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

thing,” the older man added. “I need you to wait until they have uncovered another item. It’s a gem, red in color, from what I’ve managed to gather. If it is still where they believe it to be, it will rest with the bones of Saint Alexius of Moscow. Once they have the stone and are out of the cathedral, you may eliminate them. Bring the stone to me as soon as you have it. Make sure their entire team is eliminated.”

“How many?”

“Five. Sean Wyatt is with them and an MI6 agent. So, be on your toes.”

“MI6?” Niki had heard of Sean Wyatt, the exploits, the wild adventures, the heroism. Sean was old enough to be Niki’s father, though, so he wasn’t worried about him. Not now. He knew better than to underestimate Wyatt, but the man’s methods were predictable, as were those of most MI6 agents.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about them,” Odin reassured. “They are as out of their element as a lion swimming with sharks.”

“The rest of the Russian expedition is dead, yes?” Niki heard what one of their assault teams had done, and how they had failed to rein in Dr. Kevin Clark. “I was surprised to hear they were conducting an archaeological dig at the beginning of winter.”

“Yes,” Odin grumbled, his voice full of gravel. “They were, apparently, trying to get as much done as possible before the seasonal freeze.”

Niki looked out the window at the twinkling lights of Vienna. Snow glistened on the nearest rooftops. He could see faint traces of it on the mountains and trees surrounding the city. It was only the earliest days of December, and he knew more snow would come soon. He liked the snow. Growing up in western Greece, he’d only seen it on a few occasions as a child when his parents took him to the north country where the mystical mountains towered to the heavens and lush forests sprawled across the land.

Austria gave Niki a sense of that childhood he’d lost so long ago, even if it were just four or five months out of the year. It looked like Christmas, even when the snow was gone. The holidays were one of the few strong memories of his family he could still cling to.

Odin had been generous with the location for Niki’s apartment. The man had paid for everything, purchasing the unit outright. Niki never saw a bill for utilities or anything else. His life was completely taken care of. A part of him didn’t like being reliant on someone else, but he dismissed that sentiment by reminding himself that he provided a valuable service to Odin. Niki was an asset and had proved himself on more than one occasion when his benefactor had called upon the young Greek’s skills to eliminate enemies of the order.

“Anyone who is our enemy,” Odin had said before Niki’s first mission, “is an enemy of humanity. Our goal is to ensure the survival of the human race and all the knowledge we have accumulated throughout the ages.”

Niki took that creed to heart, and when he killed it was without mercy, without deference. He never questioned his role in the grand scheme of the order. He was its instrument, and the Fellowship provided for him generously.

“Where will I find them?” Niki asked.

“I’m sending you the details now. Your team will meet you in Moscow.”

“Usual squad?”

“Yes. You will have four.”

“Perfect. Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t, Niki. You’ve always made me proud.”

28

Cartersville, Georgia

Tara kept the Camaro a few miles per hour over the speed limit as she guided the car north on I-75. Every few minutes, she glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure they weren’t being followed. While there was no sign of danger lurking in the dense Atlanta traffic, she couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling they were being tailed. It was difficult to tell in the darkness, and Tara cursed the early evenings of fall and winter for the inconvenience.

“So, they sent federal agents to your headquarters again?” Desmond asked from the back seat.

“Technically, yes,” Alex answered, cursing himself for only delaying the answer from earlier.

“Technically?” Corin questioned.

“Well, they were probably legitimate FBI agents, but the fact that they showed up again, and this time were just barging right into the place, means that they weren’t going to take no for an answer, no matter who we called.”

“It also means there’s at least some level of corruption going on there,” Tara added. “Or the agents that were sent are working for someone else. It’s no coincidence that they came after all of us today, within such a tight time frame. That tells me they’re coordinating something. Whatever it is, it’s big. And it’s probably best if we sit this one out.”

“Sit it out?” Diego asked. “That doesn’t really sound like your style.”

Alex looked over his shoulder at Diego, disarming him with a grin. “I like you,” Alex said with a pointed finger. “And you’re right. It’s not like us to sit on the sidelines and watch, but it is like us to be on the sidelines with a headset on.”

“You mean like a coach?” Desmond asked.

“Or an offensive or defense coordinator?” Corin added.

Alex flicked his eyes from side to side. “Yes, just like that. Well, kind of.”

He received a deriding glare from his wife.

“I mean, obviously, we were not on the sidelines for the whole Bolivia thing. And it started out in Greece, so we do get out a bit.”

The three kids stared back at him with disbelief dripping from their eyes.

“Anyway,” Alex kept digging, “the point is, this time is different. We don’t know what we’re up against. And that whole thing with the Bolivia mission started out as just an ordinary investigation.”

Corin arched an eyebrow. “Nothing about what you two do is ‘ordinary,’” she said, using air quotes with the last word.

Alex pressed his lips together and accepted defeat as he turned around and faced forward. “My turn to drive