Page 22 of Maddox: Wild Alaska (Hawke’s Ridge #1)

I snap a breadstick in half and point one end toward Colton, who is behind the reception desk now that we are back at the lodge. "You know, he's a really attractive man. I've always been a sucker for a guy in black pants and a white button-down."

“Will you stop pointing out his hotness? I want to know his weakness," Judean says, munching on her own breadstick.

"We both know his weakness is you," I point out, but she avoids my gaze. I snort in amusement. "I think he's cute."

"You think all the Hawke men are cute!"

"That is true." I smirk. "Maddox is the hottest by far."

She snorts. "Well, I'm staying away from Hawke men." She eyes Colton. "Especially the one sleeping his way through the town and lodge.”

I frown. "I don't think that's as accurate as you've been led to believe.”

"I know you like him, and you think it's hot to have him chase me, but he's too hot and delicious to really want me.”

Our meals are placed in front of us, breaking into the conversation.

I want to argue with her about her opinion of herself.

It makes me sad that she doesn't see herself the way others do.

I'm not going to point that out to her right now, but I need to help her become more positive about the way she looks.

She's so cute with her Marilyn Monroe curves and boobs.

"I know you're upset over there, but I'm okay, Sofie.

" She pops a fry into her mouth. "I'm not the little kid who got called out for being fat in school.

I know kids can be hateful. So can some adults.

" She glances over my shoulder, so I follow her gaze and my heart sinks.

She mutters under her breath, "Speaking of the devil," and puts on a fake smile.

I take a hefty bite of my burger as they approach. Richard winces, and Samantha gives me a repulsive look. I nearly choke when Judean takes a huge bite of her burger and starts chewing with her cheeks bulging.

I close my eyes and force calm while I manage to swallow my food. I open my eyes again and drink water to wash the food down. I smile. "Are you having a good time, Richard?"

The brother and sister narrow their eyes. Samantha hisses, "How do you expect my brother to have a good time when you won't talk to him?" Huffing out a loud breath, she adds, "Where did you sleep last night? I know it wasn't with Judean."

"How do you know she didn't sleep in my room?" Judean asks suspiciously. "You wouldn't be spying on me now, would you?"

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Samantha drops her eyes to the food, then to Judean. “You’re never going to lose all that weight if you keep eating junk food.”

Even Richard grows tense and frowns at his sister, but I can't contain my anger.

I jump to my feet just as Colton slides into the chair next to Judean.

He winks at her, saying, "Babe, you need plenty of substance for later, so eat up.

" He puts his arm around her shoulders and faces Samantha.

"You could use a little more meat on your boobs. Guys like a woman to have dips and curves, something to hold on to while we fuck!”

My mouth drops open. I try to swallow my laughter. I really do. Yet I end up making such a gurgling noise that all eyes turn my way. I meet Judean's gaze and notice that she's bright red with either embarrassment or about to burst into tears.

Hell!

I jump to my feet. "Juju, let's head out." I shoot Colton a pointed glare and quickly glance at Judean. Thank God he gets my message and quickly stands, pulling Judean with him.

"Don't leave yet. Just one minute." He whispers something into Judean's ear, then dashes toward the kitchen. She shrugs.

"He's rude!" Richard says. "We need to make a formal complaint."

"Bullshit!" I hiss, surprising them. "Samantha has been rude to Judean since we arrived. It's been going on for a long time. So do not take the high road with me, Richard."

Colton returns and offers us both boxes for our food. I scoop mine up, happy that my food won't go to waste. Not only that, but I'm also hungry after working at the sheriff's station all afternoon. At least it kept my mind off Maddox for a few hours.

Once we have our food boxed up, I grab my jacket and start to move away from the table and the uninvited guests. However, Richard grabs my arm. "Sofie, can we please talk?"

Guilt seeps into my skin, and I find myself agreeing, "Tomorrow morning."

He opens his mouth to object—at least, I think that's what he was going to do—but then he nods.

"I can meet you in the breakfast room at nine, if that suits."

"I'll be there." Richard gives me a forlorn glance, and I swallow hard, hating myself for putting that look on his face. He is a good man, and I realize that I've treated him badly. He doesn't deserve that.

Judean takes my arm and leads me out of the restaurant. "I'm a horrible person," I mumble to her. "I treated Richard badly. The way I ended things."

"Before we arrived in Alaska, would you have broken up with him?"

“Yes.” I sigh, not needing to think about it. “But for this trip being dropped in my lap, I would have admitted to Richard that I couldn’t marry him. I don’t love him, Judean.”

"Then you have no reason to feel guilty." Judean directs me outside into the garden before stopping suddenly. "I forgot that you lost your room."

I smile and say, "I have a better one now."

"I bet you do." She snorts. "Also, if you call me Juju again, we can't be friends."

I snicker as I loop my arm through hers. “Let’s go sit on the back deck and finish our food.”

“You know, I really do like it here. The clean, breathable air. It's a nice change from city smog." Judean sighs. "No horns blaring, no traffic jams. Just peace and quiet."

As we come out through the kissing trees, it feels like we're in a whole other world compared to the lodge.

"Put me down, you big oaf!"

We stop and watch Bryant settle a woman over his shoulder. A large hand lands on her bottom. The woman squeals, and Bryant laughs and gives her a playful squeeze. That's when he notices Judean and me standing there, watching.

"My wife is home to stay!"

"Ah," I comment. "Carry on, then!"

"Tell our boys not to disturb us for a week."

"Oh, you, you?—"

We miss what else she was about to say as they disappear inside his cabin.

I burst out laughing.

"The Hawke men are hot!" Judean mutters.

"You have a sexy Hawke man after you." I raise an eyebrow, but she ignores me. "Seriously, Judean, what's wrong with Colton? The man has a crush on you."

"He's horny as hell," Judean finishes with a smirk. "He isn't picky," she adds. "He'd probably sleep with a tree if it had a hole in it."

I frown, not liking where this conversation is going.

“Judean, he practically drools every time he sees you.

I think he really has a thing for you." I pause and take her hand.

"Don't assume he only wants you for one thing.

" I pat her hand. “Why don’t you ask him out to dinner?” I shrug and lead us up to Maddox's cabin.

"Point out that it's only dinner and see what he says. I bet he'll agree within seconds."

"Hmph, maybe." Judean inches forward, then heads out onto the back deck.

Standing on the balcony, I enjoy the sound of chirping birds and rustling leaves, which is truly therapeutic.

Gazing down toward the ravine hundreds of feet below, I smile to myself.

The thought of living here fills me with happiness.

I really hope Judean calms down and realizes how much Colton likes her.

I don't think he's only after sex. Not the way he looks at her.

A slamming door from the front of the cabin makes me jump. Within a heartbeat, Gabe appears in the doorway, surprised to see us. He winces. "I was looking for Maddox."

The man looks a little worse for wear, so I move over and grab his arm. "Come sit down, Gabe. Are you hungry?" I give him no choice but to join us.

"I'm fine." He drags a hand down his face. "I've messed up, Sofie." He glances toward Judean, then focuses on me.

"Bathroom?" my friend says.

I smile and give her brief directions before looking at Gabe. "How?"

He huffs out a breath. "I didn't tell the feds what I was really doing in Montana. It was obvious to anyone that I was lying.”

"I don't understand." I sit forward. "Why would you need to lie?

" The man before me is clearly not the killer, but there is obviously something else going on with him.

"Gabe, let me help you. Let Maddox help you.

" I grip his hand. "You came here to talk to him, right?

Talk to me. I don't believe for one minute that you had anything to do with Andrea's death.

" The silence stretches until I ask, "Why were you in Montana? "

"I visited someone in prison." His eyes hold mine as he waits for my reaction, but I don't give him one. "He's a killer." He sits forward and drops his head into his hands, looking defeated.

I move closer and tentatively place an arm around his shoulders to offer my support. "No matter why you were visiting him, I don't believe you're a killer. I know your brothers haven't wavered in their support of you, which is good enough for me. Now, get it all out, and we'll decide what to do."

He lifts his head, and I see that his eyes are rimmed red.

My heart goes out to him. Slowly pulling himself together, he says in a slow, subdued voice, "He would drain his victims—all women—of enough blood to create a gruesome crime scene but not enough to kill them.

Then, he would put them in a chest freezer and leave them to suffer until they died.

" He swallows hard. "That's what I think the killer is doing here.

But, as God is my witness, I am not the one doing this.

I haven't killed anyone. I swear it." He pauses.

"But you see how it would look if I admitted to the feds what I was really doing in Montana? "

I frown. "Was the man a friend?"

His eyes widen, and he sits back in the chair, breaking our eye contact.

"God, no!" He shakes his head. "I wrote a book about a serial killer in Texas when I was twenty.

It was a bestseller at the time. A publisher approached me about writing one about Alex Piedmont.

I turned him down initially. I didn't want all the publicity that comes with writing such a book.

Ultimately, I decided to reach out to the killer and see where it led. I hadn't told anyone.

This sounds bad for Gabe, but I'm sure there must be a way to prove that he was elsewhere when the girls in Montana went missing.

"You need to talk to Branson. He's your brother, as well as the sheriff.

He'll have ways of tracking down information.

What if you were checked in at the prison when one of the girls went missing?

Let him help you. You could also get a lawyer to be with you when you tell the feds why you were there and why you initially lied. "

Gabe nodded, a glimmer of hope appearing on his face at the suggestion. "Branson might be able to pull up the records from the visits to the prison,” he says, wincing. "It could also backfire."

"You won't know until you try. But Gabe, you need to be honest with them because they will find out, and then it will look worse for you."

"I think I'm fucked either way."