Everlasting Bonds - COMPLETE

Chapter 69

POV: Colt

My fists clenched at my sides as I tried to keep my emotions in check.

We had been so close to losing her again. I looked to where she had been tied up and saw drops of blood on the floor. Too many of them.

"She's crying. What the fuck is going on over there?". Aidan's voice cut through the haze and my head snapped to where Lark was sitting. She and the woman who lured her into this trap were locked in what looked like an intense conversation.

I walked towards her with the guys on my heels, not caring if she wanted our help or not. "What's wrong Lark, what did she do to you?".

She looked up at me then and I saw that the tears in her eyes were not ones of pain. She was... happy about something.

"Nothing's wrong Colt", she said reassuringly before standing up and offering her hands to the other woman. The two of them stood close together. Much more familiar with each other than I would have expected considering the circumstances.

Her next words were so unexpected that it felt like someone knocked the wind out of me.

"This is my mother", she spoke in a voice that sounded thick with unshed tears. "Her name is Nicola".

Greyson, Aidan, and Luka immediately enveloped Lark in a congratulatory hug while I took a step back.

I could see on Lark's face that she was happy. I could see that she believed this woman was her mother. After everything she's been through, I wasn't willing to take the risk of her being taken advantage of again.

"How do you know she's your mother Lark?", I asked as gently as possible. My hands gripped the straps of the vest, tightening their grip as Lark turned to face me.

"What are you getting at, Colt?". Her arms were crossed over her chest and she looked at me in a way she never had before. Anger.

I sighed before raising my hand to gesture at Nicola. "24 hours ago she was your teacher. Now she's your long-lost mother. You'll excuse me if I don't 100% trust her".

Aidan shot me a look, one that I was familiar with, that said for me to shut my mouth. I wasn't good at listening. "You don't think it's a bit convenient that after her partner gets killed she becomes someone else that would be able to get close to you?".

The woman- Nicola, cut in then with more emotion than I thought she would have. "I was not his partner. I was his prisoner, and I did what I had to do to survive and find my child again. I had no idea who Emilia was all this time".

"That is only half of it. I know this seems far-fetched but I believe her and I know she's telling the truth. I feel it, Colt. Look at her for God's sake. Look at her and tell me you don't see the similarities", Lark exclaimed.

I stared at her openly then, not bothering to hide the fact that I wanted to intimidate her.