Dominic was released from the hospital, two days later. His initial thought was to contact Rachel. However, he would do no such thing. By then, he had a very good idea about what would occur should they meet again. They would hug each other, kiss, cry on each other’s shoulders and reach the same, painful conclusion: They could not be together. By then, Dominic had been suffering; a potential meeting with Rachel and yet another emotional moment would devastate him even further.

Therefore, he chose to focus on art. After all, it was what had brought him to New York in the first place and it was the only thing that could help him forget his situation with Rachel; at least for a short while. He couldn’t wait to start reviewing other artists’ work, but, before he could get to the art gallery, he received a phone call from Perkins, asking him if he could visit him in his mansion in Westchester, because his wife wanted to meet him. Dominic was intrigued. Perkins had described her as a massive art lover. A conversation with her sounded like a fantastic idea.

The limousine rolled to a halt, outside the luxurious estate and right away, he realized that the Perkins couple was much richer than he first thought. It was much larger than the surrounding houses, drowned in greenery and with a large swimming pool in the back. Nevertheless, the luxury was not what puzzled Dominic that morning. He had seen similar houses before. There were two men in black suits at the gate. As he crossed the narrow walkway that led to the front door, he noticed two more, stocky men, facing the road.

The last time I saw this much security was when I visited a French politician’s home. This is weird; very weird. What are they afraid of? Forget it, Dominic. Art is your business, not the level of security around here.

A short, elderly man in a butler’s uniform emerged, as the heavy door was pulled open.

“Good morning, sir,” He spoke in a clear, British accent. “How may I help you?”

“Edward, I have this,” Perkins interjected, his voice echoing in the hall. “Morning, your majesty. Come on in.”

“Good morning,” Dominic tipped his head in a casual salute, entering the mansion. “It’s a great place you have here. What’s with the security?”

“Come with me,” Perkins made his voice sound sweeter, while ignoring his question. “She can’t wait to see you.”

Dominic indulged him, scanning the interior, as they went to the left. The painting-lined walls resembled the art gallery, yet there was one, major difference: The paintings in Manhattan were impressive, but they were all contemporary. The ones in Perkins’s mansion were old and very expensive indeed.

“I can’t say I’m surprised. They love art. They can afford these, why shouldn’t they buy them?

Eventually, the two men crossed the entire building. Reaching the last room, Perkins turned around to face Dominic.

“I’m going to leave you two alone,” He spoke in his gravelly voice. “Besides, Colette’s going to want to speak French and my French is not so good. I’ll see you later.”

Pushing the creaky door open, Dominic found himself in a spacious, but somewhat dark library. A thin, middle-aged blonde was standing in front of a desk in the upper left corner, arms folded across her chest as she smiled up at him. Her happy grin seemed vaguely familiar.

“King Dominic…” She said, her voice feathery, as she started towards him. “You look as majestic as you sound. Tall, handsome, broad shoulders…”

“Have we met before?” He wondered, as she closed the distance between them. His question wiped the smile off her face.

“Look into my eyes, my dear Dominic,” Colette urged, her tone much stiffer, as she took one last step forward. “What do you see?”

He bent his head towards her, curiosity written all over his face, as he fixed his gaze on her eyes. Her curly eyelashes accentuated them. They were almond-shaped and dark-green, full of warmth, as she smiled up at him. At that moment, Dominic recalled one of Linda’s comments on his eyes, as she stared down at a picture from his parents’ wedding:

“Thank God you’ve got her eyes. They look like tiny emeralds. I just love that rare shade of green.”

He gasped in awe and disbelief, his eyes black with shock, as he slightly leaned back. Stunned to stillness, Dominic could find no words to express his surprise. Unable to work up the courage to speak, he stared at Colette, as she lifted her hands to his face. All the same, she could not speak, either. She blinked back tears, her mouth quivering, as he felt his heart pounding in his chest. A wave of sorrow washed over him, as he gazed deep into her eyes. A tear streamed down her face, as she tilted her head up. His beard brushed against her skin, as she laid a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Mom?” He whispered, his entire body trembling, as she leaned back.

“Yes,” She gave a sad nod. “Come, take a seat. I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

“How can this be?” Dominic asked, struggling to control his breath. “Didn’t you…?”

“Come, my dear,” She spoke, her voice thick with emotion, as she released his face. “I’ll explain everything.”

Colette turned around, as Dominic’s mind was flooded with dozens of questions. Desperate to hear her explanation, he followed her down the hall, overflowing with a feeling of happiness. Having grown up without her, he had always missed his mother’s touch and had caught himself wondering about it, many times in the past. At the same time however, he couldn’t help but feel betrayed by the very man he had idolized: his father. He had lied to him in the worst possible way. But still, this was not a moment to reflect on his father’s actions. Dominic had found his mother, the one person who had been missing from his life for twenty seven years.

“What did your father tell you about me?” Colette asked, seating herself at her desk.

“He said you died when I was three,” He replied, running his hand through his hair. “What’s the truth?”

“I’m very sorry, my son,” She sighed, tearing her gaze away from his. “Your father always had a soft spot for young maids. Everybody knew that back then. I just didn’t want to admit it. One day, I caught him cheating on me. I lost it; I screamed at him. He promised not to do it again and convinced me to stay. But, Eric made promises his body couldn’t keep. It wasn’t long before he cheated on me again. I couldn’t tolerate it. I tried to take you with me, but he wouldn’t allow that. So, I left.”

“You left me behind, because he cheated on you?” Dominic’s baritone was filled with annoyance. “How can a mother do that to her child?”

“He threatened to have me killed, if I divorced him,” Colette sniffled, returning her attention to him. “I had to choose between a life of humiliation and my freedom. Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

“Oh, my God…” He whispered, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand.

“Please, forgive me, Dominic,” she begged, reaching her arm to his wrist. “I wish I could give you back all these years…”

“What are you doing here?” He posed yet another question. “I mean, how did you end up here?”

“Your father was furious at me,” Colette went on. “I couldn’t risk being found. I had relatives here; it made my choice easier. I’d love to tell you that you have siblings, but…” She faltered. “I’m sorry. I got married two more times. My first marriage ended very fast and I only married Peter last summer. But, enough about me. Tell me more about yourself. I understand you like art.”

“It’s been my whole life,” Dominic’s voice was bass-deep, with a hint of change behind it. “Up until I met someone.”

“Oh, the commoner,” she muttered, assuming a snobby tone. “Don’t worry about her. She doesn’t belong with you, anyway,”

A hint of unease brushed across his senses. Dominic scanned his mother’s stiff face, keeping his mouth shut, as he recalled Lieutenant Cross’s words:

“We’re looking for someone quite powerful.”

“How do you know about her?” His voice dripped with suspicion.

“Thierry was always very inquisitive,” Colette smirked. “He tracked me down, a few weeks ago. I was glad to hear from him. I asked him not to tell you anything about me. But, he always had a big mouth, too. He saw you two kissing. He said you were very fond of her.”

Struggling to maintain his composure, Dominic bit his lower lip, sucking in one deep breath after another. He averted his gaze from her, closing his eyes, as he clenched his fists.

“She doesn’t belong with me…” He grumbled, nodding at the same time.

“No!” Colette cried, her hands firmly in the middle of her desk, as she leaned forward. “You’re a blueblood! She’s just some…”

Dominic didn’t allow her to finish her sentence. He reached his right arm towards her and grabbed her by the wrist, jumping from his seat. Moving around her desk, he jerked her from her chair, feeling his blood boiling in his veins and pounding in his temples. Colette’s agonizing cry filled the library, just before Dominic raised his left hand to her neck. Grabbing her by the throat, he pushed her back and pinned her against the library shelves. The thumping sound echoed back at the walls of the room, as several books fell of the shelves.

“Commoner, huh?” Dominic spoke through gritted teeth, his chest rising up and down as he saw the fear in her eyes. “Thierry had a big mouth? So, what, you decided to close it for him?”

“He knew the driver…” Colette said, her voice faint, as her face slowly turned blue. “I had no choice,”

“That ‘commoner’…” Dominic gasped as his knuckles turned white from gripping her face, “… as you put it, is the woman I love; and you tried to kill her.”

“Please, let me go…” Colette begged, her eyes darkening more and more by the second. “I can’t breathe.”

At that moment, he heard heavy, hurried footsteps on the floor. In an instant, he let go of her, only to raise his right hand to her neck. Dominic grabbed her and held her pinned against the shelves again, looking down at the desk, over his left shoulder. Noticing a pen, near the edge, he reached down and picked it up, as two men stormed into the room, with guns in their hands.

“Drop them, you fuckers!” He roared in anger, holding the pen close to her throat, as he loosened his grip slightly. “Drop them and kick them over.”

“Don’t hurt him! Do as he says!” Colette cried. The two men obliged. Dominic was not thinking anymore. In a matter of moments, his bliss had turned into pure rage. His heart was beating so fast that he could actually hear it.

“Now, get the fuck out,” He growled. Colette’s men rushed out of the library, before he turned his gaze to her once more. “Give me a reason not to kill you right now. Just one.”

“I’m your mother,” She gasped, lifting both hands to his wrists. Colette sank her long nails into his flesh, only managing to infuriate him even further.

“My mother…” Dominic whispered, feeling tears rising up in his eyes. “My mother died when I was three. You’re just some bitch who tried to destroy me. You’re nothing to me,” Upon finishing his statement, he loosened his grip and dropped his arm. Colette began to cough violently, her hands on her throat, as he took a few steps back. “And you’re going to jail,” He added, tossing the pen across the floor. Then, Dominic pulled his cell phone and Cross’s card out of his pocket.

“Hello?”

“This is Dominic Redfield. I’ve found the one behind the assassination attempt on Rachel Brewster. Her address is 96, West Red Oak Lane, Westchester.”

“Her? It’s a woman?”

“Yeah. I’m at the same address. I’ll be waiting.”