Episode 8: The Reckoning

By Leigh Barker

Season 1, Episode 8. The Hellfire Legacy: The Reckoning

A Bitesize 1-hour read.

Nobody tries to kill Master Sergeant Ethan Gill and gets away with it.

Christian thinks his hitman, Baxter, has done what he has always done, completed his contract hit. Christian Carter is wrong.

As long as Ethan doesn’t know who sent the killer, then Christian is safe. Safe to complete his next step on securing the huge US Military contract. That step means getting his hands dirty, something he is looking forward to.

But to get there, he needs Melissa. One last time.

With the mole still leaking information, and FBI Agent in Charge, Dryer convinced Ethan is helping SecNav’s political ambitions, Ethan is on the road to hell. With only one exit.

And his nine lives are all used up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leigh Barker
• Release date: Dec 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311214232

Leigh Barker

Leigh was born in Dudley in the middle of England. He has been a merchant seaman, a (useless) electronics salesman, a programmer, and a business analyst. And now he is a full-time writer, but that doesn't make him a bad person.He is presently writing 4 series:Clan, following the adventures of Calum Maclean as he tries to avoid the Bonnie Prince but still protect his beloved Highlands.The Hellfire Legacy Series follows US Marine Master Sergeant Ethan Gill and his team as they take on the jobs too hot for other special forces. They go where they're sent; South America, Middle East, Korea, but their most dangerous missions are on US soil.Volume #1: A Whisper of ArmageddonVolume #2: The Hellfire LegacyVolume #3: The Orpheus DirectiveEden, a three-volume series -Trinity is at war with Lucid, the son of Lucifer, and he will do whatever it takes to win. The Archangel Gabriel has an army but he needs more. He needs heroes, but they are few and far between. Which is why he gets Dylan and co. Not too much luck in Heaven then.Volume #1: Eden's Last HeroVolume #2: WinterwoodVolume #3: Requiem for Eden.Soldiers is set in 1914 and follows John Regret and his 12-man squad on their suicidal mission to find and destroy the German howitzer nicknamed Big Bertha. Find it before it drops it's thousand-pound shells on the allied army retreating across France. A seemingly hopeless mission that just cannot fail.Other occasional series include:Anarchy, the 'completely true' stories of men doing what men do when there's nobody to keep them in check. Create mayhem and behave like monkeys on speed.Coffee Break Reads - each issue has 5 stories short enough to read while taking a break from life. A mix of adventure, love, disaster, and fun. All with one thing in common; for a moment they transport the reader to another world.Episode 1 of each Season is free and can be picked up with other free books at:https://leighwbarker.com/my-library/Just copy the link above and paste it into your browser and you're there...

Book preview

The Hellfire Legacy

(Episode 8)

The Reckoning

Copyright 2015 Leigh Barker

Published by Leigh Barker at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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ISBN: 9781311214232

The Reckoning

Kelsey waited for the .50 cal to punch through the SUV and her. She heard the stuttering phutt of Ethan’s MP5 as it sprayed bullets at something, and that she was still able to hear it meant that the something was the shooter. She took a chance and stood up enough to see through the SUV’s rear windows.

And saw Ethan spin and go down.

Every instinct told her to run and try to save him, but her common sense and experience told her that getting her head shot off wouldn’t help him, or her. She scoured the trees in the hope of seeing the sniper, even an inch of him, just something to shoot. Then saw his body flop out of the tree.

She sprinted across the road and up the hill to where Ethan was lying and slowly turned him over. He wasn’t moving and his face was bloody. Her heart was thumping in her chest, but she realised that if he’d been hit in the head by a .50 cal she wouldn’t be looking at a bloody face, because he wouldn’t have a head. She pulled herself together and began checking his body for huge holes, but he was intact, and that was weird. Then she saw the hole torn in his overcoat and put it together. The huge round had missed him by an inch, ripping through his heavy coat, and that was what spun him. The blood was from where he’d headbutted the tree as he fell. She breathed a long sigh of relief. Not dead.

He moved, groaned and opened his eyes. You an angel?

Not yet, but it was that close, she said, measuring an inch between her thumb and finger.

He sat up and wiped his hand across his face and looked at the blood. Has it spoilt my looks?

She laughed loudly at the unfunny joke, the tension lifting. It would take more than diving face-first into a tree to spoil your looks, lover.

Now he laughed too, then flinched and touched his ribs. I think I’ve busted a rib.

She poked it with her fingertip and shook her head. Nah, just bruised.

How’d you know that, Nurse Lyle?

If it was broken and I poked it, you wouldn’t be talking.

Now that’s patient care in action.

Who said I care? she said, and stood up. You going to lie there all day?

Thought I might take a nap.

She shrugged. Please yourself. She turned to go. You know you’re lying in bear shit, right?

He stood up in a single, mighty bound. And looked down at the clear, muddy base of the tree, then gave her a long look. You’re a cruel woman, you know that?

To be kind, Master Sergeant Gill. To be kind. She walked off towards the trees where Baxter’s body was lying.

Ethan retrieved the MP5 from the mud and followed her, rubbing his ribs. He dead?

God, I hope so, Kelsey said, or it’s going to be like one of those zombie movies.

Hey, don’t knock zombie movies. I love zombie movies.

Yes, of course you do. She bent