Page 35 of Crave

“I can’t believe I messed up. She’s my responsibility,” I groan. I’m such a fuck-up.

Mila looks up. “What do you mean? Aren’t you guys a thing?”

My brows knot. “No. I keep her safe. It’s always been that way. It’s my purpose. And, I failed.” My arms fall flat and I drop my forehead onto them.

She reaches out and pats my shoulder. “She’ll turn up. She probably just went for a walk.”

Lara should be back. She knows I’d worry.

There has to be something I’m missing.

Looking around, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.

Pin the tail on the donkey. A baggy panted clown is doing the balloon animals. The green haired one is doing the magic show.

Except he isn’t.

Where ishe?

It hits me. “The green one.”

Nikolai has a puzzled expression.

I have to find Mikhail. He’ll know what to do.

Grabbing his arm, I pull him away from his conversation with Jax near the balloons. “The magician. He had the green hair. Where is he?”

The clown dressed with the oversized pants shakes his head. “We don’t have anyone like that. We thought he was a special hire for the gig.” He holds his palms up towards Mikhail, his painted face exaggerating the scared look.

Mikhail yanks my shoulder and drags me with him towards the trees. “Where did you look?” he growls through his mask.

Nikolai and Jax jog up behind us.

“We’ll go this way.” Nikolai points in the direction I was going to cut through towards the road.

Mikhail pulls me through the trees. “Show me how far you went.”

“I know I fucked up. I shouldn’t have let her go.” I can’t keep the whine of worry out of my voice.

“Alexei.” He pauses, stopping me. “I know you’d never do anything to hurt her. I trust her with you, and that isn’t givenlightly. I don’t know what happened, but I know it wasn’t your fault.”

I didn’t expect that.

It almost makes this whole thing slightly easier.

Nikolai will still be pissed at me.

“Here’s the cake.” The plate is covered with a mass of ants and beetles. “And then I crawled in there.” I point into the bushes. “But she wasn’t there.”

“Okay. You go that way.” Mikhail gestures to my right.

Frantically, I start running in the direction he pointed.

It isn’t until my phone rings that I stop.

“Nikolai?” I’m out of breath.

“We found her?—”

---