Chapter Twenty-Three

R idge stood over Kendall's bed early the following morning as the beautiful blond man lay sleeping. They'd woken at some point in the middle of the night and stumbled down the hallway toward the bedrooms. Ridge hadn't even considered veering off to his own room, and Kendall sure hadn't protested his presence between his sheets. Kendall had thrown a possessive arm and leg over Ridge like he was terrified Ridge might sneak off at the first available opportunity. The thought hadn't so much as flitted across his mind.

Unable to resist, Ridge ran a hand over Kendall's silky hair, earning a soft whimper from the slumbering man. He arched his back like he was trying to get closer, and Ridge would've made it a reality if he hadn't wanted to arrive at work early to talk with Marks. Sammy, who'd been curled up on Kendall's lower back, raised his head and glared at Ridge.

He chuckled and scratched the little lion's chin. "Mind your own business," he whispered to the cat. Ridge leaned over and kissed Kendall's cheek, inhaling the intoxicating scent of sexy and sweet that was uniquely his. He stepped back from the bed and noticed his silk tie on the floor. They'd undressed hastily in the middle of the night, and it had still been pitch black when Ridge had forced himself from Kendall's bed to get ready for work. He'd managed to pick up all his dirty clothes except the tie. Promises from last night echoed in his ear.

I want to tie you to my bed with this .

Ridge leaned over, picked it up, and looped it around Kendall's bedpost so he'd see it and remember too.

Ridge stepped into the kitchen and made a single cup of coffee to go before heading out. He had to make one stop before he could meet with Marks. There was a Walgreens on the way to the field office, and Ridge knew they were open twenty-four hours. The store looked lit for Jesus at the predawn hour, and the three walls of windows made him feel like he was swimming in a fishbowl. He headed straight to the cosmetics section, thinking it would only take him a few seconds to find the concealer. What. The. Fuck? There had to be a hundred different shades between a few dozen companies. Some he could rule out right away. The point of concealer was to hide something, not to draw attention to it by using a shade too light or dark. But there were too many variations of what looked like the same color, and it irritated him. Ridge bit the bullet and asked the clerk for her opinion.

"I don't wear makeup, so I probably won't be much help." She held the packages up to his face and shrugged. "They all look the same to me."

Ridge let out a little growl. Then an idea hit him. Emma and Jess would be able to help. "Can I buy these and return the ones I don't need?"

"As long as the packaging and seals aren't broken."

"Deal."

He pulled into the parking lot at work a few minutes later and was dismayed to see so many people had arrived already. Damn workaholics. Ridge spotted Jess's and Emma's vehicles but wasn't surprised since they were working overtime on Burkhart's and Jones's assets. Just thinking Burkhart's name made Ridge want to punch something. He hadn't been joking when he'd said he only needed five minutes with Stanton. Ridge could tell Kendall saw his mother as another of Burkhart's casualties, and she was, but it was tough for him to give the woman a pass.

Ridge headed straight for the asset forfeiture department, or the dungeon as Jess and Emma referred to their basement offices. He stopped at Emma's first and knocked on the glass wall.

"Have a minute? I need some help."

Emma snapped her head up. Her hair was so inky black it appeared blue in the fluorescent overhead lights. "Of course. What's up?"

"Can you come with me to Jess's office?"

Emma scooted her chair back and stretched until Ridge heard her vertebrae pop.

"You did go home last night, right?"

"For a little bit," Emma replied as she fell into step with him.

"What time did you come back?"

"Too damn early," Jess said around a yawn when they stepped into her office. "What's going on?"

Ridge upended the pharmacy bag and the array of concealers fell into the middle of Jess's desk.

"Yeah, we'll be needing some of that later," she said.

"It's for me." Ridge tugged down the collar of his polo shirt.

"Whoa," Emma said. "Someone burn their neck while curling their hair?"

Ridge bit back a laugh. "It's razor burn."

Jess snorted. "Who is he?"

Ridge grinned because he was eager to tell his friends all about Kendall but knew he had to get his ass in gear if he wanted a shot at talking to Marks before he lost his nerve. "I want to tell you all about him, but I need you to help me cover this up before Eddie sees it."

"Too damn late," Ridge's best friend said from behind him.

Ridge dropped his collar into place and turned to greet his friend with a smile, but Eddie just scowled. He held a drink carrier with three coffees in one hand and a pastry bag in the other.

"You fucking moron. I knew you were hiding something under that dress shirt yesterday."

"Eddie!" Jess and Emma exclaimed.

"Don't feel sorry for him," Eddie said as he strode forward and set the drinks and food down. "Let me see it."

Ridge peeled back his collar again.

"You and I are going to have a serious talk," Eddie said.

"Not until I speak to Marks first."

Ridge and Eddie continued staring at one another for several moments.

"What the hell is going on?" Emma asked.

"Don't know, and I'm oddly okay with it," Jess replied.

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into?" Eddie asked.

Ridge grinned and winked at his friend. "Trouble."

Eddie raised both hands and stepped away from the desk. "I won't get in the way of the ladies giving you a makeover."

"Don't be jealous, baby," Jess said. "There's a shade in here that will work on you."

Ridge snorted. "You're a real smartass, Jess. I like you a lot."

She slapped his bicep. "I like you too, big guy. That's why I'm going to save your ass. None of these concealers will give you the coverage you need."

"Damn," he grumbled.

Jess held up a finger before he could spew other curses. "Fear not. I have a solution." She patted her vacated desk chair. "Make this easier on a girl and have a seat."

He looked at the chair and calculated the likelihood it would break under his weight.

"I better sit over here," Ridge said, pointing to the visitor's chair in the corner.

"The lighting isn't as good over there," Jess countered.

"Babe," Eddie said, "you're not contouring his face or giving him a smoky eye. Just dab the crap on his love bite."

Jess giggled and shook her head as she rooted around in her purse. "Aha," she said, raising a small tube in the air like it was a trophy. "This is what you need to apply first before the concealer will work."

"But it's green," Ridge said.

"Green cancels out the red," Emma explained.

Jess nodded. "It's what you use to cover acne or rosacea or just a ruddy complexion. Then you go over it with a concealer or foundation that matches your skin tone."

"Marks didn't say anything about green concealer," Ridge said.

Eddie groaned and started pacing. "Dude, Marks gave you advice on how to cover your hickey? Assistant Chief Deputy Jayne Marks? Our boss?"

"Yes," Ridge said. "It's not quite the bonding moment you're envisioning. She basically compared me to her horny teenager." Ridge told them about their conversation, and the three of them had a great laugh at his expense.

Jess dabbed the green stuff on first while Emma scrutinized the concealers, murmuring something about undertones he didn't understand. "You did a great job choosing shades. I think this one will work best," Emma said, showing him the lightest one he'd picked.

"I want to hear about this guy," Jess said as she fanned her hand in front of Ridge's neck.

"Me too," Emma said.

"I'll introduce you to him soon. I promise. Maybe we could—"

"No," Eddie said. "You're not dragging us all down with you."

Jess swatted her boyfriend hard on the arm. "Eddie, you're not in charge of me. I want to meet…" She looked at Ridge.

"Kendall," he supplied.

"And I—" She snapped her head back in Eddie's direction. "Wait a damn minute. That's the name of that cute guy we met at the barbecue. The one you said would be perfect for Ridge."

"Oh," Emma said. "I remember Kendall. Why don't you like him now?"

"I do like him," Eddie said, softening his voice. "Kendall's a great guy, and he makes this big lug smile like I've never seen before."

"But?" Jess and Emma asked.

"It's complicated," Ridge said. "Eddie is right, though. I need to have a conversation with Marks before I drag anyone else into my situation."

"Fine." Jess dabbed on a second layer of concealer with a light touch before stepping back to survey her handiwork. "Not bad at all." She pulled a compact mirror from her purse and handed it to Ridge.

He closely inspected Jess's work and handed it back to her. "You did good," he said, just as she came at him with a spray bottle.

"Tip your head back."

He immediately obliged, and she hit the spot with a couple of squirts. "What's that?"

"Setting spray," Eddie said.

Ridge looked over at his friend. "How do you know this?"

"I pay attention to the things that are important to my lady."

Ridge kissed Jess's cheek, then Emma's. "You're lifesavers." He took a deep breath to settle his jitters as he tossed the cosmetics back in the bag. "Wish me luck, yeah?"

"Good luck," his three friends said.

"You're going to need it," Eddie added.

Ridge heard the ladies chastising his friend on his walk to the elevator. Served him right. Ridge's phone rang just as he stepped onto his floor. The number was local but didn't belong to anyone he had programmed into his contact list.

He accepted the call and said, "Deputy Marshal Dandridge."

"Hello, Pat Garrett."

Carmen Elliot. There was only one reason she'd be calling him. "You ready to do the right thing?"

"You ready to fulfill your promises?" she countered.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Be in Hinesville at one o'clock." She rattled off a restaurant and address. "I'll have a small sample of the information I can give you on Willie and Sheldon Harris."

"I'll be bringing the assistant chief deputy and chief deputy. They're the ones you need to convince for WITSEC placement."

She chuckled. "That should take me all of twenty seconds."

"Carmen, are you someplace safe right now?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just be there at one. Bring your appetite and your credit card. Lunch is on you."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ridge ended the call and headed straight for Marks's office. This was the break he'd been waiting for.