The Milestone Protocol Ernest Dempsey (best short novels of all time .txt) 📖

looks in the others’ eyes told that they were thinking the same thing.

“We are,” Magnus said. “I just wanted to make sure this one was unavailable for our guests.” The Swede spun on his heels and stalked toward the stairwell, forty feet away.

The rest of the group hurried to follow.

“They’ll be coming up the stairs,” Tommy warned. He risked a glance over his shoulder as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. No one got out. While he wasn’t surprised, he was relieved at that.

They reached the stairwell entrance, and Magnus paused. He twisted his head, meeting Tommy’s worried expression with a calm stare. “Then I guess it’s a good thing we’re not going down.”

Magnus shoved the door open and stepped through, going left toward the roof-access landing. Confused, the others followed, though every one of them felt as if they were rushing right into a trap.

The Swede led the group up the steps, around the next landing and then to the top, where the stairs ended with a red door on the left. Magnus pulled on the latch, and the door opened, letting in a burst of frigid air from the outside.

Tommy pulled the zipper up on his coat to block against the cold and held the door open as the others stepped out.

He looked down through the gap between the stairs to the bottom of the hotel. He saw movement but couldn’t tell who was coming up. One thing was certain: whoever it was, they were in a hurry.

Tommy joined the others out on the chilly rooftop and slowly eased the door shut behind him, momentarily wondering how they would get back in if it was locked from the inside.

A gust of wind smashed into the group as they looked around the rooftop. The city of Stockholm spread out around them. In the center of the building’s roof, Sean felt okay, but deep down he knew that the second he went too close to the edge, his oldest nemesis would kick in. His fear of heights was no secret to Tommy and Magnus, but Tabitha and Kevin probably didn’t know about it.

The sun hung in the bright blue sky to the west, making its way to the horizon. Sunset was still hours away, but at this time of year the days were short and the nights nearly everlasting. Christmas lights were already popping on along streetlamps and on some of the storefronts that were visible beyond the edge of the rooftop, but no one felt particularly festive at the moment.

Sean occupied his mind with a more immediate problem. He turned to the door, knowing at any second someone could burst through and either apprehend them, or worse.

“What’s the plan, Magnus?” Sean asked.

A thumping sound in the distance gave him his first answer. Magnus clarified by pointing to the sky in the east, where blinking red and green lights flashed against the dimming backdrop of the atmosphere. The white helicopter zoomed toward them, the rotors beating the air in a blur.

“That’s the back door?” Tabitha wondered.

Magnus nodded, squinting against the bitter wind. “Yes. I figured it was better than the actual back door, which would likely be blocked.”

Sean took his eyes off the flying coffin and stayed close to the access door. It was going to be close.

He watched the chopper curve around to the front of the building and then ease its way over the rooftop to the helipad at the top of a set of metal stairs above the stairwell shaft.

“Go on up!” Sean shouted over the noise of the aircraft. “I’ll cover the door!”

Magnus nodded, understanding the order as well as the fact that his friend the former special agent knew what he was doing.

“I’ll stay with you,” Tommy offered.

Sean shook his head. “No, go on. Make sure everyone gets on board safely. I’ll be up in a second.”

“You sure?”

“I’m always sure.” Sean shielded his face with the bridge of his hand as dry snow dust swirled around them.

“Okay,” Tommy said with a nod.

Magnus ascended the stairs first, followed by Tabitha, Kevin, and finally Tommy.

The helicopter hovered over the helipad for what seemed like minutes before touching down. The pilot didn’t get out, understanding that his employer was in a hurry and knew well enough how to open the door on the side.

Sean turned his attention back to the access door and waited. He pressed his ear to it for a second, but all he could hear was the chopping of the helicopter’s rotor and the turbine engine powering the aircraft. He glanced up to see Magnus disappear into the cabin, then Tabitha.

A familiar sound cut through the cacophony, and Sean knew it was too late. The noise of the door’s latch was immediately followed by the door bursting open. Sean’s reaction was instant. He raised his right knee and kicked hard, landing his heel against the door with a powerful blow. The impact drove the door back the other direction and slammed it into a man who’d just come through. Momentarily stunned, the blond man in an all-black outfit stumbled backward into the doorframe.

Sean pounced, surging forward in a flash. The attacker raised a pistol, but his reaction was too slow. Sean snatched the barrel, twisted the gun with one hand while pressuring the man’s wrist with the other, and forced the muzzle toward the man’s face. A sudden look of panic filled the man’s eyes before Sean forced him to pull the trigger.

The bullet burrowed through flesh and bone just below the attacker’s nose, and the man slumped back against the wall.

Sean knew more were coming, but he couldn’t hear due to the overwhelming sound of the helicopter’s rotors. He wedged his foot against the bottom of the door and looked up at the helipad to see Tommy standing by the open door to the chopper, waiting. Sean waved a hand, telling Tommy to go.

The door barged against Sean’s shoe, but his foot held firm. If the gunmen were stupid, they would fire into