Infini (Aerial Ethereal #2)(139)

“Why me then?”

Why am I standing in front of Sergei and not a no-named cousin?

“I wanted to be paired with a brother.” His softened gaze meets mine. “And not just any brother. I wanted to be paired with you.”

I let out a laugh. “You’re joking.” When I see that he’s not, I say, “Peter would’ve been better. Nik, Timo. If they were available—”

“I would’ve still chosen you,” he emphasizes. “For some reason or another, we were never in a single act together growing up. I was never able to perform side-by-side on a stage with you, Luka. I’ve worked closely with Timo, with Nik, with Peter—but not you. And my best memories are coaching my brothers.”

Coaching. Because he’s the oldest. The know-it-all.

He has been coaching me.

Bettering me, enhancing my skills at this discipline from the jumpstart.

My carriage elevates in a big breath, but I can’t wrap my head around another loose thread. “How could you ever ask for me and get me? Corporate listens to money and these strict contracts, not us. Not what we want.”

“I told Marc over coffee that if Wheel of Death seemed that important for Infini, I needed to be in it, and that I wouldn’t go if you weren’t my partner.”

I rock back. “You gave Marc Duval an ultimatum?”

“It wasn’t that harsh.” He laughs. “We were talking about everything. Music, movies, family, and when the topic of Infini and contract renewals came up, it was casual…” He laughs harder, probably at my befuddled expression.

My brows must be knit together.

“Luka.” Sergei smiles wide. “I’m friends with Marc Duval. Every time we cross paths, we grab coffees, lunch, always dinner. We don’t usually talk business, but when we do, it’s laidback. He respects my opinion, and I respect his. In some ways, he’s always seen me as a voice for the artists, and my relationship with Marc occasionally gives me sway with the staff.”

“What…” The. Hell. It’s hard for me to believe.

Which is why he steps nearer and says, “I’m best friends with Christian Duval, his son. We were in a band together. Wherever the circus went, the band followed.”

A band.

None of this should be shocking. Dimitri told me to ask Sergei about his hobbies. A fucking band. And I’ve always known nepotism exists. Playing favorites, preferential treatment—it’s all real. It’s why Baylee and I were even given a chance to stay in the circus after we were caught. And apparently it’s why I went to Infini.

It hits me now that he’s the reason I got the chance to look at Baylee Wright again.

To say her name out loud.

To hold her hand.

If I didn’t return to Infini, Bay and I would’ve never taken the risks. I’d still be in Viva. Trying not to think about a girl that I was helplessly, wholeheartedly, infinitely in love with.

His decisions changed my life.

Again.

But this time, he actually led me to the wish-upon-a-star, blow-out-all-your-birthday-candles kind of happiness.

“Thank you,” I say, my emotion encapsulating the two words.

Sergei nods like he feels them.

I replay his answers, my lips rising, and I ask, “So what kind of band was it?”

Sergei picks up his eggnog. “Metal. A cross between Disturbed and Celtic Frost.” He gestures to his chest. “Stryke Manner.”

My lips pull high. “Your band name was Stryke Manner.”

“It’s cool,” he says as though it can’t be rivaled.

I laugh. “You played guitar?”

“Drums.” Sergei drinks a swig of eggnog. “I could teach you. You’d be good. Your rhythm is…” He falls quiet as the holiday music dies down.

Antoine Perrot stands on an apple box, microphone to his lips. “Is this working?” His voice booms. “There we go.”

He’s going to make an announcement about Infini, and the only thought I have in my head is: find Baylee.

I tell Sergei why I’m leaving, and then I weave through frozen bodies that face and listen to Perrot. Everyone may as well be a marble statute, and I’m the only one moving.

Perrot thanks everyone for attending and then starts recalling his memories being the Director of Infini while in Vegas. He’s being too sentimental, and Baylee will draw a conclusion from that. No doubt.

Find Baylee.

I pick up my pace, dodging a group of my cousins. I dip beneath a low-hanging string of garland.

“The press release will reach the entire Aerial Ethereal troupe tomorrow, but I wanted to tell the cast before and in person. For your hard work and the difficult year, you all deserve that.”

I find her.

She stands tensed by the dessert bar and three-foot chocolate fountain. I come up behind Bay, and she instantly sinks her back against my chest.

I snake one of my arms around her collarbones, my other across her abdomen. I hold her tight, and her ribs expand in a breath.

We sway back-and-forth some, and I watch her wide-eyed, concentrated gaze on Perrot.

Perrot sighs heavily. “There’s just no other way to say this. Creative and financial teams have come to the conclusion that no matter how much effort our artists give, there is no saving Infini.”