We moved quickly down the corridor, our footsteps deliberately light against the hardwood floors. Neither of us spoke until we reached the main staircase.
"Your father's men found this lead?" Cole asked as we descended.
"Bobby called me directly. Someone using the handle 'ViperChaos' is advertising videos of a 'purple-haired elitist slut' on a private forum. Description matches Cadence." Cole's face contorted with disgust. "And they know where this piece of shit is?"
"Flat in Manchester. Bobby's sending the address. My father's men can be there in twenty minutes, but..."
"But we're handling this ourselves," Cole finished, his tone making it clear it wasn't a question.
"Damn right we are."
We headed for the door, and I was shocked to see several of the housemen standing there, coats in hands.
“Going somewhere, boys?” I asked, “A bit late for an outing?” It was Max who stepped forward from the small group. He had been one of the most active housemen all through Cadence’sdisappearance. I had the impression that he had gotten pretty close to Luce as well during that time.
“Yup,” he said, his features set firm. “We’re going with you.” I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Cole.
“Are you now?” I asked, my voice low. “Where do you think we are going?” I wasn’t about to offer a school outing to kick the shit out of some lowlifes.
“Come on, Bale,” Max scoffed. “Bobby called me, too. Your dad and mine go back longer than we’ve been breathing. Bobby told me there was a lead.” I had completely forgotten that Max’s dad had done business with the family. I had absolutely no idea my dad was calling in Regent students to help with this.
“You don’t have to,” Cole said quickly. “It’s not gonna be neat.”
“I’m fine with that,” Max said. He shrugged. “We all are. Even if I wasn’t called in by my dad, I would still be standing here. Cade might be your girl, but she is still our Consort. She is the heart of Covenant House and thus the heart of us all. We protect our heart, because without it we don’t survive.” His words hit me hard. I had no idea that Cadence had such an effect on others in the house, but here we had six or seven men standing here willing to get into so much fucking mess for her.
“There would have been more of us, but the others are rotating watch around the house along with Lynch’s men,” One of the other guys, Owan, explained. Cole nodded quickly while I stood almost dumb struck by their actions.
“Alright then, boys,” he said with a slow grin on his face. “Let’s go fuck some shit up.”
Cole strode through the men and headed for the door, and within moments we were travelling in three cars towards Manchester, ready and willing to raise hell for our house heart.
The night air cut through my jacket as we pulled up to the dilapidated block of flats in Manchester. A cold, miserable drizzle had started halfway through our journey, leaving everything with a slick, greasy sheen that reflected the sparse streetlights. The building itself was a concrete monstrosity, the kind of place where hope came to die, stainedwalls, broken windows patched with cardboard, and graffiti that screamed obscenities at passersby. Perfect place for scum to hide.
Our three-car convoy parked at irregular intervals along the street, a tactical decision to avoid drawing attention. I stepped out, the damp air filling my lungs with the stench of piss and garbage. Logan emerged from the driver's seat beside me, his face carved from stone, eyes glacial with focused rage. The housemen, Max, Owan, and the others, gathered around us, their expressions grim but determined. None of us spoke. We didn't need to. We all knew what we were here for.
What I wasn't expecting was the sleek black Range Rover that pulled up silently behind us, nor the imposing figure that stepped out of it. Nicholas Bale, dressed in tactical gear rather than his usual bespoke suit, moved with deadly purpose toward us. Four of his men flanked him, faces I recognised from various Bale operations over the years.
"Fuck," Logan muttered beside me, tension radiating from every line of his body. "What the hell is he doing here?"
I watched as Nicholas approached, noting the way his men spread out with practiced efficiency, securing the perimeter. This wasn't just backup. This was a statement.
"Logan," Nicholas greeted his son, his Cockney accent thick in the night air. "Thought you might need an extra hand." Logan's jaw clenched.
"I didn't ask for your help." Nicholas's smile was cold, predatory. "Didn't offer it as a choice, did I?" He surveyed our group, nodding at Max with recognition before his eyes settled on me. "Bowers." I inclined my head slightly.
"Mr Bale."
"Dad," Logan said, his voice tight with barely controlled fury, "we can handle this. You don't need to be here." Something shifted in Nicholas's expression then, a flicker of emotion I'd rarely seen from the crime boss.
"The girl's been through enough," he said, his voice dropping lower. "She's family now, far as I'm concerned. And nobody-" he paused, the steel in his voice unmistakable, "-nobody fucks with my family."
The words hung in the damp air between us. I studied Nicholas Bale's face, searching for the manipulation, the angle he must be playing. But all I saw was genuine rage, tightly controlled but burning hot beneath the surface. In all the years I'd known him, I'd never seen Nicholas Bale personally involve himself in an operation like this. He gave orders; he didn't get his hands dirty. Not anymore. Yet here he was, the head of one of the UK’s most feared crime families, suited up for a raid on a squalid flat in Manchester. For our Cade.
The realisation hit me with unexpected force. Cade, who'd been with us less than a year, who'd fought us every step of the way, had somehow worked her way into all our lives so deeply that even Nicholas fucking Bale considered her family. Logan seemed to come to the same realisation, his shoulders dropping slightly as he nodded once, a silent acknowledgment of his father's presence.
"Fifth floor, flat 32," he said, all business now. "Two men inside, possibly armed. One goes by ViperChaos online." Nicholas nodded, turning to his men.
"Secure the exits. Nobody gets out." The men moved immediately, melting into the shadows around the building.
