Chapter 101 Christianna
Chapter one hundred one
Christianna
As our concert comes to a close, I bite my lip to hide my smile at the little boy who is standing at Maestro’s side.
He is imitating him and waving his hands in glee. When he points to me and moves his arm, I play along and draw out the music. Liu sends me a startled glance before joining in, as we do a rendition of pop goes the weasel with the little boy's eyes widening comically.
As he draws to a stop, he turns to James, “Did I do that?”
“You absolutely did, with a little help.” James is grinning down at him.
A teenager with floppy hair comes up and says “Give me a high five my bro, you rocked it.”
The boy jumps up to hit his high five before following him off babbling in joy. “Did you see that Evan? I did so good.”
Ruiz comes to my side, as quiet and discreet as Coulson promised.
“Ms. Daye,” he says.
I nod once. He stays where he is, close without crowding.
The room hums. Kids weaving between adults. It’s a strange setting, but it works. Noah’s Second Ark, a community center for at risk kids and families. The families and children are at ease.
The hair stands up on my arms. Awareness. I bend my head as I finish putting my violin away and let my hair shield my smile.
I look up.
Erik is crossing the room.
He moves with intent, unhurried, immaculate as always. Jacket smooth. Hair perfect. His focus never wavers. People step aside without realizing why.
Remy doesn’t follow. He angles away, already engaged with a group near the classrooms. I catch flashes only. Suits. A woman far along enough in her pregnancy that it changes how people orient around her. Two men close at her sides.
Erik stops in front of me.
His eyes find mine.
“There you are,” he says.
Nothing else.
His gaze flicks briefly to Ruiz. Acknowledgment. Acceptance. Then back to me.
I exhale. Our group text message last night was terse over my not having called them when I found my car.
I stare into his impossibly blue eyes as he watches me. His head tilts slightly as he opens his arms.
My shoulders sag as relief washes through me and I walk into his embrace.
His head bends towards me. “You played beautifully as always.” As he straightens, with one arm around my shoulders, the other hand taking my violin, his gaze finding Ruiz.
“You are the bodyguard?”
“Yes Mr. Leroux.” Ruiz nods but his eyes are scanning the crowd. “If we are staying, it’s better to stand against the wall,” his head tilts to a back wall with good room visibility and no direct line of sight of any window.
Erik pulls me in tighter to his side as he moves us that way.
“Who is Remy speaking with?”
“Our patrons, the Calhoun family. This is their charity.”