Chapter Fourty Five

Chapter 45

Four days had passed since the revelation of Godfather, not only as Marcus but also, as Jemima’s twin.
Jon was back in the hospital where he was receiving medical treatment and still awaited a heart donor.

Jemima and Marcus were currently in the living room, enjoying a movie on the sultry afternoon. Her laugh resonated throughout the house as she leaned her head against Marcus’s shoulder.

Marcus’s grin was wide, elation filling his eyes as he watched Jemima. It felt like they were finally at peace, a place he wanted to remain.
Alan had gone off to the hospital with Jay while Vanessa and Dimitri went to a shooting range to enhance Vanessa’s shooting skills. It was just Marcus and Jemima who were alone in the house.

“So what happens now?” Jemima questioned, her inquiry disrupting the tranquil ambiance that they both enjoyed as she sat up. She stretched her hand to grab a cherry on the table before turning to face him, her legs crossed in the chair.

“What do you mean?” Marcus questioned in return, not comprehending the query Jemima posed. Marcus sat up as he stared at Jemima, anticipating her clarification.

“What happens to the control system? You being the godfather? Does it change?” Jemima clarified, causing Marcus to chuckle heartily.

“It’s still there. I still do my job. Besides, I have people working for me,” Marcus mentioned, causing Jemima to widen her eyes as he nodded, processing everything she was hearing.

“How is it? Being the godfather? Giving out orders and overseeing the entire mafia ring in the world?” Jemima inquired, her curiosity etching the corners of her face as she looked into his eyes. Jemima had envisioned herself as the Godfather at one point and these questions are something she had asked herself.

Jemima grabbed the fruit juice on the table and took a sip from it, savoring the blend of fruity flavors that burst on her tongue.

“It gets overwhelming, I can’t lie. It gets exhausting. Everyone expects you to figure it out, to have all the answers, but they all forget that I’m a human too. They all assume that I’ve done this before and I should know how to go about this when in reality, this is my first time and there’s no fucking manual on how to navigate,” Jay confessed, exasperation lacing his tone.

Jemima took his hands in hers, attempting to send solace to him by squeezing them.

“You have done an exquisite job as the godfather. Closest we’ve ever gotten to world peace,” Jemima soothed, attempting at a joke that caused Marcus to chuckle softly, the glint in his eyes becoming prominent as he pulled Jemima closer.

They sat in comfortable silence, returning their attention to the movie they were watching. Marcus placed his hand across Jemima’s shoulders.

“How are we going to find them, Marcus?” Jemima’s sudden question pierced through the calm atmosphere, causing Marcus’s brows to furrow in confusion as he popped a cherry into his mouth.

“Find who?” Marcus queried, his tone laced with confusion as he glanced up at Jemima. Jemima took another sip of her fruit juice.

“Damien and Diane. Our parents,” Jemima replied simply, referring to their parents.

“After everything they put us through you still refer to them as our parents? They’re dead as far as I’m concerned,” Marcus insisted, popping another cherry into his mouth. The burst of flavors from the cherry exploded on his tongue as he chewed it, causing him to close his eyes and savor its deliciousness.

“That’s why we need to find answers Marcus, don’t you see?” Jemima urged, scooting closer to Marcus in an attempt to persuade him.

“Answers to what Jem? They made their choice very clear thirteen years ago when they tried to drown me in that river when that fucking bastard did such hideous things to you…” Marcus’s voice trailed off, heart breaking by the emotions that welled up in him.

“I need closure, Marcus! I want to know why they did what they did. I want them to get the retribution they deserve and I want to be the one to punish them for what they did to me… especially Ava!” Jemima whispered, her voice shaky at the thought of everything she planned to do to them.

“Closure for what? I’ve made peace with my trauma Jem and it’s time for you to make peace with yours,” Marcus stated, his hand rubbing his temple in a small circular motion, an act he did when he felt a migraine coming.

“Please, Marcus! I need this and deep down I know you do too,” Jemima pleaded, her expression somber as she gazed into his eyes.

“Alright!” Marcus acquiesced, prompting Jemima to envelop him in a hug.

“Great! Let’s get started,” Jemima urged, pulling Marcus along so they would head over to the emergency unit but a sudden yelp of pain emitted from him, startling Jemima in the process.

“What’s wrong? Did I pull too hard?” Jemima queried, worry lacing the features on her face as she watched Marcus clutch his ribs dearly. He stood up from the couch, coughing softly.

“No, it’s fine. Just a minor sprain,” Marcus assured, grunting as he made a move. Jemima watched him intently, not convinced that he was fine.

“Should I get the doctor?” Jemima queried, bringing out her phone to place a call but Marcus halted her in her tracks, preventing her from doing so.

“No, Jem! I’m fine,” Marcus reassured, casting a small grin to ease her dismay. Jemima gazed at him incredulously, not feeling convinced.

“Fine, let’s go then,” Jemima urged, leading the way to the emergency unit.

“Now, where do we start?” Jemima inquired as she took her seat in front of a monitor. She was not tech-savvy like Alan but she knew her way around a monitor.

“The logical place would be to go back home,” Marcus suggested, making himself comfortable on the couch as Jemima combed through the video feed from all over the world.

“But you have already done that right?” Jemima inquired, turning to face him momentarily. She watched him as he closed his eyes, his breathing heavy.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jemima questioned, walking up to him. She touched his forehead with the back of her palm, checking his temperature. He had broken out in cold sweat but his temperature seemed normal.

“It’s about twenty degrees in here but look at you, perspiring profusely. Would you like some water?” Jemima asked, not waiting for his response, she walked up to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

“Thank you,” Marcus appreciated, chugging down the water hastily.

“Marcus! What’s wrong?” Jemima pressed, eager to know what was wrong with him.

“Their last known location was Arkansas until I got tired of following them up,” Marcus deflected, causing Jemima to sigh deeply. She decided not to press it and returned to her seat in front of the monitor.

“Why would they go to Arkansas?” Jemima asked rhetorically, typing away at the keyboard.

“It has a low population and not a lot goes on there, perfect for anyone wanting to keep a low profile,” Marcus explained, taking a sip of his water. Jemima nodded her head in comprehension as she combed through all the footage of the past years in Arkansas.

“When was the last time you got this intel that they were in Arkansas?” Jemima inquired, turning to face Marcus who just shrugged nonchalantly.

“About a month ago,” he answered, causing Jemima’s eyes to widen in bewilderment.

“A month ago? So why’d you stop?” Jemima quizzed, taking her fingers through her hair as she straightened it out.

“I didn’t think it was important anymore,” Marcus answered, stifling a yawn as he walked up to Jemima. He took her hands in his and fixated his gaze upon her.

“Life is too short Jem. Why waste it trying to look for people who never gave a fuck about us? Let’s just enjoy our time and stop worrying about the past,” Marcus said wistfully, tucking a loose strand of Jemima’s hair behind her ear.

Jemima groaned in protest, not wanting to let it go.

“Marcus…” Jemima protested, eliciting a soft chuckle from Marcus.

“Remember when we were kids and you mixed red dye in my bath because I put orange dye in your shampoo?” Marcus reminisced, prompting a hearty laughter from Jemima. The images of that day flooded her memory.

“Next time don’t put dye in my shampoo,” Jemima warned jokingly.

“We were happy,” Marcus insisted as he gazed at the ceiling, a painful memory flooding his head.

“So what are you proposing? We forget whatever was done to us?” Jemima inquired, curiosity etching her features as she raised an eyebrow to glare at him.

“Not forget entirely. Let’s just go out; have fun, and recreate childhood memories. I’ve missed you Jem and we need to make the most of our time together,” Marcus suggested, causing Jemima to smile happily.

“It does sound like a good idea,” Jemima admitted, her gaze momentarily fluttering over to the big screen.

“Alright let’s have some fun!” Jenkins excitedly called out, causing Marcus to leap in excitement.
He embraced her dearly, his eyes closed as he tried to not think of the impending doom that awaited him.

The storm ahead was brewing and he knew it was going to break Jemima. The thought of telling Jemima plagued him but he did not know how she was going to react.

Marcus was going to worry about that later and instead focus on the moment he had with his sister.