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Syndicate Motel
A DarkSF Short Story by John Argo
A state trooper with oddly glittering sunglasses--on the vast, empty highways of a New Mexico or Arizona--busts Korinta and Sparto for a broken taillight. This initiates a strange pursuit that interferes with their mission to spy on mob bosses at a mysterious, sun-baked adobe motel surrounded by cactus and starlight.
Korinta and Sparto are male-female secret agent partners crossing the hostile deserts of the American Southwest on their way to an undercover assignment fraught with danger. They have a sort of time share going, as we learn. Korinta, the female, is a beautiful, sultry woman with secret agent cunning and martial arts skills to match. Sparto, the male, is tall, dark, and handsome as we would expect--not to mention the strong silent type; and just as deadly as the female of the species.
Along the way to the Syndicate Motel, Sparto takes a hike, Korinta learns to paint scenery, and together they stake out the mysterious desert motel. Their mission is to spy on a critical mob summit happening soon, and deliver key information back to their bosses at the spy agency.
Some of the high-level gangsters arrive in limousines--others in UFOs--and the stakes are (all too literally) sky-high. And, of course, everything goes wrong all at once for Korinta. This is one of those rare tale that's all there, but just as far out of this world. Maybe we should try that old chestnut that the sky's the limit. Yes, there is an interesting sex scene toward the end.
Who's to say what strange things happen in the twilight corners of reality, with nobody to report them. We should feel flattered that our planet is such a well-traveled resort…a distant shoal in the vast oceans of stars and galaxies, beckoning to the best and the worst of players for many a system.
Open this door on weird shadows that lurk behind, and above all--relax and have fun. It's all we can do in the face of such odd happenings.
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Read Free at my online bookshop (Galley City dot com). Short stories are free as of 2020. You can read the first half free, with the option to buy the whole book (if you wish) for the mere cost of a cup of coffee. A cup of latte is gone in minutes, but the e-book is yours forever. Print editions also priced as low as overhead will permit. Enjoy a good read, tell your friends, leave a favorable review online, and post on social media. The author appreciates your kindness. Thank you!
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No print edition currently available. Kindle e-book only.
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Browse or Buy at Amazon
The book linked at left is an e-book edition to browse; or buy & download from Amazon for your Kindle reader.
The middle link is for the corresponding print edition. Most of these are standard 6x9"; a few have added trim sizes available (5x8"). More info at Amazon.com.
Most print editions are also available at Barnes & Noble online; or call/visit your local bookstore to order.
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