Bloodline [h.s.]

twenty-nine.

"Throw me in the deep end
I'm ready now to swim
The air in my lungs may not last very long
But I'm in"

* * *

BRIDGET GALLAGHER

Through no fault of her own, the very last person I wanted to be standing to right now was Abigail Shepard. She was pleasant and kind. She clearly made Nick happy, but her presence triggered flashbacks. Her and Nathan were the faces of the guilt that gnawed at me everyday. I had no idea how much Nathan disclosed to her about what happened or what I know. We made small talk and listened while Nick pitched Jacob the app Payco was debating on buying.

"Are you thinking about staying in the States long term?" I asked Abigail.

"Possibly, Nate is thinking about applying to Pepperdine and a few of the UC's. If he goes to school here, I'd stay. I think he feels more connected to our family, here." She said. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

The family that mine took away from you.

The videos I was forced to watch played in my brain, making me shift uncomfortably. I wondered if she knew, but I couldn't just ask. Instead, I silently sat back, trying not to think about it.

You deserve to think about the lives your family took more than you deserve air. The words of my captor haunted my thoughts, making me shudder.

"What do you think, Bridget?" Nick asked. I had zoned out trying not to think about all the reasons Abigail had to hate me.

"I don't like the user interface, but the UX is pretty unique from others." I said. Jacob shot me a look to see if I was okay, knowing I would usually give more specific feedback.

"Agreed, but I can easily fix the UI. I think–"

A harsh knock on the door cut him off mid-sentence. Jacob went to go answer the door, leaving me alone in the study with Nick and Abigail. The voices in the foyer didn't sound friendly. No one was yelling, but they were clearly arguing as their volume increased. Nick took a look through the glass doors. His eyes widened for a split second before he covered his surprise. A growing pit in my stomach unsettled me.

"Who's at the door?" I asked. Abigail looked up from her phone to hear his answer.

The worry he was trying to suppress was clear as diamonds in his eyes. I stood up to see why was so nervous. Nick was one of the calmest people I knew. He didn't get worried. Therefore, something was definitely off.

"What's wrong?" I pressed, starting to feel uneasy. I stood up to look for myself, but he blocked the doors, placing his hands on my shoulders to keep me from getting close enough to see. He only let go to lower the blinds on the door.

"What is wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?" She demanded, clearly nervous as well.

I walked passed Nick, moving the blinds slightly to see. Once my eyes registered what was happening, it robbed my lungs of oxygen. Immediately, I reached for the door handle to go to Jacob only for Nick push me back.

"Bridget, don't." He said, keeping his voice low and his hand around my wrist to restrict me from moving.

"Will someone please just tell me what is happening?" Abigail begged. She was increasingly worried as she stood up from her chair.