Page 19 of Double Standards

“Wait.” I hear her typing again. “That’s not good.”

“What?”

She moves again—doors creaking, footsteps echoing, her voice now a whisper.

“Cass, this is serious. Whatever Axel’s pulled you into? It’s deeper than I think even you realize.”

A chill runs up my spine. “What are you talking about?”

“One of the calls from that number… it pinged off a tower near the D.A.’s office. Inside, maybe.” Her voice tightens. “If that’s connected to the Mayor’s death...”

She doesn’t need to finish.

“Yeah,” I say quietly. “I get it.”

It’s the perfect frame job. Kill the Mayor. Blame it on one of The Five. Let the city breathe a sigh of relief thinking justice has been served. Axel Bonanno’s reputation does the dirty work for them.

But what they didn’t count on? Him fighting back. Or me stepping in.

“You don’t think he did it,” Lexie says, not as a question, but as an observation.

I pause. “I don’t know. But I do know he wasn’t making calls from inside the D.A.’s office.”

There’s a long silence. I can practically hear her brain running laps.

“Well...” she starts again, chewing noisily. “You know how I feel about The Five.”

“Still working that case?” I ask, trying to keep my voice light.

“Nowhere near closing it.” She sounds bone-tired.

What I don’t know is which of The Five she’s chasing. I only know she’s been building a quiet case in the background for a few months, certain there’s a link to them. She’s always had a bone to pick with the city’s underworld, and now she has a shot, she won’t stop until justice is served.

“I know they’re involved,” she mutters.

Her certainty twists something in my gut. Because if she’s right, if this all circles back to The Five… and to Axel…

“Lex,” I begin.

“Don’t.” Her voice softens, the tension bleeding out. “You owe me. That’s enough.”

“Oh yeah? What’s it gonna cost me?”

She snorts. “That’s classified. But trust me—I’ll collect.”

The sound of another donut being stuffed into her mouth makes me smile.

Talking to Lexie always clears the fog. Even when the whole world feels like it's burning, she grounds me. She always has.

She was there when I lost my mom. Again when I lost my dad. The kind of unwavering presence most people only dream of. We both chose the law because it’s our purpose. Lexie’s father was a cop, and my mom was one of the most prestigious lawyers in the city. It made sense, brought me closer to my mom.

Lexie, though… She’s a hammer in a city full of glass houses. She’s coming for the people who think they’re untouchable.

And if Axel is one of them… I don’t know if I can even stop her.

The shrill cry of my phone slashes through the quiet, shattering what little peace I had left. It’s the kind of silence that settles after a night of tossing, turning, and begging your brain to shut up. My skin prickles with unease as I glance down at the number glowing on the screen. Unknown, but I don’t need a name to know it’s him.

My chest tightens, breath snagging.