was for me,” he said quietly. His gaze moved to the window. His frown deepened. “Still pains me—losing your mother.”
Daemon contemplated. He’d suspected his father’s many wives were to, in a small way, make up for the loss of his wife, but now he no longer believed that. Arthur still grieved. He never got through it.
“Your mother was the best thing that ever happened to me. And, of course, you’re the best thing that’s ever come from me. Mostly because of her. Well,” he chuckled, “only because of her. I don’t know how I got her, to tell you the truth. It wasn’t my money or what I could do for her zoo. I think it rubbed her the wrong way that I had provided so much.”
“She didn’t want to feel obligated.”
Arthur laughed. “And she let me know it. I had never met such a beautiful creature so singularly dedicated to her work. I’d thought my discipline was unmatched, but her… She had me beat.” Arthur’s eyes gleamed with the joy of a memory. Color returned to his face as he smiled. “I pursued her like I hadn’t done anything in my life—and haven’t since. She said no to me more times than I could count.”
Daemon couldn’t help but smile. He remembered how his parents cared for one another, doting on each other any chance they got. His mother actually rejected him? “I could see her rejecting you now,” he lightly teased.
Arthur laughed loudly. “Yeah, I think you’d be right about that. She wouldn’t touch me for all the animals in the world. But I never gave up—obviously.”
“How did you do it?”
Arthur shrugged. “The old-fashioned, caveman way—I kissed her socks off.”
Daemon nodded knowingly. He’d almost done the same to Zuri in the gym a few days before. If he wasn’t so committed to professionalism—and keeping his heart safe—he never would’ve stopped himself.
“We must’ve stood there kissing for hours,” Arthur said wistfully. “Being watched by the animals. That was a little creepy, to tell you the truth. But I didn’t care. I had the woman I wanted in my arms, and she finally wanted me back.” He grew quiet, his face lengthening as the color faded. “I just want to be back in her arms, you know? To see her face again. To kiss her lips once more.”
Tears fell from Daemon’s eyes.
“You just don’t know how much time you have,” Arthur whispered. “And then you lose it all.”
“How much?” Daemon asked quietly of his father’s prognosis. He wiped away his tears.
Arthur returned his gaze to Daemon. “Not long. I don’t want you distracted by the time. It’s why I’ve waited until the last minute to say anything.” He chuckled softly.
“Dad…” Daemon said in a gentle, rebuking tone. “The last minute?” He remembered what Zuri had said about her father. Five more minutes to tell him everything she didn’t get to say. His father had denied him that time. What was he thinking?
Arthur held up a hand in defense. “Hate me when I’m gone.”
“If I had known, I could’ve—”
“And I would’ve probably faded faster, let me tell you. Focusing on what you can’t control will make you go crazy. When we found out about your mother’s diagnosis, I nearly had to be committed. It was your mother that got me to focus on enjoying life.” He half-frowned. “Can’t say I’ve lived up to her standards since she’s been gone, but your stepmother Lola has done a good job of keeping me busy. Just know that I haven’t been harassing you because I want to go jet-setting around the world and waste away the rest of my life. I want our company secure so I can leave this world with some measure of peace.”
Daemon felt guilty. His father had verbalized exactly what Daemon had been thinking: that Arthur wanted to waste away his life with his current wife—and maybe a few others—and leave Daemon to do all the work. “Do you need me to do it…today?”
“I know you’re protecting Miss Msongo. How long do you think that’ll last?”
Well, now he couldn’t possibly go to Bendola and be her bodyguard once she was elected president. His father would need him here. All he could hope for now was that David would have the security in place to protect her once the coup was successful. “Hopefully not for much longer. A coup should happen any day now. Then she’ll be traveling back, and after that…” Daemon’s heart shuddered with cold. He didn’t want to think about life after Zuri. The timing was bad. It couldn’t be helped.
Arthur studied him. “I know you’ll figure it out.”
“Figure what out?” Daemon asked, pretending he didn’t have a clue what his father was talking about. It was best he put a future of Zuri out of his mind anyway. Self-preservation ranked high on his list of daily disciplines.
“You know what,” his father challenged him.
Daemon cleared his throat and got back on track. “Like I said, it shouldn’t be much longer. David is taking care of things and he’ll be the lead on the ground when the dust settles.” And David wouldn’t mind taking over as Zuri’s head of security either.
“Good. We’ll wait until then. As CEO, you can be stationed wherever you want. Doesn’t have to be in DC. If you’d like to move to say…Bendola, I’m sure a few of the employees here would enthusiastically follow you. We make enough to pay for moves and everything. To be on the ground shaping a country… I’ve always envied the founding fathers. What my money would’ve done.”
Daemon snorted. “What makes you think you would’ve been this rich back then?”
“Genetics,” Arthur stated simply. “Look at what our forefathers accomplished. No chance I would’ve screwed it up if I was born first.”
Daemon shook his head and chuckled. At least cancer hadn’t killed any of the man’s confidence. And Daemon was grateful to have inherited that trait. “Whatever you say, Dad.”
Arthur slapped his desk. “Good, good. I’m glad we’ve worked that out. That’s a great weight lifte
d, you know.”
Guilt returned, and Daemon quickly said, “I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry about putting you off this long. If I had known…”
If he had known, nothing would’ve stood in the way of him reconnecting with his father. Not the wives, not trips his father took. Nothing. He would’ve refused all assignments.
And never have met Zuri.
Daemon’s heart splintered. None of this was fair. His father was dying, and the woman he wanted would soon leave.
Arthur waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t hold it against you. Now you know what is going on. As long as everything is settled before the end, then I won’t fight to hold on.”
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Daemon tried to keep anger from his voice as his emotions began to rage deep in his gut. He and his father might not have gotten along great in the last few years, but that didn’t mean Daemon was ready to lose him, too. His father was an excellent businessman—Knight Industries tripled in growth during his reign as CEO. Industry pundits labeled a few of his innovations as unprecedented. Truthfully, Daemon still had a lot to learn from his father.
“Son, when you’re not ready to face your mortality, you might make a few bad calls. That was one of them. I’m sorry, son. I wish I could say and do more.”
Daemon accepted the apology with a nod. “What about Lola?”
Arthur’s mouth slanted down to one side.
Lola seemed less of a gold digger than a few of the others. She even sent Daemon a birthday card this year with a personal note and a check for money from her own personal account. Daemon had scoffed at the gesture, but now he thought differently about it. Maybe she got a card with money in it growing up like a lot of kids did. She didn’t have any children of her own—and wouldn’t, a fact made very clear by Arthur in the prenup—and Daemon had to admit that at least she was trying to have a relationship with him.
“I told her a few weeks ago. She actually cried.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. I didn’t think she cared all that much.”
“You mean she didn’t love you? The Great Arthur Knight? No!”
