Page 26 of Hunted Hearts
He’d heard plenty of music before. Background noise in restaurants, the occasional live band on leave, the kind of soundtrack that never stuck because it was just…sound.
This wasn’t like that.
The violin cut through him, clean and pure, every note layered with precision and something he couldn’t name. It wasn’t just music—it was her. The control in her fingers, the way each rise and fall felt alive, like she was pulling the air itself into her rhythm.
Theo shifted his weight, jaw tightening. The black suit he wore felt too damn tight.
He wasn’t supposed to notice things like this. Not the way her music crawled under his skin, not the way it made him imagine her onstage again, swaying slightly as if the music lived in her bones. His job was to keep her safe, not to get caught up in whatever spell her bow and strings cast.
But even out here, just a shadow in the hallway, he couldn’t stop listening. Couldn’t stop feeling every note sink into him, note by note, like she was tuning more than just her instrument.
The last notes faded, soft and haunting, lingering in the air. Before Theo could shake it off, footsteps brought him back to earth. He swung to watch Henri making his way down the corridor.
The tour manager’s lined face softened as his stare landed on Theo.
“She has that effect on people.” He pitched his voice low. “The music. It gets into you, whether you want it to or not. That’s why she’s so special. It’s why they’ll pay five thousand dollars a plate just to hear her play.”
Theo didn’t reply, but the way Henri’s gaze lingered on him made his shoulders stiffen. He wasn’t sure what the older man saw—just a bodyguard? Or something more like Denver did?
He hung back to allow Henri to pass. After a light rap on the door, the older gentleman pushed it open and walked in. Juliette’s music swelled louder, and she finished her run before lowering her instrument.
Through the open door her gaze met Theo’s. Henri gently clapped his hands for her performance. But it was the stunning, soft smile that made Theo freeze.
Without a word, Juliette set her violin aside and clasped Henri’s hands. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she drew in a long, deliberate breath. Henri murmured a quiet mantra, something Theo witnessed before the previous night’s performance.
He didn’t know if he should be intruding on the moment, but he found himself caught up in the words Henri spoke, a grounding ritual of gratitude and focus. Juliette bowed her head and whispered a soft prayer, centering herself like the seasoned performer she was.
When they finished, Juliette released her manager’s hands and leaned toward him, powdered cheek offered for his kiss.
Henri kissed her with the warmth of someone who cared about her very much. Then he offered his arm. “There’s a special person attending tonight who would like to meet you before you take the stage.”
Theo’s body moved before he even registered the full statement. He blocked the doorway. “This wasn’t cleared with me.”
Juliette’s eyes glittered, and a new energy seemed to fill her body. She bounced on her toes. “Is it Matthew?” Her smile was filled with a joy that resonated through Theo like the notes of her violin. It hit him too damn hard in all the wrong ways.
Henri grinned. “It is.”
Theo didn’t budge from his spot in the doorway. “I don’t give a damn who this Matthew is. I should have cleared this meeting first.”
“Matthew is a young prodigy I sponsor. He was an orphan. I hoped he might make it tonight!”
Theo’s stomach rolled with something too close to relief to be comfortable, and he didnotwant to analyze that.
“A child?”
She nodded like a small, enthusiastic bird.
When he stepped aside, Henri led the way with Juliette on his arm, her gown sweeping the floor in a soft whisper. Theo fell into step behind them and touched a finger to the comms in his ear.
“Small change of plan,” he told Denver. “Juliette is meeting a kid from the audience before she takes the stage.”
“Copy.”
As soon as they entered a small VIP lounge, a young kid—seven or eight years old, if Theo had to guess—rushed straight into Juliette’s open arms.
She gathered him close, heedless of how a boy could wrinkle her gown or mess up her makeup. She gave him a hearty and genuine squeeze before beaming at him.
“You’ve grown a foot since I last saw you!”
