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

She nodded. “That’s probably a good idea.”

“Come on,” Sean said. “There are a few new people for you to meet.”

Adriana narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t one for opening her circle of trust so whimsically. Keeping a low profile, managing her identity, and being slow to trust others had been an effort in persistence and vigilance, but as tiring as it could be at times, she had remained safe from those who might try to hunt her down.

Over the years, Adriana had recovered dozens of lost masterpieces that had been stolen during World War II. The living embodiment of the Monuments Men—the Monuments Woman, as it were—she’d infiltrated dangerous locations where some of the worst scoundrels in the world lived and worked. Adriana’s missions had taken her into the underbelly of the art world, a highly secretive, high-stakes black market. More than once, she’d barely escaped with her life. That didn’t stop her from continuing the cause, always searching for the next piece she could recover and restore to either the world or to the people who rightfully owned it.

Most of the original owners were long gone by now, but their families could still be made whole, and if not, there were more than enough museums who would happily accept an anonymous donation that just happened to be a missing masterpiece.

Sean sensed her apprehension. He had a nose for that sort of thing, perhaps in part due to his degree in psychology. But like his favorite professor once told him, “Great counselors are born, not trained. You either have it, or you don’t, Sean. You have the gift.”

The ability to read people, to feel what they were feeling, transcended mere body language or tone of voice. It was an almost ethereal vibe that he drew from others. It occasionally made people nervous.

“If you’d rather go to bed, I can show you to my…our room,” he corrected.

“No,” she shook off the suggestion. “Thank you. I’ll be fine. If they are here with you, then I’m sure they’ve been properly vetted.”

He bobbed his head once and then led her into the study.

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet my wife, Adriana.”

She nodded at the others. “Hello,” she said smoothly.

Tommy and Magnus glided over to give her hugs. The latter squeezed her extra tight.

“My dear,” he said, taking a step back, “you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Just tired, Magnus. I’m fine. Thank you.”

Adriana noticed Kevin in the corner and smiled politely. “Dr. Clark, it’s good to see you again.” She offered the greeting genuinely. Adriana understood Kevin’s opinions about Tommy and the IAA, and while she disagreed with his assessment, she could respect the man and his opinions as merely misplaced from a differing perspective.

“You as well,” Kevin said. “Please, call me Kevin. I think we’re well beyond the formalities now.”

She nodded her understanding.

“I’m Special Agent Tabitha Strong,” Tabitha said, stepping forward to offer her hand.

“She’s MI6,” Tommy whispered, pretending to be impressed.

Tabitha shot him a warning glance and shook Adriana’s hand.

“A pleasure, I’m sure,” Adriana purred. Then she turned to Sean. “I apologize for being so direct, but I heard about the attack on Kevin’s camp.”

A few surprised eyes blinked in surprise.

“How did you hear about that?” Tabitha asked. “Sean said you were in Madrid. I don’t believe that’s been shared in the media.”

“It hasn’t. I don’t trust the media.”

“She has other ways of gathering information,” Sean added.

“So it would seem,” Tabitha mused.

“Would you mind catching me up to speed?” Adriana asked.

Sean ran through the events of the last few days, including his interception of Kevin in Bulgaria, their escape to Stockholm, and then, eventually, to Magnus Sorenson’s home.

“If they could find you at the hotel in Stockholm, they can find you here,” Adriana said. “It’s not safe here.”

Magnus took his turn at looking surprised. “I assure you, my dear, no one is going to find us here. We are quite safe.”

“I’m not so sure,” she said, stalking over to one of the large windows that looked out at the fields beyond the rear of the house.

“I have guards on duty twenty-four hours a day. We are safe, for now.”

Tommy turned his head in surprise. “For now? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means we need to keep moving,” Sean answered.

“Possibly,” Magnus agreed in part. “I would prefer not to test my security measures if at all possible. But I do think we are safe for the night. We should get some sleep and then move out in the morning.”

Adriana looked back over her shoulder at the Swede. “Where are we going?”

“Moscow,” Magnus said.

At the sight of her confusion, Sean clarified. “We are going to a cathedral there to look for the relics of Saint Alexius. We believe he had something, a gem or stone, that will help us with this whole mystery.”

She held back the information her father and Miyamoto had shared. Adriana didn’t know Tabitha, and even though she was familiar with Kevin, she wasn’t sure she could trust him. Not yet. His camp had been attacked, but he could have been the one covering up evidence, directing the killers when and where to hit. The convenience of his absence during the assault had not escaped her, and she decided that keeping certain information from him might be the most prudent course for the moment.

“And what mystery is that?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

Sean explained the theory about the pyramids and the Cult of Thoth. Adriana held back her surprise at his knowledge of the cult. While they’d discussed it in vagaries in the past, she didn’t know how much he actually knew about it.

“We know it sounds far-fetched,” Tommy added after Sean finished. “Pyramids all over the world as some sort of ancient network for a doomsday weapon? Insane. But based on what we’ve learned so far, it seems to add up. And whoever attacked Kevin’s site wanted that tablet.”

Her first instinct was to take the tablet, run outside, and smash it into a