Chapter Thirty-One

T he size of the task force needed to have eyes on the multiple US border-crossing stations in El Paso was staggering, and making sure they remained inconspicuous was nearly impossible. Their first line of defense was the border patrol agents, who were tasked with not only identifying Harris but letting him cross into the US without tipping the wily fugitive off. The information they had about his reentry, though credible, didn't include any aliases. Harris wouldn't be so bold as to attempt entry under his real name, and they could only guess what the name on his fake documentation would be. Ridge was convinced it would align with Doc Holliday or one of the other famed gunslingers, so they'd included possible aliases, including several variations of John Henry Holliday.

Their objective was to let Harris pass through the checkpoint and follow him until he pulled away from the crowd before moving in to avoid innocent bystanders getting caught in the crosshairs. El Paso was hosting a huge festival that brought tons of tourists and extra people into an already crowded city, adding further complications they didn't need.

"What's a Sky Lantern Festival?" Zack asked. As usual, he was behind the wheel of their borrowed stakeout SUV. The dude had serious control issues.

"It's just what it sounds like," Eddie said from the front passenger seat. "People write messages about their hopes, dreams, or grief on paper lanterns. They'll celebrate with food and music during the day, then light the lanterns and release them into the air once it gets dark."

"What's the point, though?" Zack asked.

Ridge kept his eyes glued to his laptop, watching the camera feeds from multiple crossing stations. "It symbolizes giving wings to your hopes and dreams and releasing grief."

He heard Zack pivot around in his seat, but Ridge kept his eyes trained on his task. "How do you both know so much about this festival?"

"It was part of the mission brief," Eddie said, sounding disgusted. "Some of us actually read every page."

"Yeah?" Zack asked. "Well, some of us were still reeling from the ass-chewing they got over Ridge's illicit affair. Some of us weren't privy to this information until seconds before getting called into the chief's office."

Ridge glanced up but only for a second. "I said I was sorry. I was trying to avoid the very thing that happened."

"I'm more pissed about being left out of the loop than getting my ass chewed by Marks," Zack replied.

"I said I was sorry about that too. I've tried to make it up to you."

Zack huffed. "The amazing breakfast you bought me was a good start, but you're still not forgiven. I'm heartbroken."

"It's indigestion from all the hot sauce you poured on your breakfast skillet," Eddie said. "I hope you don't shit your pants while chasing after Harris."

"Ha!" Zack said. "I won't be the one on foot."

"Famous last words," Ridge said.

The banter and video-feed scanning continued for hours without triggering even the slightest buzz of recognition until just past midday. Ridge clicked on the feed so the image filled his entire screen. He narrowed his eyes and watched as a man swaggered toward the border patrol booth. Same height and similar gait. This man's hair was long and scraggly as was the beard covering the lower portion of his face. Harris had two unique characteristics—a distinctive scar and heterochromia. This man wore a white cowboy hat and a pair of aviator glasses, so Ridge could not confirm if he had a jagged slash on his right temple or sported one green eye and one brown eye beneath the shades.

"He's not breathing," Eddie said.

"You got something, Ridgey?" Zack asked.

Ridge's mouth had gone dry, and his pulse hammered loudly in his ears, but he managed a nod.

"Breathe," Eddie said. "You don't want to pass out before you get a chance to slap the cuffs on the slick fucker."

Ridge forced himself to calm down as he watched his target get closer and closer to the booth. He knew border patrol would insist he take off his hat and glasses while they checked the documentation presented, but Harris could angle his body to make recognition harder.

"Got eyes on a potential target getting ready to cross into the US at the station on Paisano Drive," Ridge said into the comms.

"How certain are you, Dandridge?" Asher asked.

If he made the wrong call, they'd pursue the man into the city and possibly miss their chance to catch Harris reentering the US. So much could be fabricated or impersonated to throw them off. Hell, even the heterochromia could be faked with contacts.

Ridge reported the issues back to his inspector. "He's at the far-right checkpoint. Three back from the agent."

"The guy wearing the white cowboy hat, wife-beater tank, and a pair of skinny jeans tucked into cowboy boots?" Asher asked.

"That's him."

"Sounds like Kid Rock," Eddie said.

"I don't think he tucks his jeans into his boots," Zack said.

"Can we focus, fellas?" Asher asked.

It felt like it took forever for the people in front of their target to get through the checkpoint. Ridge zoomed in and watched the man remove his glasses and hat. The scar was a match, but again, it could be faked.

"Turn your head for the camera, asshole," Ridge mumbled.

As if the target heard him, the man looked directly into the camera, showing off one green eye and one brown. Then he smiled arrogantly and lifted his hand, scratching his head with his middle finger.

"It's him!" Ridge said, his heart slamming against his rib cage like it was trying to escape.

"Documentation identifies him as Johnny Holliday," Asher said. "You were right, Dandridge."

"I've got him," Adriana Rodriguez, a marshal from El Paso, said. "Will follow on foot."

"Keep a safe distance," Asher told her. "This is one wily coyote."

Ridge wanted to throw open the door and run down the street but knew it would be a mistake. Harris would make him too quickly.

"Christ, why does everyone in Texas wear a cowboy hat?" Rodriguez grumbled a few moments later.

"Are you losing him?" Asher asked.

"No, sir, but he's approaching a white Ford F-150. A woman with strawberry-blonde hair just exited the driver's side and is coming around to greet him."

"Shit," Asher said. "Do we have an ID on this woman?"

"Negative, sir," Ridge said. "I've never found his soft spot. This could be her, and she's just managed to stay off the radar all this time."

"Or it's someone new he met online, and she has no idea of the danger she's inviting into her life," his inspector said. "Treat her as a hostile until we know otherwise."

Rodriquez reported that the couple embraced and shared a passionate kiss before getting into the truck. She rattled off the license plate as soon as it became available. "Dark tinted windows," she added. "I can't see into the vehicle, but it's heading east on Paisano toward the historic district."

"And the huge fucking crowds there," Ridge said.

Asher instructed one of the teams to pick Rodriguez up and wait for further instruction.

"We're up next," Zack said, then shifted their SUV into drive.

They waited for a visual on the truck, and Ridge growled when he saw three vehicles matching the description approaching their position. Only one had tint dark enough to match Rodriguez's description, so Zack waited to let it get a few car lengths ahead before easing into traffic. They stayed a lane over and a few cars back once they confirmed the license plate.

"Coming to you guys," Asher said. "We'll catch up to you the next block over. Hixon, what's your position?"

"I'm on Overland, sir," he replied.

Ridge checked the aerial maps and saw Hixon was two streets over, moving parallel. They agreed to rendezvous at the intersection of Paisano and Kansas and execute the takedown. But like with most operations, things went sideways.

"Fuck," Hixon yelled. "A trash truck just pulled into the intersection and got stuck when the light changed." Furious honking ensued, followed by more cursing. "There's no place for him to go. I won't make the rendezvous."

"No worries," Asher said. "The next intersection is Campbell and Paisano. We'll—" Loud metal crunching cut their inspector off. "Fuck me. Some asshole just rear-ended us."

What next? An asteroid?

"Do you still have Harris in sight?" Asher asked.

"Yes, sir," Ridge said.

"Do not try to take him down on your own," Asher commanded before ordering other teams to converge to take his position and offer additional backup to Hixon's and Ridge's team. "Wait for the other unit to arrive."

"Copy," Ridge said. Both the traffic and the street crowd became more congested the closer they got to the historic district. "Let a few more cars in between us, Zack. We can't see Harris, but I guarantee his head is on a swivel looking for trouble. If we're not careful, he'll burn us and bail out of the vehicle and try to disappear in the crowd."

Zack backed off and allowed two smaller cars to cut over in front of them. Ridge tore his gaze away from the back of Harris's truck and surveyed their surroundings. People were everywhere, many of them wearing white cowboy hats to shield their faces from the scorching Texas sun. Ridge caught a brief glimpse of a helicopter on the periphery and confirmed it was their eyes in the sky.

The white truck swerved into the right lane immediately before the next intersection. When the light turned red, the passenger door opened, and Harris stepped out.

"He's going on foot," Ridge said.

"Did he make you?" Asher asked.

"Not sure. Are there any other units in the area who can follow?" A rapid roll of negative responses came through his earbuds.

"It's me and you, Ridgey," Eddie said.

"Let's do it."

"Keep your comms on," Zack said. "I'll park and catch up as soon as possible."

"Negative," Asher said. "Follow the female driver. Once Harris is in custody, I want you to pull her over and arrest her."

"Yes, sir," Zack said.

They removed their vests and untucked their shirts to cover their badges and guns. It only took seconds but felt like hours. They threw open the door and stepped onto the sidewalk, doing their best to blend in with the crowd while keeping an eye on Harris.

"We stand out like a sore thumb," Eddie complained.

Up ahead, the foot traffic became denser as they approached the street festival. Craft vendors and food booths lined the sidewalks, congesting the area further. People stopped suddenly or gingerly bounced back and forth, blocking their progress and putting more distance between them and their target. On the flip side, there were a few times Harris got bogged down, and they were forced to back off and look busy shopping to avoid getting too close.

Ridge used the time to buy a couple cowboy hats to better blend in with the people filling the sidewalks.

"He's on the move again," Eddie said.

Hats firmly in place, they resumed following Harris without crowding him. The helicopter buzzed over again, and it was even closer than the last pass.

"Lose the helicopter," he said into comms.

"Relax," an unfamiliar voice said. Ridge presumed it was the pilot or someone on his crew. "Helicopter tours are buzzing over the city all hours of the day or night."

Ahead, Harris appeared to have picked up the pace a little. It wasn't so much that he was walking faster, but he was no longer stopping to look at the various booths.

"Are we burned?" Eddie asked.

"I don't think so." The energy buzzing through Ridge made it hard to stay calm and focused.

Ridge groaned when Harris got into line for the streetcar. "Fuck."

"What?" several voices asked.

"He's waiting to ride the streetcar," Ridge replied. "There's no way in hell we can get on it too. Zack, where's the woman going?"

"Just turned onto San Antonio Avenue," he replied. "I'm not sure what she's up to."

Ridge ducked into an alcove and checked his phone, zooming in on the map showing the streetcar route. "There are tons of streetcar stops along the loop. I bet she plans to pick him up at one of them."

"So this was just a test to see if he was being followed?" Zack asked.

"Possibly."

"Stay with the woman," Asher said. "I exchanged information with the person who hit us, and our vehicle is drivable, so we're coming to you."

"I'm in position," Hixon said. "Got lucky and found a parking spot. Let me know if you want me to mobilize someplace else."

"Intercept Zack so he doesn't spook the woman," Asher said.

"Copy, sir."

"Even in these dopey hats, Eddie and I stick out like a sore thumb."

"I got you," Rodriquez said. "I'm half a block behind you. Eddie, hang back and follow at a distance. We'll act like a couple out for a day of fun. Maybe it will be enough to throw Harris off."

Ridge kept his body angled to keep an eye on Harris while watching for Rodriguez as the streetcar chimed in the distance. She reached him a few moments later, throwing her arms around Ridge's neck and pulling him down like she was going to plant one on him.

"Harris is looking in this direction," she whispered.

Ridge kept his back toward Harris and watched Eddie fade into the street crowd, which was no easy feat for someone his size. The chimes grew louder as the streetcar drew nearer. The noise was taxing Ridge's nervous system even further.

"Hang in there," Rodriguez said, slipping her arms around his waist and burrowing into him as a lover would.

Ridge patted her back, then eased from her embrace. Arm in arm, they slowly made their way down the street. They stopped to check out the wares at various booths, and Ridge bought Rodriguez an ice cream cone. Harris remained in line and kept his back toward them as he waited for the streetcar to approach. Ridge briefly contemplated taking down Harris himself, but Rodriguez squeezed his hand.

"Don't do it," she said. "Wait for backup."

They were running out of sidewalk between them and Harris, forcing them to linger longer at a few booths. Ridge's gaze landed on a leather cord necklace with a heart-shaped gemstone the same color as Kendall's eyes. He picked it up and imagined it resting against Kendall's skin or binding his wrist to—"

"Oh, that's pretty," Rodriguez said, breaking into his poorly timed thoughts.

The vendor was an older man, whose long lifespan was etched in the many wrinkles on his tanned face. "You should buy your pretty lady a necklace, fella."

"Oh, no," Rodriguez said. "I don't wear much jewelry."

The vendor wasn't about to let a potential sale walk away and kept teasing Ridge, getting louder and louder. Ridge pulled out some cash and bought the necklace to shut the guy up before he drew unwanted attention to them. The vendor thanked him for his business when he and Rodriguez moved on.

A group of young ladies burst out of a café, laughing and giggling. One of them slammed into Ridge's chest and teetered on her sky-high heels. He reached out and took her arms to steady her.

"Hey there, cowboy," she said, patting his chest while batting her eyelashes. The alcohol on her breath was strong enough to burn his nostrils. "My name's Madison."

"His name is Taken," Rodriguez growled. "Maybe you should step back."

Madison's friends formed a half circle behind her, and Ridge could see the trouble coming a mile away. Fuck. This was the last thing they needed.

"Looks like someone is afraid you'll steal her man, Maddie," one of the friends said.

Madison raked her scathing gaze over Rodriguez. "As she should be."

"Not now, not ever," Rodriguez said.

"This really isn't the time," Ridge said, trying to defuse the situation.

"Kick her ass, Maddie!" one of the women yelled.

Fuck . "Listen," Ridge said. "You'd be fighting the wrong person, but I can assure you my boyfriend is pretty scrappy." He said, thinking about Kendall taking down Rodney James.

Madison's eyes widened, and her friends snickered. She held her hands up in surrender and backed up. "My bad." On her next step, Madison's heel got stuck in a sidewalk crack, and she crashed into her friends, bowling two of them over. A mixture of screaming, crying, and even laughing rent the air, pulling everyone's attention—including Harris's—to the pile of women on the ground.

The literal and figurative crash happened so fast Ridge didn't have time to turn away. He locked eyes with his fugitive and saw recognition bloom. A sick grin spread across Harris's face in the next instant, and Ridge knew what the man was going to do as surely as if he'd announced it out loud.

The two men pulled their weapons at the same time. Ridge aimed his at Harris while the fugitive held his gun to the head of the woman who'd been standing in front of him. Her little girl screamed bloody murder as she watched the man drag her mother toward the streetcar that had just pulled to a stop.

Multiple people shouted, "Gun!"

Pandemonium ensued as the people on the sidewalks ran for cover, and the people on the streetcar tripped and stumbled over each other trying to climb out the emergency exit at the rear, including the conductor. Several people went down and were trampled, but Ridge couldn't tear his gaze away from the man who was backing onto the car with a hostage as a shield.

"Mommy," the little girl cried, trying to follow.

"Shut her up!" Harris yelled. "I have no problem putting a bullet in a little girl who stands between me and revenge. Ain't that right, Pat Garrett."

A bystander grabbed the little girl and pulled her to safety while Ridge and Rodriguez kept walking steadily toward Harris, guns steady while waiting for any opening.

"You might as well surrender," Ridge told him. "There's no place for you to go."

"Fuck you," Harris spat. "You won't take a shot at me as long as I have a hostage."

"Guess we'll find out. This ends today, Harris," Ridge said.

"Don't get on that streetcar," Rodriguez told him.

"I don't have a choice. Stay out here. If you see a shot, take it."

Ridge carefully entered the vehicle, his gun trained in front of him. "You're going to be okay, ma'am," he told the sobbing woman.

Harris laughed, sounding unhinged. "I should put a bullet in her brain right now and show her how little your words mean."

"Why don't you let her go, and we can handle this man-to-man." He just needed to buy them some time until someone from the task force crept up the emergency exit. Harris was so focused on Ridge he wasn't checking to see if anyone was coming up behind him. "Let her go. You and I can square off like old gunslingers at high noon. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Harris laughed harder and jammed the barrel of his gun into the woman's head. "Or why don't I—" He stopped and sniffed the air before looking down. A growing puddle of liquid pooled around their feet. "Did you just fucking piss yourself? I paid six hundred dollars for these alligator boots."

Ridge caught the woman's gaze and gestured for her to drop, knowing the sudden shift would catch Harris off-balance. Her eyes widened in fear, but she did as Ridge asked just as Harris was shifting his gaze back to Ridge. The woman lurched forward, pulling Harris off-balance. Ridge fired his weapon, hitting Harris in the shoulder of the arm holding his gun.

The fugitive let out an enraged scream as the gun clattered to the ground, and his hostage crawled away from him. Harris lunged for the gun at the same time Ridge hurdled over the woman. He was about to fire his weapon again, but Eddie rushed Harris as if he were a rookie running back and the big game was on the line. Harris landed face-first in the woman's piss.

He flailed and screamed about police brutality as Ridge leaned over his prone body and slapped handcuffs onto his wrists. The only sounds he loved more were the ones Kendall made deep in his throat when he curled into his arms after sex. Ridge hauled Harris to his feet while Eddie called for medical attention.

"Who's the huckleberry now?" Ridge asked. Harris's only response was more sniffling and whining. "It's a flesh wound. You'll live."

Asher signaled Zack and Hixon to take down the female companion, and they arrested her without incident moments later.

Ridge handcuffed Harris to a gurney and left him under supervision so he could check on the hostage who'd been reunited with her daughter. They clung to one another on the sidewalk.

"You both were so brave," he told them.

Rodriguez stayed with them while Ridge rode in the ambulance with Harris to the hospital. He wasn't nearly as brash and bold now that he was in custody. Ridge's bullet had gone clean through the meaty part of Harris's shoulder, and much to the fugitive's disappointment, only required a thorough cleaning and stitches. He wasn't getting a drug-induced escape; the asshole was getting some extra strength Tylenol and a one-way ticket to Georgia.

"Wow, would you look at that," Zack said a few hours later.

They were killing time back at the hotel while waiting to meet their transport plane at El Paso International. Witnesses were moved on commercial flights, but dangerous fugitives were moved on JPATS flights like the one made famous in Con Air.

Ridge looked out the hotel window and saw what looked like hundreds of giant fireflies floating through the sky. It took him a minute to realize he was looking at lanterns from the festival. Each one of the lights represented someone's hopes, dreams, or anguish. He'd thought the festival sounded like a neat idea when he'd read about it but seeing the lanterns floating in the sky was something you'd have to see to believe. Ridge tried to take a video, but it was impossible to decipher what the glowing lights were. He wished he was sharing the moment with Kendall. The thought reminded Ridge of the conversation he'd had with his dad while Harris was being processed.

"Congratulations, son. I'm proud of you," his father had said once Ridge told him his news.

"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me."

"What's next?"

Ridge blew out a short breath of frustration. "I'm not sure."

"Can I make a suggestion?" his dad had asked.

"Of course."

"Maybe it's time to admit you've planted roots in Savannah."

"You sound like Mom."

Dad chuckled. "Thank you for the lovely compliment."

"Savannah wasn't in my plans."

"Well, I hadn't planned for your mother either. You see how that turned out." They shared a laugh. "Son?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring Kendall home to meet your family. I want to meet the man who's responsible for the happiness I've heard in your voice."

"That's just it, Dad. We haven't known each other very long. How can this happiness be real?"

"You sound just like me after I met your mother. You can fight it, or you can embrace the light he brings to your life."

"I wasn't even aware I talked about him that much during our weekly chats."

"I could buy a new tractor if I had a penny for every time you said his name," Dad said. "Talking about Kendall comes so naturally to you that you don't know you're doing it. That's how I know it's the real thing. Mom knows it too, so she's knitting a Christmas stocking for him."

Ridge had been unable to think about anything else since the conversation ended. He knew Kendall would fall in love with his mountains and would soak up his mother's affection like a sponge. Ridge imagined Kendall curled up next to him by a roaring fireplace or riding on the back of his horse. The two of them could share a sleeping bag and camp beneath a starlit sky. Ridge turned his attention back out the window and watched the lights continue to drift upward.

Those little symbols of hope had left an indelible mark on him, not unlike the man he longed to make love to and hold in his arms. Everything Ridge thought he knew and wanted shifted like those paper lanterns in the breeze until a new dream started to emerge. Something clicked deep inside Ridge's chest, and a sense of peace he'd never experienced before washed over him. Gazing at his beloved mountains was close, but even they couldn't hold a paper lantern to the rightness he felt just then.

"What's with his dopey face?" Zack asked.

Eddie glanced over at Ridge and smiled. "He's a man who finally gets it."

Zack scratched his head. "Gets what?"

"The secret to life," Eddie replied.

They didn't land in Savannah until five the following morning. A small army of reporters and their cameramen waited at the airport, wanting sound bites for the morning shows. Ridge felt like he had sand trapped under his eyelids and wasn't in the mood to stop to piss, let alone grant an interview. The sun was starting to come up when they grabbed their gear and loaded into the SUVs to get Harris settled at lockup.

"I got this, Ridgey," Eddie said. "Go make your call."

Ridge blew out a shaky breath and nodded before hugging Eddie and Zack.

He strode as far as he could get from everyone and dialed the number stored in his contacts.

"I've seen the news. Is it true?" Asia Knight said in place of a typical greeting.

"Yes, ma'am. We arrested Sheldon Harris yesterday in El Paso and transported him back to Georgia to face charges."

Ridge heard her broken sobs, then her husband came on the phone and said, "Thank you for keeping your word."

"I hope it will bring your family peace of mind."

After their brief call, Ridge headed into the bullpen to clean out his desk and write his resignation letter. His possessions were few since he was a minimalist who liked to make moving easy and painless. Ridge stared at the photo of Rashanda for a few moments before tucking it away in the box. No matter where he went or what he did, Ridge would want her smiling face to brighten up his desk. Then he sat down and typed up his resignation.

Ridge wasn't surprised to find Marks at her desk. She was dressed to the nines for a media appearance and glanced up when he knocked on the doorframe.

"Congratulations, Dandridge. That was excellent work in El Paso."

"Thank you, ma'am." He strode to her desk and extended the sheet of paper toward her. "You asked me to have a decision ready."

She glanced at the paper before meeting his gaze. "And you're sure this is the right one for you?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry I let you down." He would not apologize for falling in love with Kendall Blakemore.

She sighed, rotated in her chair, and swiftly fed his resignation letter through her paper shredder.

"Ma'am?"

"Stop being so dramatic. I'm not giving up one of my best agents, so don't even think of transferring out of here."

Ridge managed to stifle his smile. "No, ma'am."

"I'm not so heartless I want to stand in the way of true love either." She grinned wickedly. "Though I will make you suffer mightily until I deem you worthy of my trust again." All the possible shit jobs she could foist on him rolled through his tired brain, but it didn't matter.

"What about the video of Kendall and me? Won't that still be a problem?"

"Not where you're going," she said ominously. "Besides, Francesca told me she'd handle it if the video or photo resurface."

"Resurface?"

"Sassy in Savannah took them down, but you and I both know that doesn't mean they're gone for good."

"No, ma'am."

"Francesca is confident the video won't be a problem. If she's not worried, neither am I."

Ridge felt boneless with relief.

"Get out of here, Dandridge. I don't want to see you for three days."

"Yes, ma'am."