Chapter Twenty-Nine

R idge's life became an endless stream of sixteen-hour workdays. Two dozen local, state, and federal investigators combed through everything Carmen had given them and cross-referenced the recordings to known cases both solved and unsolved. The task force combined old techniques, such as boots on the ground and surveillance, with new ones, like feeding the data into a supercomputer built by Kendall's friend, Jonah St. John, who worked for the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. The results of their tireless work resulted in Francesca presenting the case to a federal grand jury. The fate of their investigation was in the hands of twenty-three strangers.

It wasn't just the case hanging in the balance. Ridge was on the verge of gaining the freedom to leave with a clear conscience, so why did the mere thought of going make his stomach churn as if he'd overindulged in spicy food? Where had the sense of suffocation gone?

"That's a cute one," Eddie said, nudging him from his thoughts. "Did you know our Ridgey was an artist?"

"No," Zack said, "but I knew he met Todd at an art gallery. Makes more sense now."

Ridge focused his attention on the napkin he'd been absently doodling on. The rough sketch of a food truck wasn't what he'd call art, and Ridge had never thought of himself as an artist. He hadn't consciously set out to draw a symbol of the dream slowly taking root in Kendall's beautiful soul. Ridge started to crumple the napkin but thought better of it and smoothed out the paper before folding and tucking it away. To do what with it? Pretend Kendall hadn't been pulling away the past three weeks and present it to him? Pretend their kisses and intimate moments weren't tinged with desperation because their time together was slipping away? Had Kendall picked up extra hours shadowing a chef named Pierre because he was working toward fulfilling a dream, or was he avoiding Ridge? Was he eating?

The churning magnified, and Ridge pushed the plate with his half-eaten sandwich farther away from him.

"Are you sick?" Zack asked him. "You never leave food on your plate, and the Reuben is your favorite sandwich in this joint."

The joint was a café close to the courthouse, and they'd gathered there to eat while the grand jury deliberated on the cartel member's fate. And on Ridge's fate.

"Moping," Eddie replied. "Or maybe there's a battle waging deep within, huh? Busting Harris and moving on has lost its allure a little, yeah?"

Ridge glared at his friend but didn't comment. His look said it all.

"It's okay to admit defeat," Zack said.

"Or stop acting like a stubborn mule and acknowledge your plans have changed," Eddie added.

Ridge's phone rang before he could reply to his friends' harassment. Besides, what could he say that wasn't an outright lie? He was acting as stubborn as his father and his father's favorite mule. Ridge forgot all about his problems when he saw the identity of the caller.

"Dandridge," he said into the phone.

"I just received word the jury will be returning their verdicts in thirty minutes," Francesca said.

He only needed ten to hoof it back to the courthouse. "We're on our way."

"Go," Eddie said, pushing him from the booth. "We'll settle the bill and meet you there."

Adrenaline pumped through Ridge's veins like gasoline, feeding the fire burning in his gut. He wanted to run to the courthouse, but he would need to save his energy for what would follow because he refused to believe the indictments weren't coming.

He found Francesca and her co-counsel, Rafael Baez, standing outside the courtroom talking to Marks. All three wore confident expressions on their faces. He'd heard most lawyers were rarely surprised by an outcome in court, so Ridge took their assurance as a positive sign.

"I'll give the greenlight as soon as we have the indictments in hand," Marks said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, ma'am." Truer words had never been spoken. Ridge might not know what lay ahead for his future, but he was certain busting Harris was part of the bigger scheme.

They'd planned for all contingencies before the hearing, and dozens of team members were on standby waiting to hear the results. It was ridiculous to think they'd isolated all the people Harris had on the inside, so waiting until after the indictments came down to plan the takedown mission was a recipe for disaster. They were not going to allow these scumbags to run.

Eddie and Zack arrived a few minutes later, and the group huddled together, talking quietly until the bailiff informed the prosecutors the jury would be seated momentarily. Since Marks had been the one to testify on the marshals' behalf, she was permitted to sit in during the session if the jury had additional questions. Since Ridge, Eddie, and Zack weren't there in an official capacity—transporting or providing judicial protection—they waited in the hallway. Ridge paced back and forth, working out the excess energy buzzing through him.

They only needed twelve out of twenty-three jurors to side with them. He reminded himself of how confident Francesca and Rafael looked. Eddie and Zack didn't tease him for once, which Ridge greatly appreciated. It seemed like an eternity before Marks rushed out through the double doors with her phone held to her ear in one hand and a stack of indictments in the other.

"Operation Karma is a go," she said, then disconnected.

"All of them?" Ridge asked hopefully.

"Every single one," she replied, slapping the indictments into Ridge's hand. "Gentlemen, you have work to do."

Eddie and Zack clapped Ridge on the back, and the trio set off for the exit. The papers would later describe Operation Karma as "shock and awe" and a "sweeping stance on organized crime." And it was just that. The task force had done their homework and knew the schedules of everyone involved. They knew where they'd be at any given time, making the arrests for nearly three dozen people swifter and easier. Shock and awe, indeed. The hard part was processing and questioning them all, which stretched on for days. Some lawyered up right away, while others seemed to enjoy cat-and-mouse games. None of the detainees gave a single clue until the fourth day when a runner who went by Skinny Pete, though he was neither skinny nor named Pete, referred to Ridge as Johnny Ringo instead of Pat Garrett and said Ridge looked like someone had just pissed on his grave.

And that's when the huckleberry reference clicked into place. Both he and Willie had loosely quoted lines from Tombstone . Doc Holliday had said similar lines in the movie, although Skinny Pete should've said he looked like someone had walked over his grave, not pissed on it. First the Pat Garrett reference and now Johnny Ringo? Was Sheldon Harris just a fan of westerns, or was there some hidden message there? Did Harris view himself as a modern-day Doc Holliday? And why the hell would they refer to Ridge as the outlaw in the scenario? Pat Garrett made sense but Johnny Ringo? And what did that make Willie? Wyatt Earp? No fucking way.

Ridge didn't let on he recognized the line, the movie, or the reference. He sat silently while Rafael Baez conducted the interviews. The prosecutors were the ones in the driver's seat after the marshals had made the arrests. Ridge just liked being an intimidating, scowling presence. He sat in as many interviews as possible, hoping word got to Harris that he wasn't backing down.

Desmond Bobbitt, a.k.a. Skinny Pete, made one other fortuitous slip by referencing Tiggy Barnes during questioning. Bobbitt didn't say Barnes's name, but the vague mention of a chubby, balding gunrunner with a Tigger tattoo was all Ridge needed to make the connection. Tiggy had never been directly connected to their cartel investigation, although it made sense. He'd deal with anyone who had the cash to pay for his services.

Tiggy looked genuinely surprised to see Ridge when he paid the man a visit. "Still having guy problems?" he asked.

Ridge didn't respond but was certainly glad they'd kept the conversation vague in Tiggy's presence. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something terrible befell Kendall or even Todd.

"You're not dealing with Deputy Dandridge," Francesca said. "You're dealing with me."

Tiggy waggled his brows and raked a lewd gaze over her. "Now we're talking. How about you and I have a private conversation?"

"Don't make me tell your granny about your disgusting behavior," Ridge said.

Tiggy's face turned bright red. "You leave my granny out of it."

"What's she going to think when she finds out you're in bed with the Cardoza cartel?" Francesca asked.

Tiggy stiffened and tried to school his features into a neutral mask, but Ridge saw a flash of fear in his eyes. He could tell Francesca hadn't missed it either because she dove in hard and didn't let up. Tiggy had been a fool to waive his right to have his attorney present because he was no match for her. And just like that, they had a new direction.

Ridge left a message for Marks on his way back to the field office, and she called just as he pulled into the lot.

"Chief, I got intel Harris plans to enter the US through El Paso in two days," Ridge said when he answered. "We need to mobilize quickly. Get border patrol and—"

"I want you in my office yesterday, Dandridge." She disconnected without letting him respond.

Fuck, that didn't bode well for him, and he knew in his gut the shit had hit the fan. He just didn't know how.

"Have a seat," Marks said when he entered. Ridge hated the disapproving look she gave him. "Are you familiar with a social media account called Sassy in Savannah?"

Ridge just blinked. This wasn't at all the direction he expected. "No, ma'am."

She spun her laptop around to display a photo of him kissing Kendall in the club. It had been taken the night he asked Kendall to teach him how to dance. It should've worried Ridge that his first thought was how beautiful they looked together.

"The video is even nicer," Marks said. "Who knew a big guy like you could move so smoothly? I want to know everything about your relationship with Stanton Burkhart's stepson. And don't even think about lying to me."

"No, ma'am," Ridge said.

"Not even through omission." Her voice sounded low and deadly.

"No, ma'am." Ridge told her everything, starting at the beginning with his initial trip to The Cockpit after his breakup with Todd. She at least looked a little sympathetic after learning he'd found him in bed with his boss, but it didn't last long because Ridge told her about moving in with Kendall before the bust.

"When did you discover that the man you were living with was Stanton Burkhart's stepson?"

Ridge blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "The day after the bust, ma'am. Rebecca Burkhart, Kendall's mother, showed up at the house after her release, and we obviously recognized each other."

Marks cleared her throat. "I really don't want to ask personal questions about your relationship with Mr. Blakemore, but…" She took a deep breath and shook her head. "At what point did your relationship become intimate?"

"The night of the bust. Until then, we'd just circled around the attraction."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "And you obviously continued to have a romantic relationship with him once you realized his affiliation with Burkhart."

"He's not affiliated with Stanton Burkhart," Ridge said. "They're estranged. He barely has a relationship with his mother, though they are trying to work through their differences."

"Their estrangement won't be enough to save your job, Dandridge. The mere idea you were in a position to pass information between Burkhart and someone on the outside is enough to destroy your reputation and mine. Did you stop to think about that? What about Beaumont and Chandler? Do you think the brass will believe they weren't covering for you?"

"Ma'am, Zack and Eddie—"

"Save it, Dandridge," she said tersely.

"Can I ask how you ended up with the video and photo?" he asked. Was this something that had gone viral?

"My son, Andre, follows Sassy in Savannah and saw it. Apparently, they shared the video of Kendall taking down Rodney James too."

"I believe so, yes."

"The first video went viral, so you need to assume it's only a matter of time before the attorneys for Burkhart and Jones get their hands on this one. I won't be able to save your job when that happens. I am so disappointed, Dandridge."

"Ma'am, I understand you're furious. I should've been forthright about the situation from the start and taken action to mitigate the damage. I should never have kept this from you, and I apologize. I will resign immediately, but Zack and Eddie—"

"Are busy packing for the trip to El Paso, which I suggest you do as well."

Ridge's heart galloped. Dare he hope? "Ma'am?"

"I'm many things, but heartless isn't one of them. Pack your bags and be ready for wheels up at oh four hundred. I want a transfer request or a resignation letter on my desk as soon as you return from Texas."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ridge should've called Eddie and Zack after leaving the chief's office with his tail tucked between his legs, but all he could think about was getting to Kendall. He found him lounging on the couch with Sammy. His eyes were red and puffy, and Ridge didn't need to rely on years of training to figure out he'd been crying.

"Hey," Ridge said softly as he knelt beside the sofa. "I guess you saw the video."

Kendall sat up and blinked away tears. "What video?"

"The one Sassy in Savannah posted of us."

"What?" he shrieked.

Ridge told him about his conversation with Marks and watched in awe as Kendall's expression morphed from shock to anger. Kendall grabbed his phone off the coffee table and looked up the video.

"I'm going to kill him."

"Him, who? Do you know who Sassy in Savannah is?"

"I have a pretty damn good idea based on the camera angle," Kendall said. "I'll take care of it." He closed his eyes and sadness washed over his features again. "But the damage is already done. Your job—"

"Let me worry about it." Ridge pressed a light kiss to Kendall's lips. "I want to hear why you've been crying."

Kendall attempted to smile but failed miserably. "I was just watching a sappy movie."

Ridge moved to sit beside Kendall on the couch. Sammy huffed off with his tail twitching, and Kendall tucked himself under Ridge's arm. "Which one?"

Kendall sniffed. "I'm not saying. It's too embarrassing."

Ridge knew then that Kendall was lying to protect his feelings. The little minx wasn't shy about what he liked, so there was no reason to be embarrassed. Kendall had been crying because his heart had been breaking over the past few weeks, which was something Ridge had promised not to do.

He cleared his throat because the next part was going to be so hard. "I got the break I've been waiting for and have to leave for Texas soon."

Kendall sat up and looked into his eyes. "Is this it? The big one?"

Ridge nodded. The euphoria he'd expected to feel wasn't there. How could he be happy when Kendall's beautiful blue eyes swam with unshed tears.

"So, this is goodbye?"