Chapter 94

"Kev! Kev!"

Chloe waved her slim little hand as soon as she spotted Kevin with his hair all messy like he'd just wrestled a tornado.

Kevin dashed over, arms spread wide like he was about to scoop the tiny girl into a hug-only to feel his collar yank back hard. No matter how he leaned,he just couldn't get to her.

He twitched a smile, glancing sideways. Megan stared at him with a smirk, clearly entertained.

"Don't you think those arms of yours are reaching a little too far?"

Kevin took a step back, not even bothering to argue."Didn't manage to hug her. Guess they're still too short."

Then his gaze landed on Tristan, blood staining his shirt. His eyes flew open. "Damn! You got shot? Who did it?!"

Tristan's face was tight. "No clue. Got a smoke?"

Kevin fished a pack and a silver lighter from his suit pocket, handing them over.

Tristan slid a cigarette out, lit it with a flick, the flame tinting the tip red. He took a deep drag and exhaled through gritted teeth. "They used some kind of Sorcery worm."

"What the hell?!" Kevin's expression flipped. "Who died?"

Chloe pointed at the ghastly corpse on the ground."Molly."

"Good riddance," Kevin muttered, shooting the body a disgusted look.

Just then, Ryan strode in. "Mr. Reid, we need you to come down to the station and help with the investigation." Megan kept calm. "He's got a bullet wound. Let him get treated first. We'll come in tomorrow."

Ryan gave a nod. "Got it."

Tristan gave a faint smirk. "Kinda been running into you a lot lately,Captain."

Ryan held back a sigh. These two? Wherever they went, chaos followed. Practically magnetized to crime scenes.

Then he remembered what Tristan said earlier."Mr.Reid, did you say Molly was killed by a sorcery worm?"

"Yeah. Nova, hand the evidence to Captain Mitchell."

Nova floated over to Ryan. He quickly called over the coroner to bring an evidence bag.

When they opened it, Nova tossed in a clump of black something.

"That's it?" Ryan's eye twitched.

"It self-destructed," Tristan replied. Ryan swallowed hard. "Yikes. That's rough. My old mentor told me about a similar case-used sorcery worms too. But that one went cold, what, twenty years ago?"

Tristan dropped the cigarette, grinding it out under his boot. His face was shadowed in smoke. "Guess that cold case is about to heat up again."

Ryan's face darkened. He knew Tristan never said anything without a reason.

His mentor had warned him-some big figures were involved back then. That's why the case got buried.

And if it really came back now, it'd shake everything up.

Tristan slung an arm over Megan's shoulder and started walking out of the warehouse. But then he paused, glanced back. "Send me the autopsy reports for Molly and the others."

Ryan stared at the black evidence in the bag. "Will do." Kevin rubbed his hands together. "Uh. Chloe, you cold or something?"

Chloe nodded seriously.

Kevin's face lit up as he moved to drape an arm around her shoulders.

Before he could touch her, the little thing tugged his jacket right off and wrapped herself in it.

Kevin sniffed, watching her bounce off. "That.didn't go like it was supposed to."

Ryan chuckled, seeing Kevin's lost-face expression."Aren't you, like, way older than her?"

Kevin shot him a deadly glare. "So what if I like younger girls? Got a problem? Keep it to yourself."

Then he chased after that skipping figure. "Chloe,your wrist got all scraped up-I'll blow on it for you."

Ryan scratched the back of his head. "I never said you were old, man, just older than her. Why so defensive?" Dreamscape Manor.Hearing the sound of an engine,Zeta Prime was already standing at the villa entrance like a statue, waiting anxiously.

The moment Tristan and Megan got out of the car,it rushed toward them.

But as it got closer, it paused. "Zeta Prime detects a 9mm Parabellum lodged in the master's shoulder.Alert: injury detected!"

Nova Tech fluttered down onto its head. "Master took on twelve guys solo. None made it out."

Zeta Prime's eyes flashed. "Minor injury on our side,full wipeout on theirs. Solid win."

Tristan shot it a cold glare. "Zip it, or you're getting scrapped."

Translation: Don't go snitching to Mr. Reid.

Zeta Prime swatted Nova Tech off its head."Detected unidentified substance on Nova's clawS.Identity?" "Bug poop!" Nova chirped.

Zeta Prime flailed its robot hands over its head. "Oh no! My reputation! I've been defiled!"

Ignoring the robots' drama, Tristan and Megan hurried back into the villa and headed straight to their room.

Five minutes later, Max Adams, the private doctor,arrived.

Tristan's white shirt was soaked through with blood-looked seriously bad.

Max carefully snipped open the shirt. The bullet was deep in his shoulder.

He reached for the anesthetic, but Tristan stopped him."Did you forget? I don't react to anesthetics."

Max froze."Seriously?"

Cameron, just arriving, caught that. Eyes blinking.Wait,when did he become immune to anesthetics?That was news to him. "Sir, Amelia was bailed out by her dad."

Tristan buried his head in Megan's arms and gave a quiet "Mm." "Let it be. The Reids can't afford a fallout with the Lewises. She's had her lesson."

Max dabbed the surrounding blood away with iodine-soaked gauze, cleaning the area slowly.

Because the bullet was so deep, he had to use a scalpel to open it up more.

"Tristan, I'll need to widen the cut a bit. Brace yourself," Max warned.

Tristan's other arm wrapped around Megan's waist."It's fine.I can take it."

Max sighed. What is he trying to prove?

He began cutting; the sound of blade on flesh made everyone tense.

Tristan's brow furrowed, cold sweat trailing down the contours of his defined back.

Even the veins at his temple popped from the pain. Megan couldn't bear to watch. She clutched his head close,heart aching.

The man nestled in her arms curled his lips ever so slightly."Tss.hurts."

Max nearly dropped the scalpel in shock.

Cameron's jaw hung low. "Should we maybe try a tiny bit of anesthesia? Who knows, maybe it works this time?"

Tristan's sharp gaze silenced any further thoughts.

Cameron finally got it-this was all an act. A pain act.The classic "make-her-feel-bad" move.

Tristan kept groaning in pain the whole time, and Max felt his own nerves stretch thin. Still, he managed to extract the bullet and stitch him up.

The bullet landed in the disposal tray with a clink.Max exhaled in relief.

As he packed up to leave, he turned at the door with a grin. "No intense movement for a while." Megan blushed instantly, mumbling under her breath.

Tristan shot Cameron a side glance. "Do you need something else?"

"N-nope." Cameron bounced out of the room like he was escaping a fire.

Tristan tilted his head up, looking at Megan. "Megan,it hurts."

She gently wiped the sweat off his forehead. "I'll go find you a painkiller."

But just as she was about to walk away, Tristan pulled her into his arms and onto his lap.

Eyes glowing, he murmured, "You're my medicine."