Gabe stiffened. “Of course not. If I did, I’d let the sheriff know.”
That was what I’d thought. Gabe lived here. It didn’t make sense that he’d be involved with dark magic. Someone from outside Sleepy Briar was trying to poison the residents. But why?
“How about you, Maximus?”
“I’m hired to wire this place, nothing more.”
“Your company has contractors all over Maine. Have you heard of anything else like this?”
“The only thing I’m interested in is the updated codes for the wiring.”
Right. And sniffing my hair.
“Didn’t I already give you those?” I asked.
“If I have to hunt up code and wire, it’ll cost more.”
Costing more is never popular.
“I’ll have them by tomorrow,” I promised, feeling more than a little defeated. In my novels, the detective always learned something from every interview. Somehow all I’d accomplished was inheriting more work. Still, I couldn’t give up right away.
“I’ll be waiting.” Max smiled.
A wave of nausea rolled over me. Its unexpected force made me wince. Why did I feel like he wasn’t talking about wiring codes anymore?
Chapter3
EVAN
Maddy let herself into my office without knocking. She leaned back against the closed door, and her eyes met mine.
Had it only been a mere handful of hours since I’d been with her? It felt much longer. “What do you need, beautiful?”
“I know what we both need, but business before pleasure. What did you find out?” Her auburn curls grazed her shoulders. She still sported a collection of superhero T-shirts and faded jeans. It wasn’t the usual work attire, but it was perfect for Sleepy Briar. And she rocked it, combining sexy and nerdy so successfully I didn’t dare get up from my desk. My cock always did have a Maddy sensor and right now my zipper is not thanking me for my lack of control around this woman.
“There’s not much to report.” I shuffled some papers, not meeting her eyes. “No one wanted to talk. Everyone said they’d given statements to Jax already. I’ve been reading through his reports. There’s not much there.”
“That’s why you should make me your deputy.” The light in her green eyes both turned me on and scared the hell out of me.
“There’s no ‘we’ in this, Maddy. I’m the sheriff until Jax returns. This isn’t a game. You should know that better than most.”
Maddy flushed; it’s like a redhead barometer. I had to keep her safe. Her fox spirit made her too curious. She needed to stick with coding languages and her mystery novels.
I would take care of the culprit behind this. The less she knew about the dark magic’s cause, the better. Not only for her own safety but because if she ever found out I’d betrayed this community, she would never forgive me.
“Two heads are better than one.” She locked the door behind her.
Ahh. Change of tactics. She was entirely too smart for her own good. I needed to get out of here. She moved to the left, cutting off my only exit.
Fuck.
“Leave it unlocked,” I try, but there’s no use. She has her target lined up.
She moved closer. Blood rushed south and my cock grew harder with each step she took in my direction.
She gets her hands on my and I know I will agree to anything her devious mind can cook up. “I’ve got to get this billing sorted out. Apparently my brother only thinks cash flows out. How about I make you dinner later?”
The right side of her mouth tips upward. “That won’t work for me at all. I’m hungry now.” Maddy crossed her arms at her waist and pulled her T-shirt over her head. Underneath, she wore a sheer pink bra. Tossing the shirt onto my desk, she locked her eyes with mine while she kicked off her boots and unbuttoned her jeans. Underneath her jeans she wore matching panties with a strip of similar-colored lace across the crotch.