Chapter Eleven

R idge propped his elbow on his desk and checked the time on his computer. Eddie had texted him thirty minutes ago, saying he was dropping off lunch since Ridge was stuck in the office. Usually, Ridge would be grumpy about answering calls and running warrants, even though they all took turns, but getting caught jacking off to fantasies of Kendall in the shower had left him shaken. And Kendall's bathroom confession had left him reeling. His stepbrother? Really? Consenting adults had a right to choose their partners, but…no good could come out of a situation like that, and it must've knocked Kendall for a loop if he'd gone over a year without sex.

Ridge was starting to care way more than he should. He'd spent every quiet moment over the weekend thinking about the sexy canvases tucked away in his closet. Ridge had tried to convince himself they had been nothing more than a figment of his imagination when he'd arrived home Sunday evening to find them gone. He'd ordered carryout, set up his room, and spoiled Sammy, but he couldn't ignore the urge to prove the photos had been real. Though he knew it was wrong, Ridge began searching the house, and since he'd started in Kendall's closet, his mission ended quickly and satisfyingly. At least he'd had the decency not to jack off on Kendall's bed after he'd invaded the man's privacy. Ridge's growing obsession was a big red flag he planned to ignore.

An entire year since anyone else had touched Kendall? Ridge was starting to like that part a little too much for comfort, so he shifted his focus to his most pressing urge of the moment. His stomach.

Where the hell was Eddie? Ridge looked at his phone to see if he'd missed a message. Nope. Nada. The morning hours had dragged on, and he was looking forward to Eddie's visit to break up the tedium.

Ridge called his friend to get an ETA on the delivery. "I'm dying here," he said when his best friend answered.

"Calm your teats. I'm coming up in the elevator now." Eddie disconnected the call before Ridge could respond, and he cleared his desk to make room for food, then headed to the breakroom for two bottles of water. His partner strolled into the room a minute later but stopped suddenly after crossing the threshold.

"What the hell happened to you, Ridgey?"

"What do you mean?" He scanned his body and grimaced when his gaze landed on his feet. He'd put on two different boots. One was two shades darker than the other. Christ, Kendall had really rattled him.

Eddie came forward with a smug grin on his face.

"Don't start."

Ignoring him, Eddie said, "Distracted much?" He set the carryout bag on the desk and assessed Ridge again. "Or did you just not get much sleep?"

Ridge notched his chin higher and crossed his arms over his chest, knowing his defensive posture would only spur Eddie on even more. "I got a solid eight. How about you?"

"Barely three."

"Asshole," Ridge grumbled as he pulled the bag to him and peered inside. "Chinese food. I'll lapse into a food coma before this shift ends. You'll probably still find me here when you report for duty in the morning."

"Doubtful," Eddie said. "Pretty sure you have plenty of incentive to return to the cute little house."

"You can stop pushing so hard," Ridge said as he unpacked a container of General Tso's chicken. "Neither of us is looking for a relationship right now."

Eddie rolled a chair over from the desk in front of Ridge's, then flopped down on it. "Who said anything about a relationship? Why can't you guys just give in to the energy arcing between you and see where things go?"

"Because someone will end up hurt."

Eddie sighed. "Well, I'm the last person who should give relationship advice."

"But that won't stop you."

"True," Eddie agreed.

"Look, I just ended a relationship with my boyfriend—"

" Fiancé ."

Ridge bit back a growl. "I just ended a relationship with Todd, and I'm not looking to jump back into another. Kendall isn't someone I just want to work out my frustrations with, okay? He deserves better."

"I can't disagree."

"You could," Ridge said, "but we both know I'm right."

Eddie pulled out a container of sweet-and-sour chicken and fried rice before nodding to the file folders on Ridge's desk. "What are you working on?" he asked, changing the subject. Unfortunately, it was even touchier than chatting about his attraction to Kendall.

"You know damn well."

"Sheldon Harris?"

Rage simmered in Ridge's gut just hearing the ruthless killer's name. Sheldon Harris had worked his way up through the Cardoza cartel as their ace enforcer, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Ridge glanced over at the picture frame he kept on his desk. Seven-year-old Rashanda Knight smiled back at him. Her dark eyes glittered with promise that was cut short when a hail of bullets ended her life as she walked home from the bus stop. Her mother, Asia, had given the photo to him when he'd vowed to bring Rashanda's killer to justice. They'd been close to apprehending Harris twice, but the slick fucker had managed to evade them by escaping to countries that wouldn't extradite him.

"None other," Ridge admitted.

"We'll get him. It's only a matter of time before he fucks up and returns. We'll be ready."

"Hell yes, we will." Ridge had to believe Harris's days of freedom were limited. It had been a few months since he'd cycled through all the information in the file. A lot could change in eight weeks when you were dealing with a criminal. All Ridge needed was one associate to roll on Harris. It was a long shot, but he refused to give up.

"Get anywhere?" Eddie asked.

"I'd just started digging through the file when you texted me about lunch. The phones were busy this morning, but things seem to have slowed down. I'm planning to comb through everything we know about Harris to see if something jumps out at me." Ridge glanced at Rashanda's smiling face once more. "Recommitting myself to finding Harris is exactly what I need right now."

Eddie didn't linger after they finished lunch. Ridge threw away the trash, reopened Harris's file, and continued typing the names of his aliases and associates into the system until he got a surprising hit. Willis Morrison, also known as one-eyed Willie after he lost his left one in a bar fight, was in county lockup after a domestic dispute sent his girlfriend, Carmen Elliot, to the hospital. Would she be pissed enough to tell Ridge what she knew about the cartel?

There was only one way to find out. He ran her details through the system and saw she worked at a strip joint called Tit for Tat. It wasn't likely Carmen had returned to work already based on the injuries detailed in the police report, so he planned to swing by her place on his way home.