Huntsman: Spider Series, #0.5

By Jaycee Ford

With his first step onto the Afghan sand, the life Mike Shuler had known was gone forever. He had suffered the loss of his father and his best friend during his time away. The demons he faced in the desert turned his once hopeful future into dreams of a traumatic past, taking away every part of his soul. The Marine could save the world but only one person could save him ... his Grace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jaycee Ford
• Release date: Nov 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781539478645

Book preview

Huntsman

Copyright © 2016 Jaycee Ford

Published by Jaycee Ford

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

Published: Jaycee Ford

Editor: Josh Vitalie

Background photo: Kirsty Pargeter | Dreamstime.com

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved worldwide. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

To all the women and men who gave up their lives for ours.

Table of Contents

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven 

Twelve 

Thirteen 

Fourteen 

Fifteen 

Sixteen 

Seventeen 

Acknowledgments 

About the Author  

Books by Jaycee Ford 

The waterless beach surrounded me for miles only ending with the pitching Afghan mountains in the distance. The soggy waters of home were a distant memory as I stood at attention inside the command tent with the sand swirling outside in the dust storm. My platoon and I wore the matching uniforms of the desert as we awaited our orders from Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe. While feeling the anxious hum from my spotter, I tried to remain focused and remember why I was here.

Vibrations buzzed under my boots as Will thumped out a timed beat to a song playing  in  his head. Impatience coiled through me with his dire need to kill something. My head remained forward, but I glared at him out of the corner of my eye. Dude, you need to calm the hell down.

His foot flattened against the sandy floor and the anxious twitch stopped. My eyes flickered back to the command table in front of us. My breaths were just as shaky as his twitch. But instead of drumming my feet on the floor, I just thought of home.

Orders!

My back straightened like a rail under its own accord. The stomp of the entering combat boots was softened by the sand floor, but the repercussions sank into the pit of my spine. The months of training in Hawaii and the weeks spent in the Middle East led up to this moment; the moment when we finally received orders to kill something.

Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe stood in front of me and the seven other men who comprised our Scout Sniper platoon, the Stingers. The eight of us held our breath and listened beyond the silence to the chorus of swirling sand coming in the through the tent flaps. My eyes remained focused on the back wall of the desert camouflaged tent. Staff Sergeant Miles took his place next to Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe as his mud-colored eyes shifted from me to the other men lined up inside the tent.

At ease.

I stepped my feet apart and relaxed my hands behind my back, but the strong bangs of my heart would not settle. I balled my fists to keep them from shaking, yet looking at me, no one could tell I was a wreck.

Stingers, you will be split into two groups of four, Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe delved into our mission, covering all the support and logistics of the operation without wasting the little time that we had. Each group will be sent to target a surveillance center in the mountains of northern Zabul. One shot is needed to destroy a sensor and knock out their solar power. Wasp and Termite will be on Venom Yankee three, and Mantis and Spider will be on Venom Rebel one. He turned away, grabbing the operating remote for the middle command center screen. Our drones have marked the target, leaving a zoning device only visible from the air. The area directly over the mountains is a U.N. sanctioned No Fly Zone. He turned his attention away from the screen and back to us, pausing for a breath as his eyes landed on each one of the men. That’s why we called in the best snipers in the United States Marine Corps.

Oorah!

The mission will deploy at seventeen hundred hours.

Yes, sir!

Spider. His stern brown eyes bore into Will and I with his constant intimidation. Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe’s dark skinned arms folded across his broad chest, appearing as if he’d added a few more inches to his six foot, five-inch frame. His eyes landed on me and stayed for longer than a moment. Shuler, this is your kill shot. You and Hook are the best spotter and shooter we have in the area. If we can wipe them off the grid for fifteen minutes, it’s enough to get our ground forces in to take the mountain.

My breath escaped for a moment as the severity of the situation burdened down upon my shoulders. I met his stare with the slightest nod. Sir, yes, sir.

Good luck, men.

—

The helicopter whirred but I could still hear Will whistling a nervous tune. We trudged across the sandy tarmac towards Rebel; me, with a M40A5 sniper rife strapped to my back, and Will armed with his musical calming routine. His music stopped as we approached the helicopter.

Mike, don’t forget.

His somber tone stopped me mid-step, reminding me of our pact. Hearing those words right before this type of mission caught me off guard. Will, it’s a simple shot at a sensor.

His brow creased with uncertainty.

I fisted his chest. Will. It’s just one shot. I got this.

He nodded and hopped in the helicopter. It seemed my words of confidence had helped him get over his nerves. I lingered a moment beside the helicopter, needing a second of clarity. After exhaling a long breath, I gave the side of the helicopter two pats with my right hand. Fly good, Rebel.

Within a matter of moments, we were in the air. The wind whipped around us as we hovered above the earth with the mountain range moving closer to us. I relaxed a little when I heard we still had a few more miles until our intended target. Will pursed his lips again to whistle his tune. Stress wouldn’t help. I banished all thoughts from my head, all but one. The girl who had my heart. Peach and orange rays of the sunset danced across the sky, courting and entwining with the darkness on the horizon. The soft golden yellow reminded me of her silky strands flowing in the breeze, caressing her face as she stood gazing at the river. The scent of her sun-kissed lavender skin still lingered no matter where I was.

One mile, screeched over my headset. I straightened my posture, zeroing in on the upcoming mountain range. Over the sounds of the propelling engine, I could hear my uneasy breath, shaking with anxiety.

Rebel descended closer to the mountain range. The target flashed amidst dust, sand, and rock. I counted the distance to the sloping mountain peak and opened communications with Will. Seven football fields.

His demeanor changed as he spotted through his scope, ticking off the lengths of football fields with me. When we reached five, he clicked over to command and said, Target in sight. Permission to shoot. Over.

My breath held. One final blink and then my eyes locked in on the target.

Affirmative. Over. Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe’s voice rang in my ears. I waited for Will’s order.

Fire.

My finger reacted, pulling back the trigger and sending a bullet buzzing through the barrel and into the atmosphere. I exhaled. My job was done.

RPG!

My breath caught as I scrambled around. The tail end of Yankee whipped, spiraling without remorse.

Yankee’s going down! Yankee’s going down! hollered Wellers and Smith of the Mantis Team. My eyes shifted frantically back and forth. I broke out in a cold sweat as I witnessed Yankee pummel into the mountainside and explode in a blaze of orange.

RPG!

Rebel swerved in mid-air, but the Rocket Propelled Grenade clipped the tail, sending us down the same path as Yankee. The copter spun out of control. I tried to focus on a singular spot in order to keep oriented. A whizzing sound grew louder behind me. A second bled into an eternity as I turned toward the other men, their faces sick with green, watching a direct hit coming straight for