hotmtlnovel Chapter 232 Hunted
Chapter 232 Hunted
People gasped in shock when Tristan pushed them off his path, or just weaved around them. They would've been even more affronted if they knew Tristan was using them as a cover from the sniper.
He could feel the sniper's aim at him, flickering like a candlelight. The unknown attacker was trailing Tristan with an almost machine-like precision despite all the obstacles in Tristan's way.
Tristan felt him zeroing on himself even though the people. If Tristan just kept using people as a cover, it was a matter of seconds before he would be shot, regardless.
Sadly, there weren't actual crowds on the street, not this late—even in a tourist area like this. The last stretch to the cover of a street turn Tristan had to travel without cover—all two meters of it.
More than enough to be shot.
Tristan cursed inwardly.
With his knowledge of ballistics and firearms multiplied by his intelligence, Tristan knew that even just grabbing another person to use as a living shield won't work.
The sniper was using a rifle powerful enough to shoot through the "shield" and still leave Tristan with a lethal wound. He also had enough skill to have at least a high chance of not missing.
An 80% chance, perhaps. When it meant 20% chance of Tristan saving his skin, he didn't like those numbers at all.
As Tristan thought all this, his legs brought him to the final stretch. He froze before it—not physically, but in time, as it slowed down again.
The sharp gaze of the sniper—he was almost feeling it on himself again. Now Tristan could tell where it was coming from with much more precision than before, despite the massive distance separating them. The more intent the gaze was, the easier it was to locate.
With the addition of the trajectory of the shot from earlier, Tristan could estimate the sniper's position better than ever.
'This is my best chance to get through this,' Tristan realized.
He focused his brainpower on that.
His heart was beating fast, and his palms were sweaty with tension.
'I fucking hate surprise assassins,' he thought darkly.
What was worse, Tristan knew he can't just stay in this place and think that he won. The sniper had a car—he would follow and try to shoot again, Tristan was sure.
But he had a map of the region in his head, and already planned a route that would let him get out without getting into the sniper's sights again.
'But not in a car, after all. The last thing I want is to get stuck in a traffic jam somewhere near the hotel.'
With a huff, Tristan cracked his joints and began running at a fast, but sustainable pace. Some people on the street turned surprised looks toward him and the torn hood of Tristan's jacket, but he was inconspicuous enough to still stay mostly unnoticed.
More importantly, he successfully avoided the sniper all the way to the hotel.
There, Tristan avoided Derek until he could change clothing to something not sweaty and torn, and then pretended that nothing was wrong.
There was nothing Derek could do about a professional assassin of that sniper's caliber.
With carefully hidden tension, he waited for the morning to come inside his room. There was nothing in the latest batch of reports addressed to Tristan Hayes that could have given him a hint about why Tristan was attacked today.
But Tristan suspected this sniper was someone he already knew. Someone who was most likely only attacking Tristan Gemello to get to Tristan Hayes.
'And if I'm right about this, then it's extremely important right now to not give the assassin suspicions about my two identities. If I get a stat penalty for being discovered NOW, then I'm as good as done. Not to mention what the assassin might do with the information.'
If the sniper was sent by someone, and not acting on his own accord, then it was all too easy for him to share that information with his employer, and then...
Tristan shuddered to imagine.