Ransom X

by I.B. Holder

  *****

  Wagner was waiting for her drink at a coffee shop across the street from Legacy’s apartment building when she watched him leave. She had just ordered a latte with three extra shots of espresso. The girl at the register had called the drink the “late nighter.” She spoke with a clumsy camaraderie that told Wagner that she thought that the young agent was a fellow student. There must have been a college campus nearby. For some reason, all she felt was anger. She thought “How can people lead normal lives when other people suffer from their inaction.” It was a college student thought.

  The male barista looked at Wagner’s hair tightly swept back across her pale forehead and decided to throw caution to the wind. “The all nighter.” He announced flashing his most charming smile. Wagner looked up at his eyes, he was cute, and it didn’t matter one bit to her.

  “I’ve decided I’d like it iced.” She pushed the drink back across the bar.