The Milestone Protocol by Ernest Dempsey (reading in the dark txt) 📗

this. We see the course of human events take bizarre, inexplicable turns now and then that are often blown off by people with the loudest microphones or the largest followings. Does that make their statements fact? Or does it simply mean those who listen to them are blinded by blissful ignorance?

One must wonder.

Are we having the wool pulled over our eyes? Is there a shadowy power controlling everything, pulling strings with unseen fingers?

Clues are there throughout history, and the power players involved can be found if you know where to look with open eyes.

The question is, what will you do with the truth if you find it?

Other Books By Ernest Dempsey

Sean Wyatt Adventures:

The Secret of the Stones

The Cleric's Vault

The Last Chamber

The Grecian Manifesto

The Norse Directive

Game of Shadows

The Jerusalem Creed

The Samurai Cipher

The Cairo Vendetta

The Uluru Code

The Excalibur Key

The Denali Deception

The Sahara Legacy

The Fourth Prophecy

The Templar Curse

The Forbidden Temple

The Omega Project

The Napoleon Affair

The Second Sign

The Milestone Protocol

Adriana Villa Adventures:

War of Thieves Box Set

When Shadows Call

Shadows Rising

Shadow Hour

The Relic Runner - A Dak Harper Series

The Relic Runner Origin Story

The Adventure Guild:

The Caesar Secret: Books 1-3

The Carolina Caper

Beta Force:

Operation Zulu

London Calling

Paranormal Archaeology Division:

Hell’s Gate

Acknowledgments

As always, I would like to thank my terrific editors for their hard work. What they do makes my stories so much better for readers all over the world. Anne Storer and Jason Whited are the best editorial team a writer could hope for and I appreciate everything they do.

I also want to thank Elena at L1 Graphics for her tremendous work on my book covers and for always overdelivering. Elena definitely rocks.

Last but not least, I need to thank all my wonderful fans and especially the advance reader team. Their feedback and reviews are always so helpful and I can’t say enough good things about all of them.

Hidden Chapter

Atlanta

Mr. Ellerby steered the car into the neighborhood as the sun peeked over the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east.

After getting word from Sean and Tommy that the cult and its leader had been wiped out, Tara and Alex alerted the Ellerbys that it was okay to take the kids home. Helen had already been up making biscuits and gravy, fried potatoes, and eggs.

Once the group finished their breakfast, they thanked Helen and Mack for their hospitality, and left to head back to Atlanta.

When the two-car convoy arrived, the kids’ parents were standing in the driveway waiting. Relief and exhaustion wore on their faces from worrying about their kids. Despite the fact the Ellerbys had been with them all along, Maria and Rick were completely drained.

Corin and Diego climbed out of the car and ran up the driveway, each embracing a parent for a long, tight hug.

“What in the world did you two get into?” Maria asked, pulling back from her son to look him over.

Diego shrugged, casting a sidelong glance at his step-sister. “It’s a long story,” he said with a hint of mischief.

“I’m sure it is,” Rick agreed.

Desmond walked up the driveway behind Corin and Diego. He stepped in between them, a broad grin streaked across his face. “You two should be proud.” He clapped his friends on the shoulders. “Your kids helped save the world.”

Rick and Maria shared a confused look.

“Oh, is that right?” Rick asked sarcastically. “Well, I’m sure we’ll get to hear all about it. For now, I know a couple of kids who need to eat breakfast.”

“We already ate at the McElroys’ cabin,” Corin chimed.

“Well, if it’s okay with you, Desmond, we’d like to spend a little time with our children. I’m sure your parents feel the same way.” Rick waved to the car. The Ellerbys raised their hands in the same silent greeting.

“Yes, they can play with you later today, Desmond,” Maria echoed.

The kids rolled their eyes at the insinuation that all they did was play. They were, after all, kind of heroes.

“Okay,” Desmond said. “I’ll catch up to you two later.” He waved goodbye and then returned to the car.

When the two vehicles disappeared around the corner, Diego and Corin led the way back into the house with their parents in tow.

They spent the next hour spilling all the details about what happened and how they’d helped foil a global conspiracy. Maria and Rick listened with feigned interest at the fiction their kids laid out. Both had to admit the details were pretty good, but in the end they blew it off as nothing more than kids exaggerating things. Still, the parents knew something happened for Corin and Diego to be gone so long without permission.

The kids had been with the Ellerbys, though, so all was probably okay. Maria and Rick would simply have to get the real story later.

After a long conversation, the kids went upstairs to get cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes.

When Corin finished getting dressed, she slid into her office chair and flipped open the tablet on the desk. She tapped the email icon and scanned over the first four emails in her inbox.

Three of the messages were from school teachers reminding her about Christmas Break reading assignments and what to expect when they returned to school in January. She rolled her eyes at the reminder that their vacation would be over as soon as it began, and instead focused on an email from an address she didn’t recognize.

At first, Corin suspected it was some kind of spam email, but when she tapped on it, the preview on the right side of the window displayed a cryptic, almost threatening message.

She read through the text, eyes growing wider with every line she consumed.

“Hey, Diego?” she half-shouted down the hallway.

Diego opened the door to his room and poked his head out. “Yeah?”

“Did you get a weird email this morning?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged.

“I think it’s copied to both of us,” she said.

“More teacher emails?”

“No. This is different. Come here and look for yourself.”

Diego sighed at the inconvenience, but emerged from his room in a T-shirt and jeans. He walked down the corridor and into her room, stopping