Chapter Twenty-Five

R idge bounced his leg and checked his watch again.

"Relax, Dandridge," Marks said. "Chief McKinley is never late."

He blew out a breath and stood. Outward displays of anxiousness were unlike him, but the meeting in Hinesville was too important to blow. Carmen might be able to give him the first solid lead he'd had on Sheldon Harris in three freaking years, and the responsibility he felt toward Carmen and her kids pressed heavily on his shoulders. And that wasn't all.

Marks was someone he admired, and earning her respect hadn't come easily. The trust she'd placed in him and her regard for his character would crumble if he continued to keep his relationship with Kendall a secret. And if she found out through other channels or if his decisions reflected poorly on her…he would be toast.

"Something else on your mind, Dandridge?"

He snapped his head up and met her shrewd gaze. Of course she hadn't missed his uncharacteristic behavior. It was on the tip of his tongue to come clean, but Chief McKinley strode into Marks's office before he could respond.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, extending a hand to Ridge. Nell McKinley's grip was as firm and no-nonsense as her demeanor. She was nearly as tall as Ridge, and her Nordic heritage had given her glacial eyes and cheekbones, both sharp enough to slice cheese. "It's good to see you, Dandridge."

"Ma'am," he said with a nod.

Marks stood up and joined them. McKinley towered over her, but Marks reminded Ridge of a stick of dynamite—small but deadly. "Let's get on the road before Dandridge wears a hole in my floor."

"Nervous?" McKinley asked as they filed out into the hallway.

Yes, ma'am," he replied honestly. "A lot rides on the success of this interview." He longed for the day when he could call Rashanda's parents and tell them Harris was in custody.

McKinley fell into step with him. "We'll have an hour to come up with a strategy."

"I'll drive," Marks said. "No offense, Dandridge, but I don't want to get caught up in the prank war going on with your team."

"I was an innocent victim," he said. This time . Ridge had instigated his fair share of trouble over the past five years. He'd miss the team like crazy when he moved on.

Marks snorted. "Save it for someone who'll fall for that puppy dog expression."

"Yes, ma'am."

During the hour-long drive, the trio discussed various strategies based on what little Ridge knew about Carmen's personality. Then they explored the different outcomes they faced, ranging from walking away empty-handed to moving Carmen and her family into protective custody. As extreme as the options sounded, there wasn't a whole lot of middle ground to give. Carmen either had the information they needed to crack the cartel's organization, or she didn't. If she possessed proof, would she use it.

They arrived at the diner fifteen minutes early, but Carmen was already there and seated in a rear corner booth with three children and an older woman Ridge assumed was her mother. Carmen held up a finger, and Ridge acknowledged her with a nod.

Ridge, Marks, and McKinley sat down at a table in the opposite corner of the restaurant. In the car, he'd been too nervous to even think about eating, but the tantalizing aromas wafting through the dining room had him rethinking his plans to skip lunch. It also reminded him of the night he'd just shared with Kendall, which stirred reactions he didn't want to encourage.

Ridge sat where he could keep an eye on Carmen until their waitress swung by to take their drink orders. After she moved on, Ridge noticed Carmen appeared to be having an intense conversation with the other woman. He couldn't hear them over the din of the lunch crowd, but both women wore pinched expressions and gestured with their hands. If Ridge had to guess, Carmen's mother was trying to talk her out of meeting with them. He couldn't blame her. Ridge hoped Carmen would allow them to address her fears.

The waitress returned with their drinks, cutting off his view of the two women once more. "Do you know what you want to eat, or do you need another minute?"

Ridge hadn't so much as glanced at the menu yet. "We'll need a few minutes."

"Sure thing."

The waitress moved on to the next table, allowing Ridge to check in on Carmen. His heart stalled when she wasn't in the booth but relaxed when he saw her mother and children were still there. Carmen's mother pinned him with a hard stare, then pointed to the hallway at the back of the diner. Above the archway was a restroom sign. Ridge nodded at the woman and took a sip of his too-sweet tea.

"Whoa," he said, reaching for a glass of water to wash away the sugary residue clinging to his mouth.

"Mmhmm," Marks said. "I didn't ask for a glass of sugar with a splash of tea."

A moment later, Carmen exited the bathroom and made her way to their table. She pulled out the chair next to Ridge then blew a kiss to her kids across the room. Her mother pulled out some coloring books and crayons from a large purse. The kids forgot all about their mother as they argued over the items.

"Cute kids," Ridge said.

"Thanks. I think so too."

Ridge introduced Carmen to Marks and McKinley."

"I wish I could say it was nice to meet you," Carmen said.

McKinley cracked a smile. "I'm used to it."

Ridge wondered if he should warm Carmen up with small talk or cut right to the chase. This wasn't a date, and he didn't want to insult her intelligence.

Carmen reached into her tote and removed a flash drive, proving she had no misconception about who was truly in the driver's seat. "I have audio files on this. Do you have anything you can plug it into?"

McKinley retrieved a laptop from the messenger bag she'd stowed beneath the table and inserted a pair of earbuds before accepting the flash drive. The deputy chief averted her eyes as she listened but snapped her gaze up to meet Carmen's within a few seconds. Ridge's pulse hammered as his imagination kicked in. McKinley showed him mercy by not making him wait for long, handing the laptop and earbuds to him.

The noise-canceling headphones blocked out eighty percent of the noise around him, making Ridge feel like he was locked in a tunnel where the only sound he heard was his own pounding heart. He forced himself to calm down and push play.

"Did you have anything to do with shooting the little girl, Willie?" Carmen asked on the recording. A muffled sound came in response, and it took Ridge a second to realize it was an anguished sob.

"She wasn't supposed to get hurt," Willie replied. "Harris got careless."

Carmen burst into tears. "Rashanda was in our daughter's class. How are you going to look her mother in the eye, knowing what you did?"

"Melodee's not my daughter. Stop calling her that."

"You're the only daddy she's ever known," Carmen argued.

"Not my fault you fucked nothing but losers before we met," Willie snarled. "And I didn't shoot the girl. I don't harm no kids. I just drove the vehicle. Harris pulled the trigger."

Ridge listened raptly, wanting to hear Willie say Rashanda's name. Without it, this recording was probably worthless.

"You gotta turn him in, Willie."

"Fuck you, bitch," Willie snarled. "I'm not spending the rest of my life in prison. I already told you I didn't shoot Rashanda. Harris did. What're you asking all these questions for? You fucking crazy all of a sudden? Just shut up about it." And there it was. Proof Willie had been driving the vehicle when Harris shot Rashanda.

"You didn't just drive the car, Willie. You took care of the cleanup, didn't you?" Carmen pressed. "Harris doesn't wipe his own ass at this point, so there's no fucking way he got rid of the gun. Turn it over to the police. They can trace it—"

A loud slap echoed through the earbuds, and Ridge flinched as Carmen could be heard crying on the recording.

"Shut your whore mouth before I do it for you. Is that what you want? Keep causing trouble, and I'll make sure it stays closed for good." A gagging sound came from the recording, and Ridge suspected Willie had wrapped his hands around her throat. Ridge suddenly found it hard to breathe until the recording stopped abruptly.

He met Carmen's gaze. "You're very brave."

Tears filled her eyes. "Not yet, but I will be." She took a deep breath and looked at the women sitting across from them. "That's just the tip of the iceberg. I have hours of recordings." Carmen met Ridge's gaze. "This one is for you. I can tell how much getting justice for Rashanda means to you." She looked at Marks and McKinley. "I need some promises if you want the rest."

This was the part of the negotiation that could go sideways. Most of the people in WITSEC were connected to unsavory people or circumstances. Yes, there were a few who had unfortunate luck and wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time, but usually, they were scratching the feds' backs to save their own asses or the asses of someone they loved. They'd been asked to overturn convictions and other things beyond their scope and reach. Ridge didn't know enough about Carmen to even guess what her stipulations were.

"I just want a fresh start in a new city," she said. "I want to go to nursing school, I want to live in a safe neighborhood, and I want my kids to have opportunities."

"That's it?" Marks asked.

Carmen nodded. "It would be everything I've ever dreamed of."

"Why did Willie tell you these things?" McKinley asked.

"He's not the badass he wants everyone to believe. Sure, he can rough me up, but killing kids isn't something he'd ever willingly do." Ridge could point out that pedaling drugs and guns did, in fact, kill plenty of children, but he didn't want to piss her off. "As you heard, my daughter went to school with Rashanda. Willie and I attended the little girl's funeral and comforted Melodee when she had nightmares." Carmen took a deep breath. "And she wasn't the only one suffering restless nights. I thought Willie's restlessness was because he wanted to be a good parent until I caught him sobbing in the dark one night after we'd gotten Mel back to sleep. I knew he was involved, and it would only be a matter of time before he wanted to talk. I was ready to capture that conversation and every one since."

"Were any of these confessions coerced through alcohol, drugs, or any other means?" McKinley asked.

Carmen snorted. "Other means? Like sex?"

Of course the waitress chose that moment to arrive. She blinked a few times and offered to leave again, but the group ordered. After the heavy meal he'd consumed with Kendall, Ridge ordered the same grilled chicken and strawberry salad Marks ordered.

"I didn't coerce any of the confessions from Willie," Carmen said once they were alone again. "You'll be able to tell that when you listen to them." She ran through the highlight reel of confessions, which was enough to impress his stoic bosses. According to Carmen, Willie wasn't shy about discussing the names of cartel associates he worked with or their processes for moving their product into and around the US. "Plus the dirty cops and politicians on their payroll." The last part made Ridge sick to his stomach, even though it was expected.

"We'll have to authenticate the recordings and make sure they weren't altered," McKinley said.

Carmen didn't flinch. "I wouldn't expect anything less, ma'am." She glanced across the diner and gave her mother a thumbs up. "Saying goodbye to my mama is going to hurt so bad."

Marks leaned across the table. "She can come with you."

Carmen sat up straighter and stared at Marks. "Are you for real right now?"

"As real as the sugar in this damn tea."

Carmen smiled. "Thank you."

Marks nodded at her before turning her attention to Ridge. "Get your partner down here to help you relocate the witnesses."

"Now?" Carmen asked. "I wasn't followed."

"That you know of," McKinley said. "You were smart to pick a public meeting place, but there's no guarantee Willie's guys aren't outside watching the place. We'll tuck your family away in a safehouse for now and will move you to a permanent location once we get a plan in place."

"Oh god," Carmen said. "This is really happening."

"You've got this," Ridge assured her. "And we've got you."