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Harlow heads straight for the bar, and Malachi double checks that the clubhouse door is locked. Satisfied that it is, he joins us at the bar and slides on the stool next to mine.
“Here.” Harlow slides a beer to each of us and then lifts her own to her lips to take a long pull from the bottle. “This is a clusterfuck, you know that, right?” Her question is directed at me.
“I’m aware.”
She shifts her gaze to Malachi, and her eyes soften. “I’m only going to ask this once. Did you know?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
Harlow nods and then returns her attention to me. “There’s a lot I didn’t know until a few minutes ago.” I open my mouth to speak, and she holds her hand up to stop me. “Let me finish.” When she’s convinced I’ll be quiet, she continues. “Based on your reaction to her attack, I’m guessing you didn’t know who Peppermint was until earlier. Please tell me I’m not wrong.”
“You’re not,” I assure her. “Harlow, I promise you, I would never hurt her. I had no clue she was the girl from way back then.”
Harlow presses her lips together and averts her gaze. When she looks back at me, there are tears in her eyes. Malachi sees them and rushes behind the bar to wrap his arms around her. She leans into him, taking the comfort he’s offering, and I swear, she immediately looks stronger for it.
“Is she okay?” I ask, unable to pretend Peppermint isn’t upstairs and hurt because of something I was a part of.
“She will be.” Harlow’s tone holds a hint of conviction. She might not believe what she’s saying but she’ll do everything in her power to make it true.
“What did she tell you?”
Harlow laughs, but there is no humor in it. “A lot, actually. But if you really want to know, you’ll have to ask her. It’s her story to tell, not mine.”
“I’m going to assume that’s why you never told me that Peppermint was a victim of our family,” Malachi says.
“And you’re assuming right,” she confirms. “All of my sisters have stories, just like me. Just like the two of you. If and when they want someone to know, they’ll tell them.”
“Understood.”
“That being said, Nico, there are several things I want you to know.”
“Okay.”
“First, you need to know that Pep knows you didn’t rape her.” A rush of air expels past my lips and Harlow’s expression softens. “Second, you should know what triggered her. You whispered in her ear tonight, and that’s when—”
“She remembered that I whispered in her ear all those years ago,” I finish for her. “Yanni was forcing me to inject her, and just before I did, I whispered ‘I’m sorry’.”
“Motherfucker,” Malachi mutters.
“Yes,” Harlow confirms. “I asked her why she thought that you whispering in her ear was the specific trigger. I mean, we’ve been hunting Nicholi for so long, she’s seen pictures, and she’s talked to you enough times. But she never recognized either of you.”
“And?”
Harlow shrugs. “She didn’t have an answer.”
“The mind is funny that way,” I say. “It was probably her subconscious protecting her from the memories.”
“Right.”
The three of us are silent for a few minutes as we finish our beers. Malachi throws the empty bottles in the trash, and the clinking of the glass seems to echo in the large space.
Harlow clears her throat. “I need a favor, Nico.”
Her tone suggests she’s about to ask me to do something I won’t like and that makes me uneasy.
“What?”
She takes a deep breath. “Fuck, I’m gonna regret this.”
