Embracing The Shadows (Shadow Series #5)

07 - Trust

An internal groan echoed in my mind when I spotted Scott and his bike near the beloved jeep. Of course, he would be here to tell us that following Theo was the wrong thing to do. Honestly, I started to feel, like, Scott was the dad of our friendship, meaning Stiles and I were the children about to be reprimanded for our actions.

Isaac promptly disassociated himself with the two of us, most likely not wanting to be involved with the scene that was about to occur. Honestly, I didn't even blame him for it. I really didn't want to get a lecture from Scott.

Scott folded his arms over his chest, brows raised. "Find anything?"

I groaned out loud and pressed my forehead to Stiles' shoulder for a second.

Stiles shook his head, answering, "Nope."

"I fell in a hole."

Stiles and I spun around to see Liam, who had a happy-go-lucky grin on his face. He glanced between the four of us, noticing the looks we were all giving him. The smile slipped off of his face and he moved closer to the jeep.

I opened the back of Stiles' jeep, carefully setting my bow and quiver inside.

"It was the bridge where his sister died, wasn't it?" Scott asked in an all-too-calm voice.

"Right on the nose," I mumbled under my breath.

Isaac reached up to shut the back of the jeep, once I moved out of his way.

"Yes, it was," Stiles replied, climbing into the driver's seat. "Very embarrassing. So, we are gonna leave now. Clara, Isaac, Liam, please get in the jeep." He twisted the key in the ignition.

The engine sputtered in response, instead of turning on like it was supposed to do. Another groan floated off of my lips and I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against the Isaac's shoulder blade. I was hoping we would be able to pile into the jeep before Scott could begin his lecture.

"Son of a..." Stiles huffed in annoyanc. He angrily climbed out of the driver's seat and walked past Isaac and I to grab something out of the trunk. "Liam, just do me a favor, get in the car, and turn the ignition when I say." He ordered, walking back to the hood.

I walked away from Isaac, curious to know if I could help Stiles fix his jeep. Once the hood popped up, my jaw nearly fell slack from the mass amount of duct tape, covering most of the engine parts. I always knew the jeep gave Stiles issues, but I assumed he got some of them fixed. I had no idea he "fixed" the problems with duct tape.

Liam climbed into the driver's seat, patiently waiting for Stiles' to give him the order. I awkwardly glanced from Scott to Stiles, unaware of how this conversation was going to go.

"Stiles?" Scott calmly said our best friend's name.

"Be with you in a sec." He retorted, bitterly.

Scott met my gaze and sighed.

"Try it," Stiles ordered Liam.

The engine sputtered for the second time. I heaved a sigh.

"Stiles--"

"Look, Scott--" I began to say.

"Yes!" Stiles barked, frustratedly. He threw his arms in the air, growing even more exasperated as time passed. He indicated to the three of us. "Okay, we followed him out here. What do you want me to say? That I'm a stalker, huh? That I'm crazy, totally paranoid? None of this is new information."

I took a step forward to stand beside my best friend, silently letting him know he wasn't alone in any of this. I came out here with him on my own accord. He wasn't going to be the only one to get Scott's wrath. "Scott, we came out here together, okay? We know Theo is not a person we can trust."