Page 79 of Hunted Hearts
Suddenly, he straightened, hand snapping to his earpiece. He muttered something to one of his brothers. “I’m going to escort Juliette to her dressing room. I’ll meet you there.”
She searched his face. “What’s going on?”
“A disruption in front of the venue.”
“I can go to the dressing room by myself—”
He was already shaking his head. He slipped his hand around her body to rest on the small of her back, guiding her out of the shadows toward the corridor leading to her dressing room.
Inside, he performed a quick sweep of the room. She didn’t see anything out of place. Everything was exactly as she left it.
Theo strode to the door and turned to pierce her in his gaze. “Lock the door behind me, Juliette. Don’t let anyone in but me.”
Gulping, she nodded.
He rushed out, leaving her feeling hollow. Wishing she could call him back and convince him to stay with her rather than run into danger.
She tried not to picture her lover running into that burning dressing room, but all she could think about was that Theo wasn’t a man who backed down from any threat.
In a sweep of her long gown, she moved to lock the door as he instructed her. After that, she turned to the empty space. Her heart was the only sound in her ears.
Usually her team was surrounding her after a performance. Henrik would gently take her violin out of her hands and place it carefully in the case. Then he would embrace her, kissing her on each cheek in the European fashion.
Rachel would shoo away the media until Juliette was ready to give interviews. Chris and Harper would see that she got out of her gown and into street clothes.
She missed them so much, but she wasn’t incapable of taking care of herself.
But there was a lovely bouquet of roses in a vase on her dressing table. When Aspen brought them in earlier, Juliette knew without a doubt that they were from Theo.
She stared at the velvety petals and let her mind linger on her lover rather than her music, as she usually did after a performance. Where was he? She wished he would come for her.
She placed her violin in the case with care. With that task completed, she reached for the zipper of her dress. After letting it slip off her shoulders, she gathered it over her arm and took her time hanging it up on the rack.
After that, she dressed in loose trousers and a soft sweater, her mind far away on Theo and what exactly this disruption could be.
She pictured a brawl like a heavy metal concert, but that was silly.
Had the team’s plan worked? Did they root out the people who were after her?
Her heart was still racing from the performance—maybe the most emotional one of her life. She had played her soul out on that stage, and she’d done it with Theo’s unwavering presence grounding her.
Emotion washed over her, and she was helpless to stop the tears trickling down her cheeks. She was reaching for a tissue to blot beneath her eyes when she heard it.
A low buzz.
Not her phone’s ringtone. Not the sound her phone made when someone messaged her.
It was something else…dull and persistent.
Coming from her bag.
Her phone wasn’tinher bag.
She froze.
Hands trembling, she opened her purse and dug through lipstick, mints and the compact she hadn’t used. Her fingers closed around a slim plastic rectangle. Notherphone.
A cheap model. A burner.
