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 enigmathey’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 naïve 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.”
