The Babysitter Protocol

After midnight, every question is a weapon.

Paul Arlen used to answer emergency calls for a living. Then one hesitation left a young woman dead-and destroyed the life he knew.

Now he takes whatever quiet work he can find. An overnight babysitting job at a remote glass house should be simple: watch twelve-year-old Thea and eight-year-old Owen until their parents return.

But the parents leave behind a black binder filled with rules no ordinary babysitter should ever need:

Do not let the children answer questions after midnight.

Never open the front door after 10:00 p.m.

If Owen says the other sitter is here, lock everyone in the pantry.

Paul assumes the rules are the product of frightened, overprotective parents.

Then the disconnected landline rings.

The caller sounds exactly like the children's mother. She knows Paul's home address. She knows what happened on his final emergency call. And she wants him to unlock the door.

As figures move through the woods and the house's security begins failing one system at a time, Paul discovers the children have been trained for this night. They know where to hide. They know how to hurt someone. And they know the protocol contains more than instructions for keeping intruders out.

Someone is coming for Thea and Owen.

To keep them alive until morning, Paul must decide which rules were written to protect the children-and which were written to control them.

The Babysitter Protocol is a relentless psychological thriller packed with home-invasion suspense, dangerous secrets, and a one-night fight for survival.