Page 70 of LOT 62
Damn, he looked good in a suit. I mean, he looked like shit, but he was hot shit.
I watched him scan the room, knowing he was searching for me. My heart fumbled four beats when he looked at me, stopping to peer straight into my soul like it was the only thing tethering him to this room. No one else existed at that moment, just him and I and our desire to get back to one another. Maddox sucked in a shaky breath that made his throat wobble, and I gave him every ounce of strength I had through our eye contact.
“I love you,” I mouthed to him.
“Love you,” he mouthed back.
Maddox sat in a chair next to his lawyer, right in front of us. My fingers twitched with the need to reach out and touch him, but I was too afraid to make a mistake and mess this up for him. Nate squeezed my shoulder on one side, and Xavi leaned into me on the other. United. Seth and Naomi sat on the other side of Xavi, and Andrea from the park sat beside Nate. A few other park residents had come to show support, but most hadn’t been able to make the drive into the city from Garron.
This was it. This was the day we had been fighting for. Maddox would either have his dreams answered or his nightmares confirmed, and no matter the outcome, I’d be by his side to carry the burden. Dream or nightmare, I’d live through either for the sake of my man.
“Madd,” I whispered, leaning forward. He leaned back but kept his face ahead. “I tried the thing you said that night you got drugged. The mattress and box spring thing.”
To my utter fucking relief, Maddox actually stifled a laugh. Holy fuck. My skin broke out in goosebumps to hear that sound.
He turned to the side, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t wanna know what I’ve had to do inside.”
“Kinky.” I winked at him. I’d never winked before, and I felt stupid for doing it, but it made him laugh again, so it wasn’t all bad.
I felt so much better seeing him grin. It was a lie. I hadn’t fucked anything, not even my fist, in four months, but the comment had worked to settle us both down. Until…
“All rise.”
A herd of hellhounds galloped in my chest.
Nateshovedmyheadbetween my knees and told me to breathe like the night he stopped my panic attack when Maddox walked out on me.
Court was too intense. The case had been laid out bare, and I sweated through every fucking part of it. Now I hyperventilated in the hallway, remembering the set of Maddox’s shoulders as he pleaded not guilty.
Gary did his part. The ship captain did his part. The hospital nurse told the truth. Hanes laid everything out, and the lawyers delivered the evidence with confidence. Everything went well until Davis took the stand, showing proof that he had a confirmed doctor’s appointment that gave him a reason to be in the hospital that day. That was the part my mind snagged on. What if one doctor’s appointment threw our whole case?
Maddox’s lawyer had been quick on her feet, questioning Davis’ reasoning for being on the surgical outpatient floor to give the nurse documents. Davis stumbled over his words for a few seconds before sticking to the story that he got lost in the hospital, asked her for directions and only gave her documents that he thought he saw her drop. He’d ‘never seen them before’, the lying fuck. Wasn’t even a good lie because security footage could probably discredit it.
Nate smacked my back, bringing my head up now that my breathing had regulated a little. “You’re okay,” he assured me.
I scrubbed at my eyes, trying to clear them. To say I was nervous was the understatement of the fucking decade. Maddox was back there right now, awaiting his fate. Guilty or not guilty.
Xavi pulled me to my feet, but my legs shook. He gripped the sides of my face and met my eyes. “Whatever the fuck happens in there, we stick together and get through it.”
I nodded, eyes blurring.
“Promise me, Devon.”
I nodded again, barely breathing. “I promise. We stick together.”
“I love you, man. I can never thank you enough for everything you’ve done for my brother. No matter what, you’ll always be my brother, too.” He pulled me into a hug, and I fell against him.
I hugged him back, holding onto him with the hope that we’d both get him back today. Maybe I just held onto him for the sake of my sanity.
“Love you,” I mumbled into his jacket.
Nate joined the hug, and the three of us stood there, holding on for strength, support, and comfort while a jury of strangers decided the fate of our lives. Maddox’s life. The seconds ticked by and my anxiety grew more intense with each one that passed.
This was it. This was the moment I’d been waiting for since the day Maddox was taken away. Would I get my boyfriend back, or would I be making deals with new kinds of devils? Because if Maddox got denied his freedom today, he’d give up. And if he gave up, I’d get arrested just to be with him.
A life in prison with Maddox was a thousand times better than a free life without him. Nate told me that wasn’t a healthy way of thinking, but our relationship wasn’t healthy in general, so I didn’t care.
The doors opened.