Chapter Sixteen

E ddie stopped by his desk and perched his ass on the corner. "Saturday night plans foiled again," he said on a sigh. "Lieutenant said the warrants will come through any minute now. You ready?"

"Yeah." They were about to serve arrest and property seizure warrants to two of Savannah's wealthiest citizens, so it was all hands on deck, including the SPD officers and Chatham County officers deputized to work on their multiagency task force. Frenetic energy buzzed around the room like a swarm of wasps. "Why do you ask?"

Eddie shrugged, and a wry smile tilted the left corner of his mouth. "You seem a little distracted. Seems like I'm not the only one with wrecked plans tonight."

"I didn't have plans unless you count a quiet night at home with Sammy."

"Watching that awful show you can't stop talking to Jess about? What's it called again?"

" 90 Day Fiancé ," Ridge grumbled. "And you're just jealous because Jess likes me better."

"Unquestionably," Eddie agreed. "But I'm having serious doubts about the longevity of our relationship based on her television choices." His best friend angled his head and studied Ridge closer. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were moping."

"Moping? Why? I have everything I wanted after my breakup with Todd."

Eddie raised his hand and stroked his jaw. "Moping isn't the right word."

"Pining," Zack said as he joined them. "Maybe he's jonesing for something."

"Or someone," Eddie added.

Ridge rolled his eyes. "Fuck you both." Moping, pining, and even jonesing weren't strong enough verbs. His desire to know everything about Kendall was soul-deep and all-consuming. He didn't just want to know the sounds he made when he came; Ridge wanted to know all the things that made Kendall tick. He wanted a list of everyone who'd ever hurt him, so he could…So he could, what? Get revenge? His life wasn't a testosterone-driven retribution movie, and besides, Kendall wouldn't appreciate the macho-man routine. He wanted a guy who simply asked what would make him happy. Ridge could ask—hell, he wanted to—but he'd kept his mouth shut for a simple reason. If he knew the answers, Ridge would move heaven and earth to see Kendall's hopes come to fruition, and that scared the bejesus out of him. No roots. No entanglements. His growing feelings for Kendall were the antithesis of free and loose.

"Holy crap," Zack said. "Do you see the panic in his eyes, Eduardo?"

"Hard to miss. Our Ridgey's got it bad."

Ridge would've commented, but their assistant chief deputy, Jayne Marks, and their inspector, Asher Dunleavy, stepped into the operations room. Marks was a petite, Black woman who took a minimalist approach in both her fashion sense and demeanor. She had no time for frills or bullshit, and they all respected her deeply. Standing beside Asher, who resembled a brawny lumberjack, she seemed even smaller, but Ridge would rather tussle with the lumberjack in a dark alley than the assistant chief deputy any day. Marks practiced several martial arts, and her size made her fast and deadly.

Asher held up a stack of papers in his hand. "We're serving arrest and seizure warrants at the homes of Jenner Jones and Stanton Burkhart as well as at their corporate office. The two men are accused of using their investment company to bilk billions of assets from their investors and defraud the IRS in the process. We need to split into three teams and hit their locations simultaneously so one location doesn't tip off the other."

For the next ten minutes, Asher went over a detailed plan before dividing them into three teams. Asher went with the crew heading to the corporate office, Zack went with the Jenner Jones unit, and Eddie and Ridge had Stanton Burkhart duties.

The Burkhart team was in position first but waited down the street until the other two units were in place. When Asher gave the signal, the convoys switched on their lights and sirens and moved in on their targets.

Eddie, Ridge, and Tiffany Janey took the front door while the others took the sides and rear of the property. Eddie rang the doorbell repeatedly while Ridge banged on the ornate wooden door and identified them as federal marshals. Seconds later, a woman wearing a drab gray uniform answered the door.

"We have an arrest warrant for Stanton Burkhart," Ridge told her. "Where can we find him?"

Before she could respond, a blonde woman joined her at the door. "Mrs. Burkhart, these men are here to arrest Mr. Burkhart."

The blonde woman's pale blue eyes widened. "What? There has to be some mistake."

"Afraid not. Step aside, ma'am," Janey said.

"Rebecca," a man said from deeper inside the residence. "What's going on? I was giving Amber a tour of the house when I heard all the commotion."

Rebecca Burkhart snorted, then stood aside and gestured to the trio. "They're here to arrest you."

All the color leached out of the man's face. "What? There must be a mistake."

They stepped past Mrs. Burkhart and entered the grand foyer. Eddie politely showed the warrant to Stanton Burkhart, who snatched the document out of his hand.

"I don't fucking believe this," the investment banker said. "It says you're to seize all my assets."

"What?" Mrs. Burkhart screeched.

A younger version of Stanton Burkhart staggered drunkenly down the hallway. "Dad? What's going on?"

"Not now, Travis," Burkhart sneered. "You better return to the drawing room and drink what little liquor you've left untouched before these assholes seize it."

"That's US Deputy Marshal Asshole to you," Eddie said. "Hands behind your back, sir."

"Call our lawyer, Rebecca," Stanton said as he obeyed Eddie's command.

Ridge let their team know they were inside and had Burkhart in custody. "Move in and make sure all the residents, guests, and staff are rounded up and placed in one location. We want to make sure nothing is removed from the house and no documents or evidence are shredded or otherwise destroyed."

"You're not taking a damn thing from this house," Mrs. Burkhart said as she held her phone to her ear. "Our attorney, Roger Carmichael, won't let you."

"I don't answer to Roger, ma'am," Ridge said. "He's entitled to supervise the cataloging and removal of property, but he can't stop us."

"And we'll arrest him and anyone else who tries to interfere with us executing a federal warrant," Janey said.

The woman glared daggers at them until her lawyer answered. She stepped away and spoke to him in hushed tones, but Ridge could hear most of what she said. None of it was flattering toward the marshals who'd interrupted her dinner party.

Once Ridge had Stanton secured, he led him to a sitting area off the foyer. "Have a seat."

"I want to talk to my attorney," Stanton said.

"Mrs. Burkhart can hold the phone to your ear," Eddie told him.

"Rebecca," Burkhart called out. "Bring the phone over here. I don't want you to fuck this up."

The woman spun around and glared at Stanton. "Me? I'm not the one in handcuffs."

"Do as I say, woman. Then I want you to find Amber. I don't want the Everlys to get the wrong impression."

Rebecca Burkhart stomped across the marble floor looking angry enough to slug him. "Shouldn't you be worried about what Bill thinks since he's the one you're trying to do business with? Just what were you and his wife getting up to on this tour ?"

Mr. Burkhart glowered at her for a few seconds. "Hold up the phone so I can talk to Roger."

"Tell me the truth," Rebecca demanded. "Are you screwing Amber Everly?"

"This isn't the time for this conversation. I need Roger here now."

"Not until you tell me the truth," his wife shouted. "Are you fucking her?"

Ridge rubbed the bridge of his nose and wondered what the hell horror they'd stepped into. This was better than the trashy reality television Kendall loved so much, and Ridge hated that he couldn't share the details with him.

"Yes!" Stanton shouted. "Are you happier now that you know the truth? Give me the phone."

"You son of a bitch," Rebecca yelled. She cocked her arm back, but Eddie blocked her attempt to strike the man.

"Ma'am," Eddie said kindly. "Your name isn't on the arrest warrant. As bad as this night is, you get to walk away from it."

"With nothing," she cried. "After I've given him everything ."

"Darling, we'll fix this," Stanton said. "I'm sorry I couldn't resist her seduction."

"Jesus," Ridge muttered. He hadn't meant to respond, but was this guy for real? And how many times had a similar scene played out? He'd bet Eddie's right nut it wasn't the first time Stanton had cheated.

Mrs. Burkhart must've believed it because she held her phone up to her husband's ear.

After a terse exchange with his attorney, Stanton nodded at his wife, who withdrew the phone and disconnected the call. "Roger will be here in twenty minutes."

"Gives us plenty of time to clear the residence to make sure no one is sneaking out the back with the silverware, jewelry, or artwork," Eddie said.

"You can't be serious," Mrs. Burkhart said.

"I once had a woman try to hide diamonds under her tongue," Eddie replied.

"That isn't what I meant," she said. "You can't possibly take jewelry that belongs to me if I'm not included in the warrant."

"We can, and we will," Ridge said.

"The items you claim are yours were bought with illicit gains and are now the property of the United States," Eddie said.

Mrs. Burkhart whirled around and faced her husband once more. "Stanton, what have you done?" She sounded more outraged over losing her jewelry than hearing her husband admit he'd had an affair.

Roger Carmichael arrived faster than the lawyer had predicted, and that's when the real fun began. The man looked over the warrant and shook his head. "I'd hoped to get an emergency injunction from Judge Temple, but she didn't answer my calls."

"Try again," Mr. Burkhart groused.

The lawyer ran a hand over his forehead. "She's the one who signed the warrant, Stanton. They're seizing your personal assets—Jenner's too—as well as everything the company owns. There's nothing I can do about this until Monday. I can try to get you out on bail then."

Burkhart bristled in his chair. "Fuck."

"I can't stop them from taking anything, but I can photograph and catalog each item." The lawyer grimaced for a second.

"What's wrong?" Stanton asked.

"Besides the fact that we'll be homeless and penniless?" Rebecca asked her husband.

The attorney cleared his throat. "We'll need to discuss how you plan to pay for my legal services."

"Christ," Burkhart said. "I would've thought forty years of doing business together meant something to you, Roger."

"I'll cover it," the drunk man named Travis said. He snorted and hiccupped. "Guess I should be glad you refused to hire me as the CFO of your company, Dad."

"Excuse me," an attractive brunette woman said. "Is my family free to go?" She gestured to two men Ridge assumed were her husband and son. "We're not involved in Mr. Burkhart's business, and none of the possessions in this home belong to us."

"Bet you're sorry you wasted your time sleeping with my husband," Rebecca Burkhart blurted out. "Better find out if Stan gifted her expensive jewelry like he did with his other mistresses." Mrs. Burkhart tipped her head to the side. "Oh, wait. That comes after the newness wears off and he breaks up with them. A parting gift, if you will. I could tell by Stanton's demeanor your affair had just begun. He could barely wait to finish dinner before whisking you off on a tour ."

Amber gasped, Bill flinched, and their son, Graeme, buried his head in his hands.

"Jesus, Rebecca," Stanton said. "Read the room. This isn't the time or place." Burkhart looked at Ridge. "Can they leave?"

Eddie and Ridge stepped to the side and quickly conversed. They decided there was no reason to keep the Burkharts' dinner guests. The gentlemen emptied their pockets, and Mrs. Everly opened her handbag to prove she wasn't aiding and abetting the Burkharts.

"You're free to go," Eddie told them.

The trio hastily retreated to the door. Bill Everly halted at the threshold of the sitting room and glared at Stanton.

"Needless to say, I'm not interested in doing business with you, Stanton. And you'll regret the day you were born if you come anywhere near my wife again."

Burkhart looked at Ridge. "Are you going to let him threaten me?"

"An ass whipping is the last thing you should be worried about, Mr. Burkhart," Ridge said.

Asset forfeitures were tedious, highly emotional, and drawn-out events. A few deputies supervised the staff as they retrieved their personal belongings and then escorted them to their vehicles. Travis Burkhart and his dinner date, Sandra, were also cleared to leave.

"Ma'am, please tell me you're driving," Eddie said.

"I'd walk home otherwise," she replied.

Travis staggered to his feet. "I'm fine to drive."

"Come on, Travis," Sandra said in an exasperated tone.

"And then there were two," Ridge said to Stanton and Rebecca, who just glared at him.

"Let's get this over with," the attorney groused.

Ridge, Janey, and Eddie did a quick cycle through rock-paper-scissors to see who got stuck babysitting the Burkharts while the other two joined the forfeiture teams. Janey went paper while Ridge and Eddie went scissors.

"Damn it," she murmured.

Eddie went upstairs to the bedrooms while Ridge stayed on the first floor to help gather artwork, collectibles, and other items of value. A few hours later, Eddie met Ridge in Stanton Burkhart's office where he was documenting and boxing up Burkhart's impressive collection of baseball memorabilia.

There was a display of photos on the bookshelves that grabbed Ridge's attention. The largest frame in the center featured a picture of Rebecca and Stanton dancing at their wedding. They were smiling and gazing into each other's eyes like it was the happiest day of their lives. Maybe it was, but they'd fallen a long way since then.

There were a few more smaller photos of Stanton with his son. Most of the images were taken during big moments like graduations and proms. There was only one recent photo of them together, and it looked like it was taken on a golf course. Neither man looked happy to be in the other's company. The rest of the pictures were all framed newspaper or magazine articles touting the brilliance of Burkhart and Jones.

"Nice office," Eddie said when he walked into the room, "but where's the safe?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. We subpoenaed their personal and commercial bank records, and there are no safe deposit boxes registered at their institutions—personally or commercially. I expected to find one or two safes hidden behind paintings on the first floor, especially in Burkhart's home office, but nada. Did you find any upstairs?"

"Nada," Eddie echoed. He put his hands on his hips and surveyed the room. "I don't know jack about jewelry, but one of the deputies said what we found was nothing more than costume stuff." Eddie met Ridge's gaze. "Does the diamond and blue stone set Mrs. Burkhart is wearing look like costume jewelry to you?"

"Diamond and sapphire, Eduardo. And no, it looks very much like the real deal."

"There must be hidden doors and safes. We probably shouldn't have released the domestic staff so hastily."

Nodding, Ridge said, "I'd just come to the same conclusion. Let's check the studs."

Eddie shrugged. "Okay. I may not play for your team, but I know a hunk when I see one."

Ridge laughed. "Your enlightenment astounds me, but I was referring to the support beams behind the walls."

"Oh," Eddie replied, his eyes twinkling with humor.

Ridge rapped his knuckles against the smooth mahogany paneling. The solid thunk indicated he'd found a stud behind the wall. He moved over a few inches and knocked again, receiving the hollow sound he expected to find in a gap between studs.

Eddie walked over to the wall on the opposite side of the room. "How far apart should the studs be?"

"Sixteen inches." He'd helped his father build their ranch in Montana and would never forget the meticulous way Mitchell Dandridge had laid out their home. Ridge glanced over at his friend. "Unless there's a restraining order, then it's five hundred feet."

Eddie shook his head and kept knocking on the wall. The guys continued testing their theory until Ridge came across a large section of wood paneling with a solid structure behind it.

"That's at least five to six feet wide," Ridge estimated. "Now we just need to find out how we can access it." He ran his finger along the seams of the paneling, looking for a hidden latch or button.

"How about a crowbar?" Eddie suggested.

Ridge snorted. "Let's try other methods first. Maybe the attorney will be helpful. Sure, he wants to protect his clients but not at the risk of being charged with obstruction or getting disbarred."

He continued looking around the room for any type of hidden device that might open the secret panel. The desk was locked, something they'd rectify before the seizure was over, but Ridge did find a remote control on top of it. Unfortunately, it only turned on an electric fireplace. Eddie returned with Carmichael a few minutes later.

"We need access to the safes, counselor," Ridge said.

Good ole Roger looked around the room with a bewildered expression on his face. "I don't see a safe."

"Cut the bullshit," Eddie said. "Burkhart said you've been doing business together for decades. Do you expect us to believe you've never been in this office when he's had to open his safe?"

A deep flush crept up the man's neck and face as he glowered at Eddie. "That's exactly what I want you to believe. I have known and represented Stanton for a long time, but my only invitations to his home were for social events until this evening. We've always conducted our business dealings in my office or his."

"Convenient," Ridge said, his voice sounding as flat as the pancakes Eddie had made him for breakfast once.

The attorney notched his chin higher and stiffened his shoulders. "I don't appreciate your nasty attitude and disdain. I've done nothing to deserve it."

They could argue with the lawyer all night or take up their suspicions with his client. Ridge's gut said Roger was telling the truth, so the latter would be more prudent. He gestured to the door and said, "After you."

The three of them returned to the room where the Burkharts were being held. Ridge could hear them arguing from the opposite side of the mansion, and the annoyed look on Janey's face told him the pair hadn't let up since the seizure had begun.

Ridge glanced over at the couple and noticed their antagonistic body language. They were sitting beside one another, but they were angled away from each other. "Did their hostility loosen their tongues?"

Janey shook her head. "Not beyond what we'd already deduced about Mr. Burkhart. She's spent all this time berating him for his affairs and listing all the things she's sacrificed for his happiness. And he countered with the cars, vacations, and jewelry he's given her."

Ridge took a deep breath. So, the jewelry was likely somewhere in the house or possibly in a safe at the corporate office. He'd call Asher for an update if they struck out with the Burkharts. "Okay."

Ridge joined Eddie and Roger. The unhappy couple glared at him with matching malice.

"We need you to unlock the safes," Eddie said.

"We don't have safes," Stanton replied.

Ridge glared at the dumbass. "The hell you don't. We will search every inch of this house until we find every hidden safe, room, and hidey-hole."

"What good will it do without the combinations?" Burkhart asked.

Their attorney heaved a sigh. "Stanton, they will subpoena an override code from the manufacturer. These are federal marshals, not some clueless, local yokels."

"Or we'll take a crowbar to the wood paneling in the office and drill a hole through the safe once we uncover it," Ridge said.

"Tell them how to access the safes and give them the codes, Stanton," the attorney said.

Burkhart bristled. "Kiss my ass, Roger."

Rebecca pivoted on the loveseat and faced them. "I'll show you to each of the safes and provide the combinations."

That set off a harsh verbal exchange between husband and wife. Ridge could tell a lot about a couple by the insults they hurled at one another. There wasn't a shred of love between them.

"Enough," Eddie shouted after a few minutes. The Burkharts snapped their mouths shut and aimed their ire at him instead of each other. "Save the petty fighting for later. I want access to the safes, and I want it now."

Rebecca rose to her feet. "Let's go."

Burkhart sprang to his feet. "I'm going too. I want to see what you remove."

"To be clear, we're taking everything," Ridge replied.

The pissed-off investment banker glared at his attorney. "Are you just going to let them walk all over you?"

"I'm doing what the law requires of me," Roger replied. "I'm not going down for you."

Rebecca snorted and headed toward the door. "That makes two of us," she tossed over her shoulder.

Once inside the study, the bickering and blaming continued until Eddie whistled sharply through his teeth. "You have ten seconds to reveal the safe before I go out to my truck and get the crowbar and drill," he warned them.

"Unlock the desk, Stanton," Rebecca said.

"Fuck you," he sneered.

Before anyone could predict her next move, Rebecca swung her fist and tagged Burkhart in the balls. Her husband doubled over while Ridge fought the urge to cover his crotch with his hands. "Maybe that will take you out of commission for a few days," she said. Then Rebecca grabbed his bicep and dragged him over to the desk. Burkhart was too busy howling in pain to fight her off. She wrenched the arms cuffed behind his back into the air until his hand was under the middle drawer. An audible click came from the desk, then the middle drawer opened.

"Hand scanner?" Eddie asked.

Rebecca released her husband's arm, and he collapsed onto the floor, writhing in pain. "Nothing but the best for Stan," she said. "The best homes, food, wine, and whores."

Burkhart paused his bitching and moaning long enough to lift his head and sneer at his wife. "Takes one to recognize one."

Rebecca started to kick her prone husband, but Roger stepped between them. "Right now, you're not being held responsible for Stanton's actions. Keep it up, and you'll end up in a holding cell next to him," the attorney cautioned.

Rebecca took a deep breath and nodded. Then she pulled open the middle drawer and hit a button on a tiny remote. Seconds later, the hidden panel opened to reveal a large walk-in safe.

"She doesn't know the combi—"

"Twelve. Sixty-nine. Twenty-one," Rebecca said.

Burkhart slowly staggered to his feet and faced his wife. His attempt at a glower was diminished by his hunched shoulders. "This is the last straw. We're through, and you won't get a penny of my money."

Rebecca barked a dry laugh and crossed her arms over her chest. "What money, Stan?"

" Do not call me that." He straightened marginally and looked at Ridge. "Her good jewelry is hidden in two safes in her walk-in closet."

"Shut up, Stan ."

"Can you be more specific, sir?" Eddie asked. "The closet is bigger than my apartment."

Mr. Burkhart's laughter was sharp enough to cut. Then he told Eddie precisely where the safes were located and how to open them.

"You son of a bitch," Rebecca roared, charging at him with her fist held high. She cocked her arm back and let it fly before Ridge could intervene. Eddie was closer and leaped into the fray. Burkhart ducked at the last minute, so Rebecca's right hook caught Eddie in the jaw. She must've packed a wallop because Eddie's head snapped back with a crunch . "Oh shit."

"Indeed," Ridge said, stepping forward and securing her hands behind her back. He removed his handcuffs and snapped them onto her slender wrists. "And now you become our guest for the night."

Her shoulders shook as tears streamed down her face. She aimed her forlorn gaze at Eddie and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Eddie was a hard-ass, but even he was susceptible to a woman's tears, so Ridge shoved him toward the door. "Tell the team upstairs about the jewelry safes. I'll take care of the office." Ridge looked at the lawyer. "Are you going upstairs or staying here?"

The lawyer looked between his clients and the door. Ridge firmly expected the man to use any excuse to leave the room, but instead, Roger sighed and gestured for Ridge to open the safe.

By the time they locked down the estate, the marshals had seized millions of dollars in assets from the home, including half a million in cash and several luxury vehicles. Rebecca's jewelry collection alone had to be worth a small fortune. They wouldn't know the total value until their assessors cataloged and appraised everything.

"I can't imagine having this kind of money and being so fucking greedy," Eddie said after they'd locked the Burkharts in separate cells. They could've put them in the same cell and sold tickets for the ass whooping Rebecca would give Stan, but that was as unethical as Stanton Burkhart bilking billions of dollars from people.

"Ready to go home?" Eddie asked.

Ridge checked his phone for the first time in hours. It was almost two in the morning. Kendall would be getting off soon. Ridge cringed at his phrasing. He'd be leaving work soon. Not getting off. Or would he? The tension between them had continued to grow until it had become almost unbearable. Rubbing one out in the shower wasn't enough. And what about Kendall? Was he letting off a little solo steam? Had Ridge moving in eased his loneliness or had it made his reckless impulses stronger? How much longer before Kendall gave in to being bad with someone who wasn't Ridge? The thought enraged him.

"Whoa," Eddie said. "You should see your face right now."

Ridge flipped him off, then headed out. "See you on Monday, Eddie."

Instead of heading to bed, Ridge drove to the club to make sure Kendall's good streak was still intact. Yeah , that was it .