“Steve, their old manager. He told us they were out of control and that’s why he quit.”
“And no one has ever asked them?”
I paused. “No. I mean, by the time we found Addi and Neo after the plane crashed and got them home… Neo had surgery and rehab; Addi just needed time to heal. I think they all silently agreed to leave it in the past.”
“That’s not what happened. Do you think Neo and Addi want to hear this at the same time?”
“Is it that big of a deal?”
Lea nodded.
“Okay.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent them a message. Minutes later, we were on a group call. “Hey guys, sorry to bother you. I’m here with Lea and she thinks there is something we need to know about Alchemy Myth in Miami.”
“Fuck, they aren’t causing problems again, are they?” Neo fired down the phone. “I swear I will—”
“Neo, Archer found Nee in Miami. She was hiding there. She’s lost her memory and ran there,” I tried to explain. “But she meant last time. You know, before the crash.”
He sucked in a breath. “We know what happened, and I try very hard not to blame them every time I have to pop another painkiller.” Silence sliced through the air. “Shit. Shit. Ignore me. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Neo, you okay?” Addi asked.
“I am, but I don’t need to hear how Charlie’s pissed up mistake led to what happened.” I could hear the pain in his voice.
“It didn’t,” Lea whispered.
“What?” Addi spluttered.
“Charlie wasn’t arrested because he was drunk. He was arrested because Archer was sexually assaulted.”
“What the fuck?” I cried.
“Look, Ionee told me this in confidence and I’m not sure I should be repeating it, but I can’t have you think it was their bad behavior that led to Charlie getting arrested.”
“Whatever you tell us will stay with us,” Addi reassured her.
“Archer… the boys, they asked the hotel manager to arrange for some people to come to the hotel for a little fun. They paid him a shit ton of money to get them from a reputable club, but the manager kept the money and hired some back street hookers instead.”
“Right, so they had a bad night and Charlie punched the hotel manager?” Neo questioned.
“Not exactly. Archer wanted something very specific. He wanted someone to dominate him. This woman tied him up, gagged him, and she beat him unconscious.”
My hand flew to my lips as I tried to suppress the cry fighting to get out.
“The scar on Archer’s back…” Lea continued.
“Yeah, what about it?” Neo replied.
“That was from her whipping him. She didn’t stop. Even when he begged her to. The hotel manager told Charlie that Archer deserved it. That’s why Charlie punched him. He was protecting Arch. He wasn’t acting out, he wasn’t drunk, they weren’t trying to be a problem. And their management team quit earlier in the day, so they had no idea what happened that night.”
No one said a word for what felt like forever.
“That’s a lot to digest,” Addi whispered. “If it’s okay, I think Neo and I should leave you girls to your lunch and we can chat some more tomorrow.”
“Are you both okay?” I checked.
Neither of them answered that question, but Addi eventually replied, “Do me a favor. Don’t mention to the guys that we know. We need to have a conversation, but I want to wait until they get back.” The emotion was clear in her voice.
“Of course.”
