The Love Constant (Binary Hearts #3)

Chapter 01

“Are you ready to go in, Andy?”

Kevin’s voice barely makes its way through the fog clogging my mind. I don’t even register the words, focused on the massive and austere building outside. Do they purposefully build courthouses to be so imposing and cold?

Nine days. I haven’t seen Lex in nine long, unbearable days.

The initial hearing was held mere hours after they took him away, before his lawyers even had time to arrive from New York, and before we could be notified.

Then, because of the media uproar, they held a closed detention hearing.

All we know of what happened is what Lex’s lawyers told us, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize things hadn’t gone well.

They’d denied him bail, arguing he was not only a flight risk but also a national security risk.

It seems cruel that they kept him isolated like this, with no support from his close friends or family. We’ve felt useless, unable to help, unable to talk to him … My Lex, the love of my life, my closed-off nerd, has been living through hell for nine days, and I’m finally going to see him again.

Anguish and eagerness fill me in equal amounts at the thought. I know he’ll be broken by all this, and seeing him like that will tear my heart apart more than it already is. But seeing him at all is better than this limbo we’ve been thrown into since the arrest.

Ignoring the way my guts twist, I glare at the reporters outside the car.

I knew there would be dozens of them, with their trigger fingers ready to snap a few shots, but I’m still not ready for it.

Because of them, Lex’s face has been all over the media since his arrest, looping over and over with every morsel of information they could find.

The infamous Nammota has allegedly been caught, and it’s all anyone can talk about.

Everyone wants to know who Alexander Coleman is, like an enigma they’re eager to crack.

Knowing how much Lex values his privacy, seeing his entire life on display for the public is gut-wrenching.

“Andrea, sweetheart, we need to go,” Michelle gently says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Looking away from the journalists, I turn to my companions of misfortune.

Kevin and his wife have been my solace since the arrest. As Lex suspected, Shelly also knew about his illegal activities, which means the couple has dreaded this potential outcome for over a decade.

That’s why they’re far better than I am at handling its aftermath.

“Come on, doll,” Kev insists, gripping the handle, ready to open the door.

Maybe I’m na?ve for thinking the prosecution’s case will fall apart today, and Lex will walk free.

But whatever they have on him, it must be circumstantial.

The day after the arrest, Kev came with me to Lex’s place.

We saw how the feds ransacked every single room in search of evidence, but to our relief, they didn’t find the one with the Nammota computer.

Since it’s supposed to be a panic room, it was built in a clever and inconspicuous way and probably doesn’t even appear on floor plans.

From an outsider’s point of view, it looks like the wall separates Lex’s apartment from his neighbor’s, and no one would guess there’s a hidden space there.

So, if they don’t have his incriminating hard drives, computer history, or any of that, their case will fail, won’t it? It has to. And Lex’s defense has had time to work on their side of the case now, so they’ll get him freed before the day ends.

“Okay, I’m ready,” I say after taking a deep breath.

“Just stay close to us and don’t let them get under your skin,” Shelly reminds me.

I nod, which is all Kevin needs to open the door. Flashes and shutters go off as soon as we’re in sight, filling me with apprehension. Thank God Kev hired a few men for security, because the journalists are kept at bay while we’re being escorted to the courthouse’s entrance.

The climb up the steps probably would have been easier on my own, though, because none of their attention is on me.

Lex’s fierce protection of his private life means our relationship isn’t out there for all to see.

I’m some random woman to those blood-sucking leeches, and I hope it’ll stay that way for a little longer.

I don’t think I’d manage to stay as detached as Kevin if I were the one being harassed.

“Mr. Langley, did you know about Mr. Coleman’s double life?” a journalist shouts.

“Mrs. Langley, is it true you were his therapist?”

“For how long has he been a hacker?”

It seems the questions are as grating to Kevin as they are to me, because he frustratedly tells them, “Last time I checked, people in this country are innocent until proven guilty. So, unless there’s been a verdict I’m not aware of, Alexander Coleman hasn’t committed any crime.”

But those assholes don’t care about semantics, so they’re quick to throw more questions into the air. “Did you know about his crimes when you started Kelex with him?”

“Since you’ve known him since childhood, can you tell us what made him do it?”

Understanding nothing can stop them, Kevin grits his teeth until we reach the courthouse’s massive door. The journalists must have been instructed to stay outside, so we enter alone, finally able to breathe again. A few hours. Only a few hours to go, and we’ll leave with Lex. I can do it.

Hope.

Hope can move mountains. Hope kept me from spiraling into despair these past few days. I need to keep hoping, to have positive thoughts.

From afar, we spot Lex’s lawyers—extremely qualified and from one of the best firms in the country. Lex is in excellent hands, Kev has assured me. The latter beelines to him while I stay with Shelly in the middle of the busy hall.

“Everything will be okay,” she promises with a warm smile, taking my hand to give it an encouraging squeeze.

“You genuinely believe that, don’t you?”

“Yes. I’ve known Lex for long enough to know he was extremely careful with that side of his life. He’s too clever to leave a trail, too meticulous to let evidence lie around. The case will be dismissed, if not now, in a few months during the trial.”

“Do you think he can last a few months?”

She offers me a side look filled with compassion. “He’ll have to. Then you and I can work on fixing him,” she says, giving my elbow a little bump with hers.

“Thank you for being here for him, Shelly. And for me. I don’t know what I would have done if you and Kev hadn’t …”

“It was our pleasure having you home, Andy. Lex is family, and so are you now. And if … if things don’t go the way we’re hoping today, you know our guest room is always available to you, right?”

“Kev made that very clear, yes. Hopefully, things will be fine, and I’ll be spending some time with Lex in his apartment instead.”

“Fingers crossed.”

She actually crosses her fingers on both hands, and I smile at that. Thanks to her, I feel a little lighter than I did moments ago. Everything will be okay, yes.

The respite is brief as my eyes meet those of Lex’s lawyer, Mr. Goldberg, and I discern something in them that brings back my anxiousness. His talk with Kev seems over, and he walks up to me instead. “Miss Walker, good morning,” he greets me, extending a professional hand my way.

“Hello,” I reply, shaking it.

“Would you mind accompanying me upstairs? I’ve been instructed to prepare you for today’s hearing.”

“Prepare me?”

“Mr. Coleman insisted we did so, in case the prosecution asks you to take the stand.”

There it is. The painful ball of stress is back in my stomach. The same one that’s made it almost impossible to eat lately. “To the stand? I didn’t know that was a possibility,” I protest. “What will they ask me? What should I—”

“If you’ll come upstairs with me, I’ll explain it all to you, Miss Walker. We have two consultation rooms there, and we’ll be able to talk freely.”

My mind goes a mile a second as I follow him to the grand stone staircase, then through the hallways. I should have researched how today would unfold instead of staying away from reality in an attempt to manage my anxiety.

Mr. Goldberg stops at a door and opens it for me, but my feet remain planted there, my eyes on the two men guarding the next room. The presence of armed police officers makes my heartbeat hasten. Mr. Goldberg said they have two rooms, right? Does it mean Lex is behind that other door?

The mere thought of being so close to him has my mind in a frenzy. Lex, right there, with only a wall between us …

“Miss?” Mr. Goldberg calls, forcing my eyes away from the guarded door.

“Sorry, yes.”

I step in before him and watch as he closes behind us.

The space is of medium size, like a small conference room.

There’s another door, one that must lead to the room that’s guarded.

I’m tense all over as I watch the attorney walk up to it.

“Before we continue,” he begins, hand on the handle, “Mr. Coleman has gone to great lengths to ensure this door would remain unlocked today. He trusts that information won’t leave this room. ”

My nod couldn’t be any more eager, but I still confirm with a feeble, “It won’t, I promise.”

That seems to satisfy him as he opens the door, revealing a similar room on the other side.

But this one isn’t empty. There’s Lex’s second lawyer standing by the table, but I barely notice him, all my attention latching onto a familiar silhouette, its back covered by a dark gray suit jacket, broad shoulders sunk in what resembles defeat, hair neatly combed …

Following Mr. Goldberg’s silent invitation, I take a trembling, hesitant step into the room. Still with his back to me, Lex commands, “Leave us.”

I move to the side so the second lawyer can join his colleague in the other room, but he stands in the frame instead to say, “Mr. Coleman, the hearing will start in less than ten minutes. We need to go over everything with you one more time.”