Page 49 of Maddox: Wild Alaska
"Say bye-bye, girls."
Fear claws at my gut as he rushes me, grabs my hair, and covers my face with a rag once again. I try to fight it, but I can't. I need oxygen and try to gulp it down, but everything goes black.
When I wake up,I feel warm and fuzzy, and I have a terrible headache. My body aches and feels stiff, and I hear a beeping sound nearby. I force my eyes open, but they close again due to the bright light.
"Turn off the light," Maddox says.
How can that be?
I sense the light fading, and then I hear him again. "Open your eyes, Sofie. You're safe now. Garrett’s turned the lights off. Come on, baby. Let me see those gorgeous eyes."
"Maddox?" I whisper.
"Open your eyes," he says softly.
I flutter my eyes open and see his face hovering close to mine. I burst into tears and reach for him. He pulls me close, and I feel dampness on my neck. "You're here? Wait! Where is here? Where am I?"
Maddox pulls back, swipes at his eyes, and rests his forehead against mine. "You're in the hospital in Anchorage. Hunter and the two feds found you in the middle of the fire road. They called it in and got you airlifted here. I've never been so grateful for anything in my life as I was when I got the call that you were safe."
"Olivia?" I ask, but I'm met with confusion. "Olivia was there with me. You don't have her, do you?"
"Only you." Maddox kisses me softly, then drops into the chair beside the bed and holds my hand. "You're not leaving my sight."
“It's all a bit fuzzy around the edges, but I tried to fight back. I didn't have the strength. Wherever he took me, that's where Olivia is. We have to find her."
“Her family is still looking for her. Branson and the feds are trying to follow leads, but they haven't found anything yet. They sent some of the clay from your sweater to the FBI lab to see if they could narrow down an area to search.”
Olivia's words came back to me, tightening my hold on Maddox's hand. "Her family abuses her. When she's found, you need to make sure Branson doesn't let her father or brothers near her. Promise me."
"We'll talk to Branson, okay? I promise we’ll keep her safe.”
I settle back against the pillows, my eyes focused on Maddox. I'm aware that we're not alone in the room, but I didn't think I'd see him again.
My eyes fill with tears and Maddox becomes blurry. He brushes my tears away with his thumbs, but more fall.
I tug him close. "I need you to hold me," I mumble.
"I'll give you both some privacy," Garrett says. He brushes a hand along my arm. "I'm glad you're okay, Sofie."
Maddox takes off his boots, climbs onto the bed, and takes me into his arms. "I've never been so scared," he admits.
"It was strange. I really thought he would kill me. Yet I'd only been awake for about ten minutes when he came back and knocked me out again. Why would he take me and then let me go so quickly? It seems like a lot of messing around for no reason."
Maddox kisses me on the forehead and stays silent, holding me close.
I feel safe in his arms.
The momentI carry Sofie into my cabin, Mom and Dad appear and start fussing over her. Seconds later, Judean rushes in with Colton on her tail.
"Oh my gosh, Sofie! It was Richard who killed Samantha. You had a lucky escape." Judean slaps a hand over her mouth. "Oh! I didn't mean to blurt that out."
"What?" Sofie glances around the room in shock and forces her gaze my way.
I wince. "I wanted you to be settled before I told you."
"He really did, Sofie," Judean says, taking her hand. "I shouldn't have blurted it out like that. I'm still in shock from when you were taken, and then finding out that Richard is a killer."
Sofie swallows hard and pats Judean's hand. "Forget about it, Juju."
