Page 45 of Maddox: Wild Alaska
"Um, about that," I say. "Gabe was here earlier and told me what he was really doing in Montana." I wince. “It looks bad, Maddox, but I don’t believe he’s the killer.”
"Fuck! Tell me."
I repeat everything Gabe told me, and Maddox frowns. "I can see why that would look bad. However, if he has a publisher lined up, they should be able to confirm what Gabe was doing." He pauses to put the vegetables in the oven. "Something doesn't add up. My brother hasn't told you—or us—everything."
“So, another woman has been found, and Olly is still missing, right? This guy is out of control, and that scares me." My stomach flutters with nerves at the thought of a killer being so close, possibly with his eye on the next victim.
Maddox moves around to face me, wraps his arms around my shoulders, and pulls me into his body. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he whispers in my ear. His words soothe my racing heart.
"Just don't let anything happen to you, either. You mean everything to me." I press my face into his chest and sigh.
His phone starts buzzing on the countertop at that moment. He grabs the phone with a heavy sigh and frowns at the caller ID: Branson.
My heart sinks because I have a feeling it's bad news.
Maddox holdsmy hand as we step inside the lodge. My eyes immediately find Judean, who is standing beside Colton. The man looks exhausted, his shoulders slumped in defeat. I notice how close my friend stands to him, as though offering silent support. I feel sympathy for him, knowing he was the one who identified the body. I've never seen a dead body before, and I don't want to.
I scan the rest of the group in the lobby and see Richard with his arm around his mother. He looks like he's about to cry. I want to hug him, but I'm not sure if he'd want that. Besides, it certainly won’t help with me standing here with the man I've fallen head over heels for. I never believed in love at first sight. Yet, I can't imagine my life without Maddox by my side. I shake my head, realizing how inappropriate those thoughts are right now. They just lost a daughter and sister.
Samantha was the woman Hunter found in the forest. She was dressed in Olly's clothes, which means the killer has Olly too. Believe it or not, Colton recognized her hands because of their long, bright red nails. He admitted that she had her hands on his chest, which he removed, so he noticed just how long the nails were. She had been hateful toward Judean and me, but I didn't want her dead. The feds and Branson were treating this case differently from their serial killer case until evidence said otherwise. Samantha had been beaten to death with a baseballbat. The others had bled and frozen to death while barely alive before being left to be found.
I swallow hard and turn to face Maddox. He meets my gaze and lowers his head. His mouth brushes my ear as he whispers, "Are you okay?"
"Not really." I briefly wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze. "I'm heading over to Judean."
He hugs me back and kisses me on the mouth. "I'll be over as soon as I can."
"I know. Just be careful.”
"I will."
I kiss his cheek, offer a slight smile, and make my way over to my friend. We hug when I reach her, and my eyes go to Colton. I grab his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.
"I'm scared, Sofie." Judean's eyes are swimming with tears. I’m reminded that she’s known Samantha for a long time. "I'm sorry about Samantha."
She huffs out a sigh. "She was awful to me. All the time. She didn't deserve what happened to her, though.”
I notice Judean's eyes stray to Colton and wonder if something good will come out of something bad. "Have you eaten?" I ask him.
"I can't right now," he admits.
"Why don't you go rest?"
He hesitates, his eyes on my friend.
"Hey," I say, drawing his attention. "Judean and I will stay together. Maddox will keep an eye on us. We'll be fine while you shower and eat something. I promise."
"Are you trying to tell me I stink?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Well, now that you mention it." I offer a soft smile. "Seriously, Colton. You look tired. Take care of yourself."
His eyes bounce to Judean again, so I nudge my friend, who has been silently watching our exchange. Much to my surprise—and, judging by the look on his face, Colton's—Judean steps into his space, wraps her arms around his waist, and gives him a big hug. He swallows hard before returning her embrace. "I knew you liked me." He pulls her closer and sighs softly. "I'll go clean up, but only if you two come with me. You're not leaving my sight."
Judean gasps. "You want a threesome!" She tries to pull away, but he won't let her. His cheeks flush red while I glance around us. Yep, she wasn't quiet at all. Great! I meet Maddox's gaze from across the room. He's talking with his brother, Spencer.
"Babe, when I get you naked, it'll just be you and me. I don't share." He snickers. "Besides, Maddox will kill me if I try anything with Sofie."
"As if I'd leave your sexy brother. He's mine."
