James ordered a coffee at the counter, his movements deliberate and measured. He didn't look at Kelly, maintaining the careful distance they'd perfected over months of stolen moments. When he finally sat across from her, there was a measured pause—the kind that felt like both an eternity and a heartbeat.

"You look exhausted," he said quietly, his eyes meeting hers for just a fraction too long.

Kelly felt the familiar pull of him—the way his presence seemed to collapse the space between duty and desire into something impossible to navigate. "Three people are sitting in cells for crimes they didn't commit," she replied, keeping her voice low. "Exhausted doesn't begin to cover it."

James wrapped his hands around his coffee cup, and Kelly noticed he was still wearing the Medal of Service on his jacket—the ceremonial pin from his early days as a police officer, back when he still believed the system worked. She'd always thought it looked like armor he wore to protect himself from the person he was becoming.

"I've been thinking about your case," he said carefully, glancing toward the window before continuing. "The factory security footage from 2015. It's still in the evidence locker."

Kelly's breath caught. She'd been searching for that video for months. The grainy security feed from the Riverside Industrial complex—the one that could place the real perpetrator at the scene. "You have access to it."

"I do." James leaned forward slightly, and Kelly could see the toll this internal conflict was taking on him. "But Kelly, if I release that evidence, if I undermine my own case... my superiors are already watching me. They want those convictions to stand. The department needs the closure. The city needs to believe the system still works."

"Even if it doesn't," Kelly finished, her voice tight with frustration. "Even if three innocent people rot in prison."

"I didn't say that." James's jaw tightened. He reached across the table, stopping just short of touching her hand. "I'm telling you there's a way. But we have to be careful. We have to be smart about this. One wrong move and we both go down—and your clients stay where they are."

Kelly understood what he was really saying: he was willing to risk everything, but only if they could do it without leaving evidence of their complicity. Without leaving evidence of them.