A/N

I know you might have started cursing at me for not updating sooner...

I am so, so, so deeply sorry... Work has taken a looooot of my time and it took me forever to squeeze in some way to get this chapter done.

Please forgive me...

Here's the update, please enjoy!!!!

******

It came as a form of punishment for Jordan when Frank downright refused to help him locate Vee or even share with him details on what to do in Ireland. Despite reiterating how important the task was, he was still unable to convince Frank to cooperate.

"Oh, I thought you had some other important things to do," Frank's sarcastic response blasted through Jordan's bluetooth headset. He was close to losing his patience, but acknowledging his own misses helped him keep his temper in check. He kept pacing back and forth as he waited for his boarding time.

"C'mon, Frank," he sighed, "if you really care about Venera, you will let me know where she's headed." 

"I don't know."

"At least let me know what she's after?"

"No idea."

"What made her want to go to Ireland, of all places?"

"I have no clue."

"Did you ask her where she's going?"

"Yep. But she didn't tell me."

"Do you know where she'd stay?"

"Nope."

"Fuck it, Franklin!" Jordan gritted his teeth in frustration. He stopped pacing and massaged his throbbing temple. Tension started building up as his pessimism attacked. "For all we know, we could be working against unknown enemies and Venera might be in danger! I need to protect her! Tell me where the fuck she is going!"

The frustration in Jordan's voice must have convinced Frank a little bit that he should shed some light on the situation. He considered that Jordan might have gotten sidetracked due to Aya, but the latter now seemed to be trying to make it up to Vee. If he would stubbornly refuse to give Jordan some information on Vee's whereabouts, he might put the lady at risk instead. 

"Are you sure you're not gonna leave her alone when your lovely Aya suddenly gives you a booty call?" He had to ask, not entirely pleased that Jordan even thought about dating someone like her. He had always turned a blind eye on Jordan's womanizing acts back at the camp and on the field since he also engaged in such, but his views changed when he got into a relationship himself, and their friends had gotten married. 

"Don't be stupid, Frank." Was all Jordan said.

"You're the one being a dickhead," Frank grumbled. "You got such a nice lady yet you see her as a child, and you cheat on her?"

"You're starting to sound like my mother, Frank." 

"I'm gonna sound like your Mum and Dad and whoever if you don't start acting like a proper fiancé, Jordy." Frank congratulated himself for staying alive after saying his piece. Good thing Jordan wasn't in front of him to drill a bullet into his head. "Remember when we met Lucas Connor at the bar?"

Jordan heaved a deep sigh of relief when Frank finally started talking about the deal.

"The CCTV footage he stole for Vee apparently has another clue." Frank sent Jordan an email with screenshots of the video. "If you look at the seventh frame, the camera caught Reynold Yates' plate number changing. It was obvious that the car was designed with that capability." He paused and waited for Jordan to be on the same page. "It no longer shows his registered plate, and instead shows 'FST157'"

"That's the same code we saw on the painting, wasn't it?" Jordan asked, recalling a code they found at the bottom part of the abstract painting in Reynold Yates' office. "Frank, if that code relates the car to the painting, Chéad Mhac, I could only think of 'First Son.' What does the 'T' stand for, and what are the numbers?"

"I have no idea," Frank replied. "What made Vee interested was when I told her that the map in the painting doesn't look like a map at all, but a castle." He sent another picture, this time a negative image of the map - and Jordan agreed that it could be interpreted as a rough representation of a castle.

"Chéad Mhac..." Jordan repeated, trying to squeeze ideas out his brain. "That's Gaelic... Irish artist... Frank - did you try to search for castles in Ireland with the same facade as what's in the painting?" 

"Uh... Nope." Frank's jaw dropped, and he instantly typed on his keyboard to activate his computer. "Jordan, I don't see any match..." He continued twindling with the data as he listened to more of Jordan's deductions.

"I'm running out of time..." Jordan lifted his travelling bag when he heard his flight number being announced. "Frank, do you remember what Venera said when you told her about the castle?" 

"Yeah?" Frank was a little unsure. "Something like trying to find the one their family visited when she was six..."

Jordan pumped his fist in triumph.

"She must be going to Galway Bay," he guessed. "I remember meeting her brother, Viktor, at one of the pubs there when we were teenagers. He said his family was there to visit our museum. Dad's ancestors own a castle there and it was turned into a museum when my great-grandfather decided to leave Ireland." He unconsciously smiled as he recalled how he and Viktor became friends over a couple of beers.

"That's great!" Frank could be heard grinning over the phone. "Now we just have to find out where she's staying."

*****

Jordan's POV

Even though I knew that it would take six and a half hours by air to reach Dublin before I could take a bus to Galway Bay, I still hoped that my travel time could be shorter. The feeling of knowing where Vee was headed all alone was slowly killing me, and I repeatedly cursed myself for even letting that happen.

I was pleased with how it turned out, though. She was able to figure out the clue from the painting and developed her own deductions without much help from Frank and me. She could make a smart detective, I thought.

Once I find her, we need to work together to figure out why the painting would lead to Ireland, and why the CCTV footage showed the same code we found in the painting. I was thinking that we might need to look for a first-born son in Ireland, but that would be too vague, considering that the painting seemed to send a message.

If the border of the image would be interpreted as the O'Ghallchobhair Castle, which belonged to my father's ancestors, then the clue could be pointing to something related to our family. Could it be about a first-born from our family? Conan, maybe? 

My thoughts went back to Conan's "hibernation." It gave me a strong feeling that my hunch is valid, now that another clue came out which points to a first-born son. I may or may not be right, depending on what the "T" represents in the plate number and painting codes, and what we would find in the castle.

Trying not to cloud my deductions with missing details, I decided to take a rest and wait until I get to see Vee again. I would still need to find out whether she booked a hotel, which one is it, or if she even recalls the museum she visited when she was younger. I could only hope that her bodyguard, Max, was aware of it and had given her information about it so she could find her way to the right castle. I don't want to think of the possibilities of her getting lost - I would be unable to forgive myself.

As though fate was really against me, I was able to confirm with Max that he didn't have an idea about Vee's trips when she was younger. To make my feelings worse, her bodyguard begged me to ensure her safety while she was away. He wasn't allowed to travel with Vee, and was made to promise not to follow her on her trip to Ireland.

The rest of my trip became so miserable as disturbing thoughts started bugging me. If I could just magically make the journey shorter, I would have gladly surrendered all my fortune.

***

I looked up at the overcast and gray skies when I finally arrived, inhaling the chilly scent of autumn air which reminded me of my childhood in our ancestral house.

While the castle has been converted to a museum, it still had private areas where our family stayed during vacations. I could remember always being caught by my father as I wandered in the armory wing where I spent most of my day sparring with stationary knights and using the precious bo staff which was on display.

"Need a drink, sir?" I was pulled from my reverie when the distinct Irish accent of a man reached my ears. I saw an old man smiling at me, offering a mug of extra stout, its strong malt scent filling my nostrils. 

I politely declined, reminding myself that I would need to find Vee first thing. Frank told me that he is in the process of acquiring CCTV footages around Galway Bay in the hopes of capturing Vee's image. 

As I moved around, I tried not to get too nostalgic. Hearing other people speak like my natural accent made me remember the years I spent in our castle growing up with a desire to not be exposed to the public. I could imagine Alannah's worried face as though it were only yesterday when she talked to me asking why I hated socializing. I always disappeared in parties and she always had to look for me to make sure that I was alright. 

When I became a teenager, it was only then that I realized why I wanted to stay away from the spotlight - I wanted to be a soldier and a spy who works covertly and is able to live through complications. I was that complicated.

Staying away from the public eye became a real challenge especially with my family's stature. The chance to live the life I wanted only came when my father finally gave me permission to become independent. He never questioned my decisions even when I joined mixed martial arts tournaments, moved from one country to another, dismissed all the bodyguards he sent to watch over me, and even pretended that he never knew about my stint in the military. But all the freedom was granted in exchange for my agreement to help Conan manage the family business when the time comes.

Conan was more sociable than I was, and after all my disappearing act, the media actually bought the idea that he and Alannah were the only Gallagher children - which I liked. He seemed ready for the task that awaits him when our father retires, but he always wanted me to be on top of things. Most of the time he consulted me on major decisions he had to make, and sometimes doesn't move on if I don't share my thoughts.

I knew that he liked the attention he was getting, but he also wanted to stay private at some point. Sometimes I feel guilty of leaving him alone with all the pressure, but he always assured me that it was his job as my older brother. 

Older brother. The painting clue came back to me again, and I wondered what "first son" really meant. Did it mean someone like Conan? I refused to entertain the idea of Conan being in danger, and I reminded myself that he is somewhere safe.

For now, I need to find Vee.

Frank's voice came on the other line as soon as I accepted his call. I almost took out my wireless earpiece when he spoke so loudly, almost panicking.

"She went to an island, Jordan!" He said, "she's headed to the O'Ghallchobhair Castle alone, and there's a storm coming. The museum won't be opened until the storm passes."

"How was she allowed to enter the island with the storm warning?" I snapped as though it was Frank's fault.

"As seen in the footage," Frank continued, "she bought a small ferry. She also charmed her way through the port."

I cursed as I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. If there was a storm warning, I wouldn't be allowed to sail even if I owned the island which I wanted to visit. As Frank continued describing what he could see in the CCTV footage, I felt like my blood started draining. 

"A group of shady-looking men followed her right after she set sail," he said. "They don't look like natives, and my data shows that these people originally came from Russia. You need to follow her at once, Jordan. These men don't look like they're gonna take care of her on the island."

A/N

There you go.

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Lovelots,

Sweetham aka liquidfiredragon