by Kyle Noe
Marin eyed every inch of the room, and then her gaze landed on Quinn.
“I hope you can explain exactly what happened.”
“I can,” Quinn said.
Marin nodded and gestured for the Syndicate guards to follow as she turned and exited.
Cody helped Quinn to her feet, then whispered, “What the hell did we just do?”
“We struck the first blow against the Syndicate.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Resist
Giovanni stood at the top of the Stratosphere, looking out over the oasis of Vegas at night. Once, this place would have been full of bright lights, but now, to keep away the attention of the Syndicate and any possible roaming eyes, it had gone black. Which cut down on light pollution, and made the stars visible.
Somewhere out there, Quinn was likely fighting alongside the Syndicate, looking for a way of escape, wondering if her daughter was still alive. Or, perhaps, she had already lost hope. And then there was her daughter, Sammy … feeling abandoned, hopeless.
All because of those Syndicate sons of bitches.
The thought ate at Giovanni and he gripped the railing, feeling like he could tear it from the wall and break it in half.
Then a voice sounded, instantly calming him.
“We will win, you know.”
He turned back to see Luke, staring at him, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face.
Disbelieving, Giovanni lowered his gaze. “Are we all screwed here?” Giovanni asked.
“I’ll be honest.” Luke stepped up beside him, looked out over the city, and then placed a hand on Giovanni’s. “We’re going to rip them to shreds. They have no idea what’s coming, because when we’re done with those Syndicate invaders, they’ll be begging us to let them die.”
A warm tingle went up Giovanni’s arm, and for a moment he wanted to laugh. But instead, he dropped Luke’s hand, took him by the shoulders, and kissed him. It wasn’t anything like he had expected, but better in odd ways. He tasted of coffee and nutmeg and his lips were firm, not soft and delicate like so many books described lips as they were meant to be.
And with that first taste, Giovanni wanted more. He wanted to never let go.
It was only when Luke pulled back with a gasp for air and a look of Whoa on his face that Giovanni bit his lip and doubted his action.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have, I—”
He was interrupted as Luke came in for more, kissing his cheek and then his neck, but that’s where he stopped. His hand ran through Giovanni’s hair, and the two stood there in an embrace.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.” Luke pulled back, brow furrowed. “But you kept pushing me away.”
“I—I wasn’t sure.”
“Of me? My feelings?”
“Whether it was the smart move, in light of all this.”
Luke nodded, and turned back out to the horizon beyond the city. “Out there, those bastards want us dead. But when you have something worth fighting for, you push yourself that much harder.”
“And if I lose you?”
“It’ll hurt, but then you’ll fight even harder. For justice. For revenge. Or so that the rest of the world won’t suffer as you did.”
Luke took him again, pulling him close and resting his coarse cheek against Giovanni’s. “What matters is that we’re true to ourselves along the way.”
“You sound like a commercial for a self-help book,” Giovanni said, with a laugh.
“Better than a commercial for suicide by inaction.”
“I don’t know what that means,” Giovanni said. “And what makes you so confident anyway?”
“Finally got an intel report back that confirms our inside person is legit,” Luke said. “We’ve got a real shot.”
“I could kiss you right now,” Giovanni said, as he held his gaze. Then he went ahead and followed through. Pulling back, he said, “So, we’re doing this? Me and you?”
Luke smirked. “Fuck ‘em, right?”
“Fuck ‘em.”
“Come on,” Luke said, taking him by the hand and leading him to the elevator. “We have to get ready. We’re moving north. That child your friend was talking about? I asked, and turns out she’d be somewhere around the region we’re headed. You’ll likely find out soon enough if she’s alive or not.”
“And Quinn?”
“The Marine?” Luke glanced up at the sky. “Shit, if you meet her again, it might be at the end of her gun.”
“She wouldn’t pull the trigger.”
“Like the intel says, the implants self-destruct. She doesn’t really get a say in the matter.”
“She’d likely let herself be destroyed.”
“I think you’re forgetting the very thing you were just fretting over. She may love you. You may be like a brother to her. But her daughter will always be more important to her, and she won’t give up until she knows she’s safe.”
They reached the elevator and waited for the doors to open, then Luke gave him a skeptical look. “But let’s hope we never have to find out.”
Epilogue
Quinn lay in bed, trying to imagine what Marin had in store for her, and pondering what the temporal totems could really mean. They were their ticket out of there. And so far, it seemed pretty damn clear that the objects had to do with time travel of some sort, though that didn’t exactly make sense. At this point, she didn’t give a damn if it made sense, though, as long as there was a chance she could end it and someday be reunited with her daughter again.
She was about to close her eyes and get some sleep, when a grinding noise sounded and the door opened. With a jolt she was up, ready for Marin or her entourage of guards, but as the figure stepped forward, she relaxed at the silhouette she had come to recognize clearly—Cody.
“Wh—what is it?” she asked. “A new discovery or something?”
“Something,” he replied, and then approached her. Before she knew what was happening, he had wrapped his arms around her and his hips were pressed firmly against hers.
She pulled back, staring at him in the near darkness, and asked, “What the hell was that?”
“We’re playing with fire here,” he said. “It could all end at any moment, for either of us. I couldn’t imagine that happening without ever having kissed you.”
She breathed in deep with that thought and, as troubling as it was, it made her smile.
“I’m sorry if I—” he began, but his words were cut off as she now grabbed him, pulled him close, and showed him some real passion with a kiss that lingered.
After several seconds, she pulled back. “I’m not kissing you because of what you said. I’m doing it because I know we’re going to kick their asses, and when we do I don’t want any awkward, built-up sexual tension between us. I want you at my side, holding my hand in victory, because we’re going to take them down together.”
And as she took him again, this time throwing him onto the bed and joining him a second later as she removed her shirt, she knew her words were true. Those alien bastards and all the traitorous cowards who stuck with them were going to pay.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
KYLE NOE
Kyle spent five years at the FBI working in counterintelligence, espionage, arms trafficking, CyberWarfare, CT, human trafficking, a stint building the Director's Briefing, a stint working with the National Security Council on an international case, a stint on Presidential Transition Briefs. Five years in Marine Intelligence, specifically Light Armored Recon Intel. Mostly building profiles, targeting portfolios on individuals, and targeting portfolios on groups and specific military units and off-the-radar non-gov militarized teams owned by corporations or governments. And left the intel world behind to pursue his passion for storytelling and has since co-created a TV show for Sony Studios and Barry Josephson.
GEORGE MAHAFFEY
George S. Mahaffey Jr. is a practicing lawyer, author, and screenwriter. As an author he’s written AMITYVILLE
: ORIGINS, AMITYVILLE: REVENANTS, RAZORBACKS I, RAZORBACKS II, RAZORBACKS III, THE PACT, FAMILIARS (Book 1), THE DEVIL’S ARK, and VERTICAL CITY: A ZOMBIE THRILLER (Parts 1 through 4). In addition, his script HEATSEEKERS was bought by Paramount with Michael Bay producing and Timur Bekmambetov directing. He’s also sold or written scripts for Arnold Kopelson, Blumhouse, Benderspink, Thousand Words, directors Louis Leterrier and Paul McGuigan, has co-created a TV show for Sony and Barry Josephson, and is the creator of IN THE DUST, a kick-ass action-horror graphic novel in the vein of 30 DAYS OF NIGHT to be published by Top Cow with art by Christian Duce.
JUSTIN SLOAN
Justin Sloan is the bestselling author of the epic fantasy series FALLS OF REDEMPTION, the urban fantasy werewolf series CURSED NIGHT, the tough-guy urban fantasy series MODERN NECROMANCY, and coauthor of the vampire post-apocalyptic series RECLAIMING HONOR (A Kurtherian Gambit series) with Michael Anderle.
He also writes video games such as Game of Thrones and Walking Dead, and has sold/optioned several screenplays/teleplays. Because of his five years in the U.S. Marines, you just might find some of his Devil Dog attitude coming to play in his novels. Justin's books are available in audio and print editions, and he has sold Turkish and French rights to several of his series.
AUTHOR NOTES
KYLE NOE
For me, writing the Syndicate Wars had been as cathartic as it’s been exciting. When Justin asked me to co-write with him, at first I hesitated because I was busy with a television pitch and a feature, but when we bounced around the ideas, I realized this was a chance to tell a story that would be fun to create, as well as an opportunity to share some of my experiences in the Marines.
But one thing I wanted to add was more action and style that I knew my screenwriting partner, George, had a knack for. So, I introduced them, and our common passion for storytelling got our wheels turning fast.
The best part, though, has been having an excuse to email, text, and call between the three of us. We were already friends, but now we’ve got a camaraderie that will stand the test of time (and time travel).
Can’t wait to share the story with you all, and looking forward to your thoughts as we continue to expand the universe and story. You can find me at www.twitter.com/BookRumors.
All the best!
GEORGE MAHAFFEY
I was excited when I was first approached by Justin and Kyle about collaborating on SYNDICATE WARS for several reasons. First, I was eager to work on something that I could see through after writing a bunch of sci-fi scripts for producers, including one that was going to star The Rock in a sci-fi reimagining of STAGE COACH (the old John Wayne movie), that never got made.
Second, Kyle had come up with a cool time travel twist that I thought elevated SYNDICATE WARS above some of the other, really great indie-published sci-fi books.
Third, there was the central character of Quinn, a female Marine, a single-mother who kicks some major ass after the aliens invade. I thought Quinn was a really interesting character, a woman with a complicated past plopped down in an alien prison with a group of motley men, someone readers would be able to relate to and rally around. All she wants to do is stay true to herself, defeat the invaders, and get back to see her little girl. Very compelling stuff, especially given the circumstances.
With all of that in mind, I sat down and helped write Book 1, mindful all the while of maintaining the right balance between character and action. We were all really cognizant about keeping the story tight and exciting without sacrificing those great “campfire” moments that we all love between the core characters. There’s a fine line between action and “action fatigue,” and God willing, we struck the right balance. We hope you have as much fun reading Book 1 as we had writing it and will stick around for subsequent books as we follow Quinn and the other Marines on their journey to turn the tables on the aliens and find a way back to Earth.
JUSTIN SLOAN
This is just the first book of several on a journey that I’m sure you are going to love as much as we love putting it all together. The journey that brought us here wasn’t actually that long of one—I was doing my Kurtherian Gambit Universe series with Michael Anderle (mine being the Reclaiming Honor series), and it was kicking butt. So when George and Kyle started chatting about doing more space stuff (the connection there being that a lot of the KGU stuff is in space, and mine is headed there), it seemed like a natural fit for several reasons.
First, Kyle and I both served in the Marines, so the idea of doing some cool Space Marines stuff sounded perfect. We also both studied in the Johns Hopkins MA in writing program, and I know from my time there what an awesome writer he is.
Second, George is a cool dude. I didn’t know him before, but went to a speech by him when he was a guest speaker in one of my Johns Hopkins screenwriting classes. I was impressed back then, so when Kyle introduced us recently, I was ready to see what he wanted to do. That and he has had some success in Hollywood AND published a few books already.
Third and lastly, I love being involved in as many projects as possible, apparently. People make fun of me for it and say it’s my weakness, but I don’t care. I have to be creating—I love it too much!
All that being said, I have to give credit where it’s due and point out that Kyle and George did a LARGE majority of the heavy lifting for this book. I was involved, did some outlining and writing, but not nearly to the extent that they did. So bravo to them! I hope it was all seamless, because with three writers it could get tricky right away. I know, because I’ve been in writing situations where it did not go as smoothly as this project has gone.
But guess what? We still have five books to write! Two and three are coming soon, and I plan to be more involved as we progress. It’s going to blow your mind, where we’re taking this, and the writing and characters are just going to keep getting better and better as the three of us learn how to work with each other on whole new levels.
In the meantime, if you could head over to Amazon and Goodreads and leave us a review, that would be SUPER APPRECIATED. Also, telling your friends is always great. Give us a like on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SyndicateWars, or check out my newsletter for other stories and so that you’ll never miss an update – www.JustinSloanAuthor.com.
I look forward to hearing what you think of the series! Take care.
OTHER BOOKS BY GEORGE
AMITYVILLE: ORIGINS (Book 1 of 2)
AMITYVILLE: REVENANTS (Book 2 of 2)
FAMILIARS
RAZORBACKS I
RAZORBACKS II
RAZORBACKS III
THE DEVIL’S ARK
THE PACT
VERTICAL CITY: A ZOMBIE THRILLER (Books 1-4)
Books by Justin Sloan
The Hidden Magic Chronicles
Shades of Light
Shades of Dark (2017)
FALLS OF REDEMPTION (Epic Fantasy Series)
Land of Gods
Retribution Calls
Tears of Devotion
Tribulations End (2017)
RECLAIMING HONOR (A Kurtherian Gambit Series - vampires and werewolves)
Justice is Calling
Claimed by Honor
Judgment has Fallen
Angel of Reckoning
MODERN NECROMANCY (Urban Fantasy Trilogy)
Death Marked
Death Bound
Death Crowned
ALLIE STROM (Urban Fantasy Trilogy)
Allie Strom and the Ring of Solomon
Allie Strom and the Sword of the Spirit
Allie Strom and the Tenth Worthy
CURSED NIGHT (Supernatural Thriller/ Urban Fantasy)
Hounds of God
Hounds of Light
If you enjoyed this book, you can grab book 2 on Amazon (preorder for $0.99)! Stay up to date by following us at www.Facebook.com/SyndicateWars.
You can also grab a FREE Syndicate Wars short story (following Quinn’s daughter!) on Instafreebie, by signing up for the newsletter.
&n
bsp; Want to read a sneak peek of Justin and George’s other new series (post-apoc thriller)? Here’s how it starts… Lucky you! To ensure you don’t miss it, and for other freebies and updates, be sure to sign up for the newsletter at www.JustinSloanAuthor.com, or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/JustinSloanAuthor.
BLOOD RUNNERS: ABSOLUTION
Marisol, or “Sling,” as some of the Olders called her, held her rifle at shoulder level to peer through the scope, searching, hunting. The dark blue skies of pre-dawn cast a blue hue across New Chicago, and then she saw him, saw the man in the window, always staring out from that skyrise, one of the few that remained, gazing in her direction.
Well, not her specifically, but to the barracks inhabited by the hunters, the area where she and the other so-called “Apes” lived.
Their predecessors, cops and national guardsmen and the like, had worked to restore law and order after First Light (the local euphemism for the Unraveling, the purported solar storm that ended the old ways) and the populace, upon seeing them arrive for the first time in their militarized, then-shimmering black gear and body armor, had nicknamed them Apes.
The name stuck and the youngest of the Apes, Marisol, took some small measure of satisfaction from seeing images in the basin of the long-dead creatures with their muscle-quilted bodies and silver backs and faces seemingly screwed up in perpetual disgust. They were strong and powerful, and so was she.