Part 115

The phone didn't even manage a full ring before it was answered.

'Noel?'

His brother's voice came through the car speakers, sharp, alert, and entirely stripped of his usual swagger. There was a low rustle of fabric in the background, the sound of a man instantly moving the moment he saw his brother's name on the screen.

'We're in London,' Noel said, his voice flat, exhausted, but carrying that dangerous undercurrent of absolute resolve. 'I've got the boys. We're ten minutes out from your place.'

A heavy silence hung on the line for a fraction of a second as Liam processed the weight of those few words. He didn't ask why Noel was in London instead of Scotland. He didn't ask about Caro, and he didn't demand an explanation about Mel. He knew Noel's tone. He knew the absolute breaking point when he heard it.

'The gates are open,' Liam replied, his tone dropping into a rare, fierce gravity. 'Just drive straight to the back, I'll meet you there.'

The call disconnected with a soft beep. Noel's white-knuckled grip returning to the steering wheel as he navigated the final, twisting turns of the London streets leading up to Liam's place.

Behind him, Donovan and Sonny remained silent, their thoughts pulled in two directions at once. They loved Uncle Liam's house, a heavily secured, fortress overlooking the river that meant seeing their cousins and playing in an absolute paradise. Yet, the excitement felt hollow without Caro, who was still stuck far away in Scotland, and the sharp ache of missing their sister, Bowie, weighed heavily on the, trapping them between the joy of the visit and the emptiness of who was left behind.

When the car rolled through the gates, Liam was already standing by the terrace doors at the back of the house. The moment Noel killed the engine, the silence inside the car became deafening.

Noel pushed his door open, his legs stiff and aching from the six-hour sprint down the spine of the country. He didn't look at Liam as he stepped out, instead turning immediately to open the back door for his sons.

'Grab your bags, boys,' Noel muttered, his hand resting briefly on Sonny's head as he slid out of the leather seat.

Liam closed the distance between them in three long strides. He didn't offer a half-hearted embrace or platitudes. Instead, his hand clamped down on the back of Noel's neck, a brutal, grounding squeeze that was the closest the brothers ever came to real comfort. He looked past Noel, his eyes softening just a fraction as he caught the eyes of his nephews.

'Inside and upstairs, both of you,' Liam ordered gently, gesturing toward the open doors, 'Gene and Lennon are waiting for you. Get yourselves cleaned up. Your dad and I need a minute.'

Donovan nodded, his older-brother instincts kicking in as he hooked an arm around Sonny's shoulder, guiding him toward the terrace doors. Neither of them argued. They were too tired, too drained by the ghost of their sister's absence to do anything but obey.

As the terrace doors slid shut behind the boys, the mask Noel had fought so hard to maintain in front of his children finally cracked.

He leaned back against the warm hood of the car, a harsh, ragged breath escaped his throat, his chest heaving as the crushing reality of the last twenty-four hours threatened to buckle his knees.

'She's gone, Liam,' Noel whispered, the words tearing out of him like broken glass. 'Mel took her. She's completely off the grid. No calls, no texts, nothing. I must have tried twenty times.'

Liam stood directly in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw locked so tightly the muscle leaped under his skin. 'We'll find her. Mel's clever, but she's predictable. She's probably running on panic, Noel. Panic makes people sloppy.'

'And Caro,' Noel choked out, the name turning into a physical ache in his throat. He closed his eyes, and all he could see was her pale, rigid face under the harsh hospital lights, forcing him away with an unyielding, heartbreaking bravery. Blood always comes first. 'I left her there. Alone. In that fuckin' hospital room. She could barely sit up, Liam, and I walked out on her.'

'Because you had to,' Liam said, his voice dropping to a low, rough growl that allowed no argument. He stepped closer, forcing Noel to open his eyes and look at him. 'Caro knew it. You knew it. If you stayed by her bed while Bowie was out there, it would have killed whatever you two have anyway. Caro is a clever girl, she absolutely did the right thing. It only shows how much she loves you, if she can choose blood over a relationship...Now come on, let's get inside, coffee's ready.'

--

Back in Scotland, the silence of the hospital room was heavy and suffocating.

Caro lay perfectly still under the thin blankets, her eyes fixed blindly on the small digital clock on the bedside table. 06:42 PM.

Six hours. He would be there by now. He would be in London, surrounded by the neon glare, the noise, and the terrifying chaos of the search.

She turned her head away from the door, looking out the window at the Scottish sky. The isolation was a physical weight, pressing down on her chest until it was hard to draw a full breath. She had spent her entire life building walls, convincing herself that she preferred the quiet, that she didn't need anyone to lean on.

But tonight, the walls felt less like a fortress and more like a tomb.

Her hand crawled slowly across the sheets, searching instinctively for the warmth that had been there just hours before. Her fingers brushed against the empty space where Noel had sat, back to where his grip had been so fierce and possessive in her hair.

A single, silent tear leaked from the corner of her eye, hot against her temple, before soaking into the sterile pillowcase. She didn't wipe it away. She just let herself feel the lonely chill of the room, holding onto the memory of his raw, bruising kiss like a shield against the dark.

Just get her back, Noel, she thought, her jaw tightening with that same icy armor she had used to push him away. Get your little girl back.

--

Inside the house, the atmosphere was thick with the scent of coffee and tobacco.

Liam had a map of Greater London on his laptop that stood on the kitchen island, next to a half-empty bottle of whiskey. Donovan and Sonny had finally crashed in the spare bedrooms, completely spent, leaving their Dad and uncle alone in the dim light. They were trapped in a brutal waiting game, relying on their legal team to track down any property, or address where Mel could be hiding.

Noel stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the city lights reflecting off the black surface of the Thames. He held an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his thumb compulsively flicking the flint of a lighter over and over.

'The lawyers are taking too long,' Noel muttered, his voice raw from the smoke and exhaustion. 'Every minute they spend digging through paperwork, Mel gets further away with Bowie..they might have even left the country by now..'

Liam didn't look up from his screen, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the counter. 'They're checking every asset tied to her name and even old associates, Noel. If she's using a property that isn't flagged, our legal team will find the trail. We have to wait.'

The heavy silence was broken by the sound of the kitchen door swinging open. Deb walked in, looking pale and exhausted, wrapping her cardigan tighter around her shoulders. She looked at the two brothers, her eyes filled with a mixture of dread and deep concern.

'Still nothing from the lawyers?' Deb asked softly, moving toward the kitchen island.

Noel didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the dark river below. Liam simply shook his head.

Deb sighed, rubbing her temples, before looking directly at Noel. 'Have you heard anything from Scotland? How is Caro holding up through all of this?'

Noel's thumb froze on the lighter. The small flame died out, plunging his face back into the shadows. At the mention of Caro, his shoulders dropped just a fraction, a raw, exposed nerve showing through his hardened armor.

'She told me not to contact her,' Noel said, his voice dropping into a hollow whisper. He stared out at the black river, the rejection still cutting deep. 'She told me to not even think about her. She said my only focus right now has to be finding Bowie..I send her a couple of texts but no reply just yet..maybe she's sleeping or something..I fuckin' miss her so much..'

He turned back to the window, his forehead nearly touching the cold glass. He was missing her like crazy, a constant, physical ache that made it hard to breathe. It was her choice to cut the cord, a desperate sacrifice to force him into absolute focus, but knowing that didn't stop the suffering. The guilt was suffocating; he couldn't stop thinking about everything she had been put through because of him, and all the pain he had repeatedly dragged into her life.

'But I made her a promise,' Noel muttered, his grip tightening around the unlit cigarette until the paper tore between his fingers. 'I told her the exact second I have Bowie safe, I'm getting on the first plane back up north to go and get her. No matter what. But until then, it's killing me, Deb. The guilt is eating me alive. After everything I've put her through, I'm still standing here selfishly bleeding out because I want her next to me.'

Debbie stepped closer, her expression shifting into one of deep sympathy. She placed a cautious, grounding hand on his forearm. 'Caro did that because she loves you, Noel. She knew that if you were carrying her pain and worrying about her safety up north, you wouldn't be sharp enough to catch Mel.'

Noel let out a hollow, bitter laugh, staring at his own ruined reflection in the dark glass. 'Sharp? I feel like I'm completely coming apart.'

Suddenly, the laptop emitted a sharp, high-pitched chime.

Liam's posture went entirely rigid. He leaned closer to the screen, his eyes narrowing as he read the email that had just come in. The silence in the kitchen became absolute.

'What is it?' Noel asked, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper as he turned away from the window and crossed the room. The agony over Caro was instantly locked away, replaced by the driving, primal instinct of a father.

Liam looked up, a look of profound relief washing over his features. 'It's the legal team. They did it, Noel. They've been in contact with Mel's representation.'

Noel's heart slammed against his ribs. He gripped the edge of the kitchen island, leaning in. 'Where is she? Where is Bowie?'

'They wouldn't give up an address,' Liam said, scrolling through the message. 'But Mel has agreed to meet you. Tomorrow. She's willing to talk, Noel. She wants to negotiate terms, and she wants to do it in person.'

Debbie let out a long, shaky breath, her hands flying to her chest. 'Oh, thank God. She's willing to talk.'

Noel didn't relax. His eyes stayed glued to the text on the screen, analyzing every word. 'Where?'

'Some high-end restaurant in central London,' Liam replied, checking the venue details forwarded by the lawyers. 'Very public. Very upscale. She insisted on a specific time and place. The lawyers say she was entirely cooperative about setting it up, as long as you show up alone.'

Noel's face hardened into a wall of absolute stone, the exhaustion completely vanishing from his eyes. A public venue felt strange, but right now, he didn't care about the logistics. The promise to Caro, to get Bowie back and get on the first flight north, flashed in his mind like a beacon. He finally had his chance.

For the first time in hours, the suffocating weight in the kitchen lifted, replaced by a sudden, overwhelming rush of relief. The air left Noel's lungs in a long, shaky exhale. He leaned his palms flat against the kitchen island, his head dropping as the sheer exhaustion of the chase finally caught up to him.

They had a time. They had a place. Bowie wasn't lost anymore.

'Tomorrow,' Noel whispered, a faint, ragged edge of a smile touching his lips. 'It ends tomorrow. She's willing to talk.'

Liam let out a breath he seemed to have been holding since Scotland, leaning back against the counter with a bright, unstoppable grin. 'She's choosing a public place because she feels safe there. And that's the best part, Noel, it means she's actually coming. We know exactly where she'll be. We're finally going to be a family again.'

Debbie watched the tension drain from Noel's shoulders, her own eyes misting over with relief. She stepped closer, her hand finding his arm again, this time squeezing it gently. 'Are you going to tell Caro?' she asked softly. 'She deserves to know there's hope, Noel.'

Noel looked up, the desperate urge to share this breakthrough with Caro overriding everything else. He didn't care about the rules they had set or the silence she had demanded. He needed to hear her voice. He needed her to know he was winning.

'Yeah,' Noel said, already pulling his phone from his pocket. 'Yeah, I am.'

He stepped away from the island, walking back toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. His thumb swiped across the screen, finding her name. His heart battered against his ribs as he pressed the phone to his ear, staring out at the London skyline, picturing her up north in the quiet, isolated dark.

The line began to ring.

One ring. Two.

Noel gripped the phone tighter, his chest tight with anticipation. Come on, Caro. Pick up. Just let me tell you.

Three rings. Four.

The ringing suddenly cut off, replaced by the hollow, automated drone of her voicemail.

Noel lowered the phone slowly, staring down at the dark screen. The rejection, even if automated, stung like a physical blow. He remembered her words, don't contact me, don't even think about me, just focus. She was sticking to her promise, completely cutting herself off so she wouldn't be a distraction, completely unaware that the breakthrough had just happened.

Debbie watched his face fall, understanding the silence immediately. 'Nothing?'

Noel swallowed his disappointment and shoved the phone away, his expression hardening.

'She's not picking up,' he muttered, turning to Liam as a sudden thought struck him. If anything would make her answer, it was Bowie. He pulled the phone back out, new determination taking over. 'I'll text her. She needs to know the news about Bowie.'

He quickly typed out the message: "Babe, great news, Mel has initiated a talk about Bowie tomorrow! It's finally happening. I'll be back up north soon to come get you and bring you home where you belong. Bowie will be right there with me. I love you, please call me the second you see this."