⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A moment of silence came through the phone before he heard her, "A bullet."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Ellington's eyes bulged, "A bullet?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Before Ellington could tell her anything, Brietta spoke up, "Ellington, just trust me. This is important."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Ellington inhaled deeply as Brietta's voice came through again, "Do you trust me?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Without hesitation, Ellington answered, "Yes."
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⦗🌓⦘
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BRIETTA SIGHED, ending the call on her phone. She turned to the men in the Jeep, a deep frown etched across her face. "He'll do it," she informed them with a reluctant nod, her voice carrying a sense of apprehension.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀In the passenger seat, Derek winced in pain, his uninjured hand hovering over the bullet wound. Brietta's expression tightened with concern as she leaned forward, gently placing a hand on Derek's shoulder. "Don't worry, Derek," she reassured him, her voice filled with a mixture of comfort and hope. The unspoken 'hopefully' hung in the air like a warning.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Derek's eyes flashed with irritation, and he tensed up even further when Brietta placed her hand on his shoulder. Without a word, he abruptly slapped her hand away, causing a collective reaction from Brietta, Stiles, and Scott. Brietta let out a scoff, while Stiles and Scott shot venomous glares in Derek's direction.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The Jeep fell into a heavy silence as Stiles continued to drive past rows of houses. Stiles's eyes flickered towards Derek, who was gingerly trying to remove his leather jacket, wincing in pain as he did so.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Hey," Stiles sighed, his tone a mix of annoyance and genuine concern, "try not to bleed out on my seats, okay?" He shot a brief, worried glance at Derek. "We're almost there."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Almost where?" Derek lazily questioned, his head bobbling up and down as if he were trying to keep himself awake. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Your house."Derek snapped his head up at Stiles' words, a scowl forming on his face as he protested, "What? No, you can't take me there."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The teenagers in the Jeep exchanged exasperated glances, their patience wearing thin with Derek's objections. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Brietta sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Why can't we take you to your house? Isn't that where you want to be?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Not when I can't protect myself," Derek muttered, shaking his head.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Brietta tilted her head, her gaze fixed on the back of Derek's head. Her voice held a note of curiosity as she asked, "How many people have you pissed off?" 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Derek turned to glare at Brietta, his narrowed eyes locking onto hers. Scott, sitting beside Brietta, emitted a low growl as a protective instinct surged within him. "Don't look at her like that," he warned Derek, his own eyes flashing a light shade of gold.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Brietta noticed Derek's eyes widen slightly at Scott's warning, but he eventually turned back around in his seat, choosing not to escalate the situation further. Stiles parked his Jeep on the side of the road with an audible huff, bringing a momentary halt to the escalating tension within the vehicle.