They both look like they want me to stop asking questions, but I have one more. I’m not going to let my sympathy override my common sense.

“Who’s Sarah?” I ask.

Aristelle grimaces.

Xander’s the one who answers. “She did a trick she wasn’t ready for and got hurt. She’s fine now, but she left the troupe. This life’s not for everyone. There is danger, but you have us to help you navigate it.”

I’ve been looking for danger. It doesn’t scare me.

“We can start training you tomorrow morning,” Aristelle says.

“No,” I say, and hate the scared look they share before I continue. “I want something from you before I accept.”

Aristelle frowns.

The corner of Xander’s mouth quirks. “What would that be?”

“I want you to perform at my brother’s birthday party.” It’s perfect. I’ll be able to give Parker something truly magical before I leave, and it’ll be way better than anything Deb’s planned.

Aristelle laughs again. “Do we look like we do party tricks?”

I stare at her elaborate carnivalesque outfit, with her thigh-high boots and red brocade corset laced over a billowing black shirt, and then Xander’s open vest over his bare chest. “Yeah, you do.”

Xander snorts as Aristelle glares at me.

“You need to start training,” Aristelle says.

“It’s my brother’s birthday, and I’m spending the day with him.”

“What time’s the party?” Xander asks.

“Two.”

“I’ll be there.” He presses buttons on a phone and then passes it to me. I expect to put my number in, but it’s my phone with his number added.

“How did you…?”

He winks. I don’t need to ask that question anymore… or at least not for much longer.

We walk back to the club in silence. I catch Xander and Aristelle both glancing at me like they’re still waiting for me to run, but I’m not going to. They’re offering me too much. They could tell me I had to fight my way through a cage of tigers and I might do it just to feel closer to Mom. And to get closer to revenge.

When we reach the club, Aristelle walks in without saying bye, but Xander lingers. “See you tomorrow,” he says, but there’s a question in his voice.

I nod, but he still takes a moment before turning away, as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear into smoke. I wait until he’s inside before gulping in the night air, like I haven’t been breathing for the past twenty minutes.

I turn my feet toward Deb’s, feeling the need to walk for a little while. I need my routine. I fall into it, taking steady steps, checking down one dark alley and then the next.

Shit.