Red Mist: Season 1, Episode 1: Falling: The Red Mist Series, #1

By R T Green

Two women... two enemies. One deadly terror threat. One jealous sister.

One true love.

What could possibly go wrong?

 

This is the opening episode of the Red Mist series. An MI6 shadow assassin and a beautiful terrorist are thrown together in the midst of a terror threat, the like of which London has never seen before.

Their first meeting is engineered by those who never imagined a desperate spark would ignite a deadly inferno. No one foresaw that an explosive mix of two lost souls would result in an epic journey of discovery, destined to change lives forever.

 

Travel with Madeline and Zana as they follow a life-threatening, perilous road, taking them to a place neither believes can exist.

 

Killing someone isn't meant to be this hard. Neither is falling in love.

 

"Romantic Suspense at its finest"

 

Imagine a TV drama with eight episodes over two seasons, telling a complete story, and bringing you a host of unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Red Mist is that gripping serialized drama, in book form. It will keep you page-turning, and episode reading!

(Each episode is its own story, but very much leads into the next one... so to get the full effect please do read the volumes in order!)

 

Do check out the Red Mist series, and everything else we do, on the rtgreen website.

 

And enjoy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wise Owl
• Release date: Mar 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215792056

R T Green

The RTG mission in life is simple... to not be like everyone else! ‘Going Green’ has taken on a new meaning, in the book world at least. Whilst we applaud the original meaning (ebooks are a perfect way to promote that) we also try to present a different angle to it. The tendency these days is that if you don’t look and read like everyone else, you don’t sell books. Maybe there’s some truth in that, but we simply don’t do it. The RTG books have been described as a ‘breath of fresh literary air’, and, by those discovering us for the first time, ‘unexpectedly good’. We know many readers prefer the same-old same old, and that’s fine. It’s just not what you get from the RTG stable. Those who know about such things said it would take five years to become a proficient author... I scoffed at that. They were wise. It took six. It’s one reason why even today we remodel existing books, and will always do so. Right from the early years the stories were always good, but were put into words less well than they could have been! These days we have several series and a few standalones, the hit Daisy series most popular amongst them. In everything we do, the same provisos apply – Never the same book twice. If we can’t think up a good story, it doesn’t get written. The RTG brand is about exciting and twisty plots, a fast pace which doesn’t waste words, and endearing (sometimes slightly crazy) characters. We can never please everyone, but it works for us, and, it seems, for those who appreciate our work. Enjoy! Richard, Ann and the RTG crew

Book preview

Pale Moon logo copy.png

Season 1

Episode 1: FALLING

R  T  Green

RTG Logo.png

Other books...

Red Mist: Season 1:

Episode 2: Phoenix

Episode 3: Jealousy

Episode 4: Fearless

Season 2:

Episode 5: Phantom

Episode 6: Desperation

Episode 7: Unbreakable

Episode 8: Evermore

The Daisy Morrow Series:

The first one – The Root of All Evil

The second one – The Strange Case of the Exploding Dolly-trolley

The third one – A Very Unexpected African Adventure

The fourth one – Pirates of Great Yarmouth: Curse of the Crimson Heart

The fifth one: The Terrifying Tale of the Homesick Scarecrow

The sixth one – Call of Duty: The Wiltingham Enigma

The seventh one – Christmas in the Manor Born

The eighth one – The Shanghai Shadow

The ninth one – Some Like it Tepid

The tenth one – Waltzing Matilda

The eleventh one – The Wiltingham Incident

The twelfth one – The Pointed Finger

The thirteenth one – Here Comes Santa Claus!

The fourteenth one – The Witch of Scraggy Bottom

The Throwback Prequel – When Daisy Met Aidan

The Box Set – books 1-3

The Second Box Set – books 4-6 plus The Prequel

The Third Box Set – books 7-9

The Sandie Shaw series:

Book 1 – Murder at the Green Mill

Book 2 – Christmas in Chicago is Murder

Book 3 – An American in Windsor

Book 4 – Springtime in Chicago

Book 5 – Murder on the Miami Express

Book 6 – The Family

Book 7 – Murder Most Olympic

Book 8 – Two Sisters, One Ghost

The first box set – books 1-3

The second box set – books 4-6

The Starstruck Series -

Starstruck: Somewhere to call Home

Starstruck: The Prequel

(Time to say Goodbye)

Starstruck: The Disappearance of Becca

Starstruck: The Rock

Starstruck: Ghosts, Ghouls and Evil Spirits

Starstruck: The Combo – books 1-3

The Raven Series –

Raven: No Angel!

Raven: Unstoppable

Raven: Black Rose

Raven: The Combo – books 1-3

Somewhere Only She Knows

Timeless

Ballistic

Cry of an Angel

The Hand of Time

Elsie: Mean Streets

Wisp

Copyright © 2023 R T Green

All rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Episode 1: Falling

The Final Act

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

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The RTG Brand

INTRODUCTION

Red Mist end pic copy.jpg

THIS IS SEASON 1, EPISODE 1 of the Red Mist story. Told in eight episodes over two seasons, Red Mist follows a heart-wrenching journey of discovery and love for two lost souls who could not be further apart when it comes to sides of the tracks.

Romantic suspense at its finest, it’s blended with terrorism and a little sci-fi to keep you guessing what might possibly happen next. At its heart, it is the dangerous and gripping love story of two people who, if they had not found each other, would have remained lost forever.

We’ve made Red Mist a chronological serial. Imagine a TV drama with eight episodes over two seasons, combining to tell one epic story that brings you a host of unexpected twists and turns along the way.

This is that gripping serial drama in book form. It will keep you page-turning, and episode-reading.

To get the full experience, please do binge the episodes in sequence!

Enjoy!

Richard, Ann, and the RTG crew

Episode 1: Falling

The Final Act

DAWSON’S HILL OFFERS a spectacular view over London. Sightseers often come at night to see the lights of the iconic buildings in the city, shining their multicoloured magic into the dark sky. The nature reserve is known for its uninterrupted view of the famous landmarks from the summit of the hill, but only for those who have discovered its little-known special bonus.

Impressive as it was, Zana and I weren’t there to see the sights. Far from it. Stretching out in front of us, undefended and vulnerable, a few of its taller buildings poking up above the mist-line, London had no idea of the menace about to arrive on its streets.

There was only one way to halt the relentless path of destruction. Only one person who could stop the horror in its tracks.

It wasn’t me... I had a different role. I was the only one who could give Zana the strength to play out the final act, and help her do something so terrifying it would stay with her for the rest of her life.

In the distance behind us, a sudden rumble of thunder shook the ground. A flash of lightning momentarily lit up the sky.

‘Brilliant,’ I groaned. ‘First the rain, then the mist, now thunder and lightning. What else is Mother Nature going to throw at us?’

Then Zana's arms were around me, holding me so tightly it hurt. I looked into her petrified eyes, and knew in an instant my weather forecast was wrong.

‘That's not Mother Nature, Madeline. It is here.’

The nausea was back in my stomach. This time however it relegated all the previous feelings of dread to the very bottom of the league. I’d never known fear like it. It didn't help that the moon made an inopportune appearance at that moment, a bright full disc of light bathing the mist in an even spookier yellow glow.

On the summit of Dawson’s Hill the mist-line was below us. The world around me looked alien.

Desperately I strained to look behind, but the trees were too dense. ‘I can't see anything,’ I cried out, unnecessarily.

The ground beneath our feet began to shake. Petrified, I reached out for Zana and pulled her into me. A low rumble of a growl filled the air. It overpowered every other sound, a never-ending roll of thunder filling my very soul, making me want to scream out and run for my life.

‘Don't let go of me, Madeline,’ I heard Zana shout, her voice a distant cry through the incessant noise building in my ears.

Still it grew louder, the ground at our feet vibrating so much it felt like we were in the middle of an earthquake. My ears hurt, the awful flat sound trying to shake my brain to bits. I could feel Zana's fingers digging into my back. Suddenly her lips were locked into mine, a stolen final kiss that stabbed me through my heart like the sharpest sword in the world.

‘This is it, Madeline...’ she screamed.

Then, finally, we could see the immense shape. ‘What the hell do you call big, Zana?’ I cried out.

Tears were streaming down her face as I pulled her close to me again. She looked desolate, the anguish of what she was about to do breaking her in two. Nothing I could say would comfort her. There were no words to make it any more bearable.

The huge black menace was almost upon us. I glanced to the tiny rocket sitting a few metres away.

The ground was quaking so much it was about to topple over.

‘Zana!’ I shrieked. ‘The weapon... you've got to do it, now!’

Her head was shaking violently from side to side, her manic eyes fixed permanently onto the huge black beast. I grabbed her head to stop it moving, and somehow found the words I needed. ‘I love you... isn't that what all this is about?’

It seemed to work. She turned and ran to the weapon. As she reached it, it fell over. I joined her and took her hand. ‘It won't stay upright, Madeline,’ she cried.  ‘It’s a sign. I can't do it.’ She was shaking her head frantically again, the pain and the anguish overpowering her resolve to do what had to be done.

‘Shall I do it?’ I shouted. She nodded, staggered a few feet away and fell to her knees, crying hysterically. I stood the rocket up, and searched for an on button. It fell over again.

The horror I could never have imagined was about to engulf London.  Stopping it had to be right then or it not at all. I found the button. There was no other option other than to hold the rocket steady as it fired. I stretched out flat on the ground, one hand pressed against the base to keep it from falling over, my body as far away as I could get it. There was no telling what it might do to me when it went off.

‘Zana!’ I screamed, as my finger pressed the button.

Like a supercharged roman candle a streak of light particles blasted out, slamming into the belly of the beast. Zana looked up, saw the streak of sparks, and ran back to me. She grasped my free hand as I lay flat on my back, holding onto it so tightly my fingers went numb.

For fifteen seconds I lay there motionless. It was like holding a firework, nothing bad seemed to be happening to me. Then, the sparks died away. ‘It's done,’ Zana cried out, as the moon bathed the hilltop in a pale light once more.

The ear-splitting noise began to lessen. Zana stood up to watch the beast as it began to disintegrate, holding out a hand to help me up. I was about to reach out and take it when someone appeared in the shadows, an automatic rifle in his hand.

I could tell by his face he wasn’t seeing the truth. All he saw was a fellow agent lying on the ground, and a terrorist standing over him.

In a panic he fired the rifle. The bullet thumped into Zana's chest.

She crumpled to the ground...

It wasn’t supposed to be this hard.

It was just a job.

A very well paid job, for a few hours now and then. Easy, if you didn't possess a heart to get in the way.

Uncomplicated.

Then there was Zana.

______

Chapter 1

IT WAS A CHANCE MEETING, two weeks ago, in an up-market bar in Soho.

In truth there was nothing chance about it. Weeks of planning had culminated in my strategic positioning on the right bar stool in the right bar at the right time. The stool I now occupied, trying and failing to stop fidgeting nervously as I awaited the arrival of my mark.

My job involves nullifying people. Nothing about that makes me nervous. It’s not an issue with no heart to cloud the issue. I gave up caring about anyone long ago, even myself. Growing up in a tough East End district of London got rid of most of what people call compassion, and three horrific years in army intelligence in Afghanistan killed off the rest. There wasn’t much left, not these days.

A long time ago I’d discovered missing a heart was my best option. What doesn’t exist can’t be broken.

Right then it didn’t seem to be making much difference. Sitting innocently on the barstool with a butt growing ever-increasingly numb, something was unsettling my gut. Sweaty palms sure as hell weren’t me. Seemingly-endless waiting for my mark to arrive wasn’t helping. It gave me all the time I needed to try and work out why the knots were there, and to fail dismally to find any obvious reason for the churning gut.

Or maybe there was a reason.

One I was finding hard to accept.

This time the mission wasn’t about nullification. I’d been persuaded to take on a different role, one that took things way outside my comfort zone.

I'd been asked to get to know my mark.

Undercover stuff wasn’t my thing, not any more. It was complicated, drawn-out, and just too much hard work. Getting up close and personal was the one thing left in life that scared the hell out of me. But a department of MI6 I'd never heard of made a special request. Apparently I had the right credentials.

Too much bar-stool thinking time had another unwanted effect. Recall. I rebooted every word, every bit of the initial lack of enthusiasm I showed at my first meeting with the small, piggy-eyed man who spread out seven mug-shots on the desk in front of me...

‘These are the seven marks, Miss deWinter. They’re in London for a reason that concerns us greatly, but as yet, despite our best efforts we have no knowledge of what atrocity they are planning.’

‘You want me to take them all out?’

‘Oh no... no. Whilst I am only too aware of your prowess in the field of assassination, that is not why you have been called in.’

I narrowed suspicious eyes, hardly glancing at the faces in the photos. ‘I nullify people, that’s my role. My only role.’

He tried to smile, and a nervous look in his eyes I hadn’t expected to see pierced into me like rifle laser beams. ‘This is an unprecedented situation, agent. All attempts to gain intelligence have failed, and we are left with one alternative. Your mission is to become friends with one of the marks.’

‘Me? Your intel has failed you again, sir.’

‘Not at all. Your background, training and... um, your physical appearance make you the agent of choice. The mark in question may find you a kindred spirit.’ He appeared to be reddening a little, his expression giving away the fact he wasn’t really comfortable with his words.

‘Sorry, not interested.’

He leant closer and handed me a slip of paper. ‘That is the proposed fee.’

I glanced at it, trying not to look impressed. ‘Seriously?’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘You want me to go back into shitty undercover work for that pittance?’

‘I see.’ He sat back and clasped his hands across his stomach. ‘You are making this difficult, deWinter.’

‘It’s not difficult. I’m just not interested.’ I stood up, ready to walk out.

‘Sit down.’ His spooky voice had an instant and totally unexpected effect. It made me go weak at the knees. I sat down. ‘You may consider the fee doubled.’

‘Wow, just how desperate are you guys?’ Suddenly I was tempted. It was a lot of money. I took a longer look at the mug-shots on the desk. One of the guys sure wasn’t someone you’d want to meet on a dark foggy night. ‘Shit, I hope you don’t want me to get up close and personal to him?’

He smiled again. ‘No, it’s not him. So are you accepting the mission?’

‘I haven’t decided yet.’

He sighed, a little impatiently, and tapped a finger onto one of the faces. ‘She’s the mark.’

‘Oh.’

The power of speech seemed to disappear. She was stunning. Take-your-breath-away kind of stunning. I tried to keep it cool, but my single word came out a little croakily. ‘Ok.’

‘I’m sorry?’

I tried to gather thoughts that didn’t want to be collected. Sound confident and assured. It wasn’t easy, suddenly thrown out of my comfort zone into another galaxy. For some reason I couldn’t understand, this one I wanted to get to know.

I said yes, and accepted the mission.

A few weeks later I was to wish to god I'd stuck to my original decision. But then again...

The watch on my wrist, a