Extorted

This post is for the Five Sentence Fiction Challenge that you can find on Lilith McFerrin Writes. You can find her site  http://lilliemcferrin.com/. This word for this week was "Fearless".


The initials emblazoned on their jackets looked surreal and it wasn't until the young one was seated in our bedroom, draperies closed, scarfing down my spaghetti as if he hadn't eaten in months, that I began to see the men under the agency insignia.

It started with a note imprisoned under the windshield wiper of the truck left overnight in the driveway, opening to letters cut from newspaper and magazine, pointing out how much THEY knew about our family, how dangerous THEY were, stating that $50,000 seemed a fair price for OUR safety.

A bag would be dropped, agents hiding in cab and bed of the truck made invisible by the dark summer night, protected by snipers concealed on corners and side streets, assuring capture of the perpetrator that had stolen our safety and the peace of mind of this small, rural town.

The bullet proof vest was strapped onto the torso of my ashen-faced husband, adjusted by practiced hands that delivered driving instructions in measured tones that were intended to be reassuring but left us staring at each other across the room in disbelief, trying to telepath our love for each other with our eyes, until it was time for them all to file into the darkened garage.

He had a need to stay focused and calm, my mate, in this moment of insane circumstance, so not wanting my fear to walk out that door with him, to keep him safe and reassured, I did what women around the world have always done when sending their men into an unknown danger, I  adjusted my face and did the only thing I could think to do...I smiled and blew him a kiss.