The Milestone Protocol by Ernest Dempsey (best books to read in your 20s txt) 📕

thousand unrecoverable pieces on the driveway. If she eliminated the clue the cult was after, there would be no way for them to ever find the gem, no chance to wreak unimaginable devastation and tragedy across the globe.

Adriana’s intuition told her that Sean and the others had already considered that move. “Why not destroy it?” she asked plainly. Doing so would certainly make her mission easier. The only reason she could come up with as to why the Khan hadn’t thrown the gem into the deepest ocean was that the man hoped he could somehow harness its power as a weapon.

“We thought about that,” Sean answered. “Saint Alexius of Moscow must have known something else about this ancient machine and what it was capable of, otherwise he would have destroyed the gem himself.”

“The hypothesis, my dear,” Magnus grated, “is that the global network of pyramids is an energy source. We can’t know for certain, but Saint Alexius must have discovered something to keep him from getting rid of the gem. As a righteous man and a good leader, had he learned about the potential for unlimited energy, he no doubt would have considered how it could advance the well-being of humanity for centuries to come.”

“Electricity wasn’t invented yet, though,” Kevin countered. “Which means whatever he discovered must have been perplexing, bewildering even. He wouldn’t have a way to harness it, to utilize its power.”

“So,” Tommy finished, “he took the secret to his grave until mankind developed far enough to find a way to use the power.”

Adriana listened patiently, processing everything they said against the information she’d gleaned from her father and Miyamoto. The two patriarchs in her life had failed to mention a potential positive with the cataclysm machine, but she doubted that was deliberate. She didn’t need anyone in the room to tell her what unlimited free energy would do for the planet. It was something she and Sean had considered when they discovered the Sahara and Denali pyramids, but not to the level of this—an entire network that spanned the globe.

“I see,” Adriana said, opting for a simple reply. “So, we are going to Russia.” Adriana turned to Magnus. “Will you be coming with us?”

Magnus cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Unfortunately, I have some business to attend to here in Stockholm.” He turned toward Tabitha. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from your superiors about the attack on the hotel?”

Adriana puzzled at the question but let the MI6 agent answer.

Tabitha appeared startled for a second, then recovered. “No. I haven’t received anything from HQ about it.” Her expression changed, forehead darkening at the realization. “That’s odd,” she realized.

She turned and removed the phone from her pocket, checking to make sure she hadn’t missed something.

“You going to check in?” Sean asked. He tried not to sound suspicious, but the fact that the MI6 agent hadn’t bothered to report what happened, call for backup, or receive word from her superiors about the incident at the hotel brought several questions to his mind.

Sean had never worked for MI6, so he wasn’t certain about their procedures, but he knew enough to question both Tabitha’s and the agency’s inaction in the last several hours.

“No,” she answered succinctly.

Sean raised his eyebrows, and then the realization hit him. “Deep under, huh?”

“Something like that,” Tabitha said without taking her eyes off the phone. She quickly changed course. “They haven’t said anything about the attack, which might mean nothing. Did you encounter anyone on your way out of the hotel?”

The question directed at Sean caught him off guard, but he recovered instantly. “No. I managed to sneak out without being seen. When I was out of sight, I disabled the tracking device on the vehicle as well, so it’s unlikely whoever was left would know how to find us.”

“So, all the men you killed,” she paused at the grave statement, "they were on the rooftop?”

“Yes,” Sean said. “Unless they have a maintenance person going up there for some reason tonight, I doubt the bodies will be found until the morning.”

Tabitha nodded. “Then it sounds like we should get an early start.”

“Agreed,” Tommy said, easing the tension between the two. “I’m heading to bed; I’m wiped. We could all use some rest. Tomorrow, we leave first thing in the morning and head to Moscow.” He turned to Magnus. “I hate to ask, Magnus, but could you make arrangements for us?”

“Won’t you be taking your own plane?” the Swede asked.

“Yes,” Tommy answered. “And normally, I don’t have any issues. But I know you have connections in Russia. Perhaps a friendly call might make our passage easier.”

Magnus nodded. “I would be happy to, my friend.”

“Tommy?” Kevin blurted. “If it’s okay with your friend, I would prefer to stay here. I’m not such an adventurous type, and I need to let the families of my team members know what happened and what’s going on. I’m sure by now there’s an investigation happening, and I’d like to help the authorities if possible.”

“Of course,” Tommy said. “Magnus, would it be okay for him to stay here with you?”

“No trouble at all, my boy,” the Swede said cheerfully. “Happy to help. Now, let me show you to the guest rooms. We have plenty of space here.”

Sean allowed everyone else to leave first, following their host out of the study. Lingering by the door, Sean held his wife back with a look. When the others were out of earshot, he said, “What’s going on?”

She looked down at his feet and then raised her gaze to meet his eyes. “I’ll tell you when we get to the room.” Adriana looked around at the walls, the corners, the desk, the fireplace, the furniture, scanning every inch as if searching for something.

“What is it?” he hissed. “What’s wrong?”

Her coffee-colored eyes flicked back to him. “Nothing. I’m just tired and on edge. Come. Let’s get to the room, and I will explain everything.”

27

Vienna

Niki looked down at the phone sitting next to him on the nightstand. It danced on