Russian Roulette: Family secrets [2021 version]

Ch. 59: I love you too, Mackenzie

The sound of the door, when it slammed open, was loud.

The gunshot was even louder.

The sound resonated in Gareth's head, adding to his pain because he nearly gave himself whiplash by turning his head to the door and then to Grychenko.

It all happened so fast. In a matter of seconds.

To Gareth, it was like slow motion.

His heart stopped when Mackenzie tumbled to the ground with a startled cry.

The pain that went through him at the sight was nothing compared to his physical pain. It could not match the combined pain he had felt since he had given himself up.

It was like his heart got ripped from his body.

Gareth could literally not breathe.

All he saw was a naked Mackenzie falling.

Then everything returned to normal.

Mackenzie hit the floor with a shriek, and seconds later Aidan did the same with an even louder groan. He had jumped in front of Mackenzie and taken the bullet meant for her, pushing her out of the way.

Aidan stayed down, groaning in pain, while Mackenzie flopped around on the floor like a fish out of water. It was unsure where the bullet had entered Aidan. His dark tuxedo did not reveal the bullet hole from the distance Gareth sat at. The only thing he knew was that Aidan owed him nothing after that. If anything, Gareth owed Aidan.

"What the fuck is going on here?"

Gareth's head snapped toward the voice.

What in the holy hell...

He could definitely add whiplash to his injuries soon. He could not stop his head from going back and forth between the two men glaring angrily at each other near the door.

Time out!

He needed five minutes.

Or a century.

Nothing in Gareth's brain could explain what he saw.

There were two Grychenkos?

One, in a tuxedo, standing near Aidan's motionless form and Mackenzie sitting flat on her ass. The one who had tortured Gareth. Taunted him. The evil fucker who would have killed Gareth not minutes ago. His salt and pepper hair was not as neat as earlier when he had come into the room. His cheeks looked blotched red with anger spots, and his eyes were wild as he still pointed the gun with a shaking hand at Mackenzie and glared angrily at the intruder.

And then there was the one in a nicely tailored suit with a far more nonchalant ease about him. He, too, glared angrily.

Wait a minute...

There were two Grychenkos?

It was not just the pain that made him see things.

They looked like fucking clones in terms of build and features. One was slightly taller and bulkier than the other, but not enough for it to be noticeable unless beside each other. Their coloring was the same, and they had the same haircut too. The difference was in their posture and the aura they exuded.

Style and Trashy?

Tall and Taller?

Scumbag and, eh, Shitface?

Gareth had no idea what to call them in his mind to distinguish them from each other. All he had to go on was the visual. So, he ended with Tux and Suit.