Bloodline [h.s.]

ten.

The summer months had gone by so fast. Tomorrow would mark two months since the weekend in Seattle. I was breezing through the plan almost too smoothly. Alec's life was being dismantled right under his nose. My friendship with Bridget introduced me to so much more important information about both my family and hers than I would have imagined.

Bridget trusted me completely.  The idea of where she came from came with its own unshakeable disgust, but her company was not entirely unpleasant. Some days I caught myself growing more feelings for her. Then, when her father came up in conversations, I saw her admiration for him, and the idea that she could love and admire such a despicable human nauseated me.

It was almost too easy. There were days I began to feel guilty for taking advantage of her and using her, but in those same moments, the image of my father being taken away at gunpoint haunted my thoughts. The screams of my sister rang in my ears and tuned out all my guilt. The pain of losing every one of my family member in less than an hour diluted away any remorse I had. She was just collateral damage the same way me and my siblings were when her father destroyed my family. The difference was I would never physically hurt her or anyone else in that family.

Bridget was different from her father though. While she did have his intelligence, if not more, she couldn't use it to hurt people the way he did. Her heart was pure and untouched by the sins attached to her name.

Once in awhile, I found myself genuinely laughing with her. Being around her was relaxing. If her last name wasn't Gallagher, I would probably even like her to some degree. Sometimes I wished she was someone else, so I could allow myself to like her.

We were meeting at her office for lunch. I rushed to finish some last minute paperwork before I left. In the lift on my way to Bridget's office, a girl caught my eye. She was tall. Her hair was sandy blonde and stopped past her shoulders. She looked like a younger version of my mother. The familiarity of this girl was haunting. Before I could get a closer look, she was gone.

The girl's face was stuck in my mind. I barely even remembered anything that happened during lunch with Bridget. The resemblance was too weird. When I got back to the office, I finished as much work as I could and decided to find Nick, but he was not in his office.

"Mr. Montgomery, you have a visitor. She doesn't have an appointment, but she says it's urgent." My assistant politely informed me.

"Send her in. I have some extra time."

I sat down in my seat and in walked the girl from the lift. She shut the door behind her. Her eyes were teal and piercing just like someone I used to know.

She sat down and picked up the plaque that read "Jacob Montgomery." Her mannerisms reminded me of my late sister. She so closely resembled her, but it wasn't my sister. It could not have been.

"Jacob Montgomery. That's what you decided to go by?" She asked. I looked at her like she was insane.

"What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. I'm Abigail Shepard, but you used to call me Abby." She smiled a little.

It was a sad, ironic smile. My eyes narrowed at her, not believing for a second that she was telling the truth. I watched her walk back into our childhood home and burn with the rest of my family after Alec's men threatened my life with a gun against my skull.

"Who are you, really? Abigail Shepard is dead and has been for fifteen years, so who are you and who sent you?" I maintained composure outwardly while my head was spinning.

"The only one lying about their name is you, Aiden."

My stomach dropped. I stood up from my desk. Maybe Kai sent her as a test or a training thing.