22 Older Brother

"I finally...completely, understand why Mark is leaving you in charge of the fashion department" Gabriel said with his fingers around his chin "You're surprisingly better than Regina" he said before carrying his bags and heading upstairs

"Would it kill that guy to acknowledge when he's wrong about someone?" Helen asked

"You're one to talk" Maria said as she looked into the bassinet and saw Kali sleeping peacefully "I wonder what Mark and Vivian are up to...leaving this sweet angel in my care"

******

Chicago, USA

A certain coffee shop

A woman was sitting by the window drinking a cup of coffee and having strawberry cake. She had long reddish blonde hair, honey eyes, thin lips painted nude and warm-ivory skin.

She wore black leather pants, heeled sandals and a blue ruffled front blouse. She had a pendant around her neck with a gemstone and diamond stud earrings. Next to her was a large black duffle bag and sitting opposite her, was a strange man in a black suit.

"Shelia, it's been a while since I last saw you" the man said with a warm smile as he held her hands

"I've been in New York for a while and I did some thinking" the woman said "Jack...I want us to break up"

"Why?" Jack asked

"You're involved with some very bad people aren't you?" Shelia asked "When I was in New York, a man with a scar on his eye said you kill people for a living and launder drugs. You're one of the most dangerous people in the world and you're called Jack the ripper" she said

"I...can't believe my partner would tell you everything. He promised me he wouldn't" Jack said

"I've already packed my things and I'm heading back to New York. This has nothing to do with me" she said as she stood up and grabbed the duffle bag

Just as Jack was about to stand up and grab her, another man in a black suit entered inside the coffee shop

"Boss, we need to go. Your partner just arrived at the airport" the man announced and Jack got up

"I'm coming. Wait outside" Jack said and the man left. He didn't even say anything as he pulled the woman into his embrace and kissed her passionately "Thank you for everything" he said as he pulled away before leaving the coffee shop and getting into a black Range Rover with the man. Then, driving away while Shelia watched

"That's definitely our target" Shelia said as she dropped the duffle bag on the ground while cleaning her lips and she used her blouse to clean her face before grabbing her reddish blonde hair and tugging on it, until straight long caramel hair came to view as she tossed the wig aside and it was none other than Vivian

"Why did you let him kiss you?" an angry voice came from the earrings on her ears

"How else was I supposed to put the tracker on him without him suspecting anything?" Vivian said as she took off the pendant and unbuttoned her blouse "Don't worry Mark, you're my husband. To me, nobody kisses as good as you"

She tossed the blouse aside and what once looked like only black leather pants, had become a black leather jumpsuit with a zipper in front. The zipper was already half way up as she pulled it completely up.

"We'll talk about this later" Mark said through the intercom as she picked up the duffle bag and left the coffee shop

"Are you still angry?" Vivian asked

"Maid Alina and the others will handle Jack's partner at the airport. All you need to do is not let Jack out of your sights" Mark said, completely ignoring her "There's a black bike some blocks down. Use that to get to your next location. I'll meet you there"

"If you're just going to order me like I'm one of your subordinates and not your wife, I won't talk to you" Vivian said while walking down the block until she spotted the bike

"You'll still need directions to point E" Mark said but she ignored him as she got on the bike, put on a helmet and started it "I'm surprised at how serious you are" he said as she rode off

******

Vivian was pursuing the black Range Rover Jack was riding in, at full speed. It didn't take long for her to catch up to the car due to the shortcuts she took and the speed at which the car was moving.

The driver of the Range Rover noticed Vivian moving towards them on a motorcycle.

"Boss, someone is following us" the man said

"Are you sure?" Jack asked and the man nodded "Slow down first. If they're still persist, run them over" he said

"Sure thing, Sir" the man said and he started to decelerate

"How odd. It seems they want to make my job easier" Vivian murmured as she got closer to the car and kicked the tire. A blade from the sole of her shoe and pierced the tyre. However....'It was too shallow. Being on this bike makes things hard' she thought as she accelerated passed the car after taking her foot off the tyre

When she was ahead of the car, she began to slow down while the car drove behind her

"Has this rider gone mad?" Jack asked calmly

"Sir, that's the person that's been following us" the driver said

"Run him over" Jack growled as the car tried to speed up but the punctured tyre failed them "What's going on?" he asked

"It seems our pursuer did something to the car" the driver said as he stepped on the brakes "At this rate, we might as well stop and see what they want"

Seeing that the car had completely come to a stop, Vivian turned her bike around which caused it to drift as she also stopped. She got off the bike and reached into the duffle bag as Jack and his men got out of the Range Rover

"Hey. What the hell is wrong with you?" Jack shouted "What do you what from me?"

Vivian took off her helmet as she pulled out a hand gun from the duffle bag "I'm going to have to have you turn yourself in" she said "Please don't make my job any harder than it already is, Jack the Ripper"

"How do you...Are you even sure I'm the right person?" Jack asked as he folded his arms

"Unfortunately for you, the woman named Shelia....was me" Vivian said "I was the person you had dated for a year. Though, none of that matters to me since I'm already married with kids. I don't like spraying blood everywhere so, I'd like you to come with me peacefully"

"So I was played?" Jack asked

"Jack the ripper...Is a harvester and seller of human organs to sixty four countries outside the United States. His drug dealing is another matter on its own. Bribery, kidnapping, money laundering....I also know about the sixteen year old girl you raped when you were nineteen" Vivian said while pointing her gun at him "All of your personal information is known to us. I also have your confession at the coffee shop on tape"

"What was your purpose for this?" Jack asked while his men brought out their guns from their jackets

"Your partner has never made his location known to us, but he's a big time arms dealer. Who wouldn't want to catch such a dangerous person?" Vivian said "You were used as bait to lure him here"

"Shoot her" Jack said

"Like I'd let you" Vivian shouted as she pulled out another gun from her duffle bag and shot Jack's men at the same time

Two loud bangs went out and the public became aware of the danger as everyone began to scatter and Jack tried to get away while using the commotion as cover

"Damn it" Vivian shouted as she put the guns away and abandoned the bike before chasing after Jack

Jack was running with the crowd and pushing whoever got in his way. "Move it. I said move it" he shouted as he pushed an elderly man and just as he was about to cross the intersection, a car ran him over

Vivian who was chasing after him, noticed the car that had stopped just before the injured Jack, and Mark who was seated comfortably in it. After all, Mark had only hit him enough to knock him unconscious

"To think you almost let him get away" Mark said as he got down from the car but Vivian didn't even pay heed to him as she walked over to Jack and disarmed him before checking his pulse. "Don't worry. There's no way I'd kill him just like that" he said but she didn't answer him

"I'll head back to the safehouse" Vivian said before heading back the way she came

"You know, I hate fighting with this woman" Mark said as he squat beside Jack "Even though she's my wife, when she's pissed, she's pissed" he grabbed Jack's collar "And this happened because of you. I wonder how I'm going to torture the information I want, out of you"

"Sir, we'll take it from here" someone said from behind Mark and when he turned around, Maid Alina and most of the house staff were gathered

"Did you catch the other one?" Mark asked as he stood up

"Yes" Maid Alina said "Although, it wasn't easy. He had three people play as his scapegoats but we managed to find him" she said while two men grabbed Jack and dragged him towards a white vine

"Help me thank the local police for all their work....That's all" Mark said

"Well, then, excuse us" Maid Alina said with a bow before leaving with the other staff. Mark also got into his car and left the area.

******

The Safe House

When Mark's car pulled up in front of the duplex, he noticed the bike Vivian rode was parked outside

"She does know it costs one million dollars to get this bike. Right?" Mark mumbled while staring at the bike which had different sizes of bullet holes. He got off the car and headed inside

To his surprise, Vivian was sitting in the living room with only her bra and pink shorts. Her two wrists were wrapped in bandages and she was currently treating the bruise on her ankle.

Mark walked towards her and sat next to her on the sofa. He pulled up the sleeves of his button up shirt and unbuttoned a couple of his buttons before taking her legs and setting them on his lap

"I..."

"When did this happen?" Mark asked as he massaged her ankle

"When I was chasing after Jack on the motorcycle. I had to puncture the tyres however, it was too thick and I only made a shallow cut on them" Vivian explained as she bit her bottom lip "I didn't realize how bad I was injured until I started running after Jack" she went silent afterwards and watched as Mark massaged her leg

"You know...when you agree to stop being a spy for the Russians and marry me, you promised not to have any intimate actions with any man other than me" Mark said "Even on missions you did just that....today just happens to be the first time you broke your promise so...I was on edge a little" he looked into her eyes and she raised a brow

"A little?" Vivian asked as she raised her voice "You ordered me like some subordinate, then pretended like you weren't hurt...before mocking me at the end. Do you call that little?" his hands paused on her leg

"I should have known this wouldn't be easy" Mark said with a sigh

"Easy? Mark, do you know I have more reasons to be angry at you than the petty little fit you're throwing right now?" Vivian asked "I haven't fully recovered from giving birth and unlike the twins, I haven't breastfed Kali up to five times since we brought her home. You kept the fact that your family is messed up from me for two years before opening up about it on the second year. I wish I could list more reasons but they'd probably pass a hundred if I continued"

"I'm sorry" Mark said before picking up an ointment and rubbing it on her leg "You really should tell me what's on your mind every now and then"

Vivian calmed herself before saying "I know Maria and Helen are your sisters"

"That's a funny joke" Mark said nervously as he wrapped Vivian's leg with a bandage

"I saw the case file...or are you going to tell me that's a fake? And I'm imaging things when I say Kali got her eyes from Maria" Vivian said "A child doesn't need to look like their parents. Their grandparents...their parents siblings, as far as it's a member of the family, they can get certain traits from these people, before they take a resemblance to their parents"

"Yeah. Maria, Helen and I, are siblings"

"Do they know?" she asked and he shook his head

"Maybe...it's for the best that they don't know. I'd actually like to keep the relationship I have with them right now" he said before taking his hands off her leg "There, I'm done"

"They...."

"If they find out, they're sure too hate me"

"Come to think of it, how did Maria and Helen come about?"

"My father...drugged and raped their mothers the day before their weddings...that's why I said they'd hate me" Mark said "After Maria's mother got married, she was oblivious to the fact that Maria was a child born not from love, but the twisted stupidity of a man who wanted to forget his responsibilities" he clenched his fists "My father wanted to take Maria away from her mother and the father she knew by telling her adoptive father that she was actually his child. You can imagine how Maria's father reacted"

"Expected"

"He didn't once think his wife cheated on him; that was the type of man Brayden McKinley was. He hit my father a lot and cursed him for taking advantage of Ira despite being married" Mark explained "Me that had been following my father around during the time, couldn't comprehend what was going on and why such a cute little girl had to be cursed with a bastard as her birth father....Brayden said the only words I could understand at the time 'Do you think a bastard like yourself, who raped her mother, abandoned her, tried to take her from her family... from her mother, would ever be recognized by her as her father?'. Honestly speaking, my father really deserved that beating and the words that came after because that was when I knew he cheated on my mother"

"What did your mother do?" she asked as she dropped her legs on the ground and rested her head on his shoulder

"Nothing. She didn't know and I didn't tell her because of her health" Mark said "However, on the day my twin sisters died, my mother found out about Helen and Maria, and the shock killed her. I myself was shocked silly that there was another girl...another child from another woman"

"You don't want them to find out how they were really born and what their birth caused" Vivian said "Mark, in my eyes, you're already acting like a splendid older brother"

"Thanks"