Once Upon a Second Chance

(50) - Four Teenagers Walk Into a Bar

"We really should have helped ourselves to some fake 'IDs' while we were at Dague's place," Harry muttered as he and the rest of his traveling companions made this way into the Blarney Stone. He understood that in this world, only people by the age of twenty-one were allowed to drink. And in order to prove that you were of that age, you had to provide some sort of identification.

"What's the point?" Evie did a once-over of the half-empty bar. "We didn't come here to drink; we're here on a mission."

"We can multitask," Harry shrugged.

Ben and Henry walked over to the counter where the bartender stood behind.

"Good afternoon. We're looking for someone. Do you recognize this girl?" Ben took out Adrian's mugshot and placed it on the counter. They didn't bother telling him her name considering she most likely uses a fake one when she goes out to drink. Or knowing her record, anywhere really.

"Who's asking?" the bartender responded uninterestedly.

"We're family," Henry answered simply.

The bartender sighed. "She was in here for her morning drink. She normally comes back once or twice a day so you can wait for her here."

Ben looked over at his alternate nephew, knowing that with their run-in earlier, she was likely to lay low and probably wouldn't come, especially if she noticed that she had dropped the matchbook and Harry picked it up. He turned back to the man.

"Do you know of any other places she frequents at? Or anybody she meets here regularly?"

"Look, she comes here and meets with all sorts of people at all the time."

Henry ran a hand over his face. "Anybody in particular we can talk to? Anybody who knows her."

The bartender looked around before pointing to a man in the corner of the bar. "I've seen her meet up with him recently."

Henry and Ben thanked the man before walking over to the one he had directed them to and sat across from him. Harry and Evie followed and stood at the table to observe the interaction.

The man gave a skeptical look, as did Evie, who recognized him slightly. Ben simply put down Adrian's picture in front of him and Henry said, "Her. You know her?"

The man remained silent as he sat back, before jumping out of his seat to make a run for it. But Harry was one step ahead as he roughly put his hook on his shoulder and pushed him back down in his seat.

Henry's eyes widened. They agreed that he wasn't supposed to be walking around with that thing in public!

Harry though, didn't notice as he was looking at the man bored yet threateningly. "Answer the question, mate."

The man gaped at the boy carrying a hook, said hook that was still being pressed on his shoulder."L-Look, I'm not saying anything without my lawyer-"

"We're not the cops," Henry cut him off as Harry rolled his eyes. What was it with everyone he approached in this damn city thinking he was the police?

"We're just looking for her. You tell us what you know, and we won't hurt you," Ben assured him.

"We're not gonna hurt you either way," Evie stated quickly, glaring at Ben, who's behavior was getting more and more concerning by the minute. "But you tell us what you know about Adrian, and you have nothing to lose."

The son of Captain Hook seemed to disregard her statement as he pressed his hook harder into the man's shoulder, who winced. He put his hands up in surrender, clearly embarrassed to be interrogated by four teenagers. "Look, I barely know her, okay. I've only met her here once. Another time was in her office."

"You're a customer," Evie tilted her head, now knowing where she had seen him before—his picture was in Adrian's camera.

"What's your name?" Henry crossed his arms.

"Ryan."

"What's your deal with Adrian?"

Ryan inhaled and looked up at Harry, who reluctantly removed his hook from his shoulder. He sighed in relief before relaxing his shoulder. "I need her help to leave the country. My wife has been on my ass for months now with child support payments. I have no money left. She's planning on taking me to court, and I just got out of prison. I'm not going back."

"You're paying her for a fake passport." Evie put her fist on her hip, visibly judging him.

"But couldn't you just get a fake ID from her and skip town? Why do you need to leave the whole country?" Ben asked.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "They got a bail bondsman to track me down once; they'll do it again. I need a fresh start, without the law breathing down my neck."

"Well, did she deliver on your order?" Henry asked. "You seem to be in quite a rush."

"She has the passport ready, but I'm still trying to gather up the money."

Ben sighed. This wasn't getting them anywhere. "Do you know anything else about her? Anything at all?"

Ryan furrowed his brows in thought, before shooting up in remembrance. "When I was in her office yesterday, she got a phone call. I didn't hear what was happening on the other end, but from what I got, she was dealing with this big-deal kingpin. When she hung up, all she said she was just talking to a 'client'. She was all secretive during the call, but I managed to hear her say she was meeting him at his club downtown."

"Great," Henry muttered. "That just narrows it down to a couple thousand clubs in Lower Manhattan."

Evie bit her lip. "Did you manage to catch the caller ID? Did she say his name?"

Ryan snapped his fingers as he remembered. "Mr. Burton. That's what she called him."

Henry took out his phone and searched for nightclubs in that area and cross-referenced the name 'Burton'.

"Alright, I got the address." Henry got up, Ben, Evie, and Harry following suit. They made no move to thank Ryan as they left him, because—let's admit—he's a piece of crap. The VKs of the group especially have experience with deadbeat parents who have no interest in providing for their families and see their children's needs as nothing more than an inconvenience. They'd met more than enough of those kind of people in the Isle, and they had no interest in meeting more in this world.

(A/N): Henry, Ben, Evie, and Harry are becoming detectives now. 😂 So how did you guys feel about this chapter? I felt it was pretty boring and pointless, but I haven't really been on my game lately and feel like this was the best I could write. And sorry I haven't updated in so long. Wish me luck for the upcoming chapters!