The Ides of July // Loki - Book 1 ✓

Chapter 28: Persuasion

THE SUMMER HEAT in Istanbul beats down on them as the sun sets beyond the horizon.

Loki and Anna spent the last few hours camped out at a small internet cafe, where she dug around Twitter for any mention of Rifat. He'd initially connected with her via the social network, so naturally she returned to it first. The Asgardian god sat next to her, his green eyes burning into her as he watched her type on the keyboard with amazement. He was familiar with Midgardian technology after several brief stints on Earth, but the lack of such devices on Asgard meant they are always uniquely captivating. Anna laughed at him when he asked her the purpose of the mouse, demonstrating how it moved the tiny white arrow around the screen and allowed her to select items.

Finally, after scouring the internet for anyone connected to Rifat and sending out a few queries, the two returned to the streets.

"What now?" Loki asks her, rubbing a hand over the back of his sweat-drenched neck.

Upon their arrival in the Turkish city, he used his magic to trade his traditional Asgardian armor for a dark green cotton button down and black slacks, allowing him to attempt to blend in. However, with his pale skin - flushed pink from exertion - and height, he and Anna stick out like a sore thumb in the sticky heat of the evening.

Although he hates to admit it, his Jötunn heritage makes these temperatures nigh unbearable. Anna, on the other hand, looks completely cool in jeans and a black tank top. She'd discarded the navy sweater Jane gave her in the cafe bathroom, and she opted to hold the leather jacket over one arm as they walk down the street instead of allowing Loki to charm it away with magic.

"Now, we wait," Anna says with a sigh.

They walked in silence for a few paces, heading north to who knows where, before Loki snags her hand and pulls her down a tiny side street to the left.

"What are you doing?" She demands, tugging against his grip.

He smirks, "You said we must wait. You never specified where."

She narrows her eyes at him, forgetting to resist him for a moment, before following where his gaze is pointing them. Straight ahead of them is a gorgeous neo-classical building with red awnings covering the first floor windows. In all of its splendor, the Pera Palace Hotel - also known as the oldest hotel in Istanbul - is the only thing Anna can see for a split second.

"Loki," she gasps in awe. "We can't. We don't have any money. I left my credit card at the Tower. We were lucky enough to convince the manager of the internet cafe to let us use a computer as long as we did."

"We can," Loki insists, dropping her hand and pressing his palm into the small of her back to guide her forward.

"How?" She turns to him, confusion written all over her delicate features.

The Asgardian laughs, "Persuasion, my dear."

"You mean magic," she replies with a frown. "You're going to steal."

Loki lifts an eyebrow, his green eyes peering into Anna's blue ones. Her eyebrows are knitted together in a serious expression, clearly intending to convince him against this by voicing her disapproval, but Loki can't help but laugh at her reaction.

"Borrowing," he tells her. "If a room happens to be unoccupied, we are simply doing the hotel a service."

"By making them do more work!" Anna insists, hugging her injured arm to her chest.

He sighs, "Yes. More work. Work that - if I'm not mistaken - will provide employees with ample wages to compensate their valiant efforts. We are simply increasing their pay. You can hardly think that a crime, or do you not want to see the lesser mortals succeeding?"

Anna huffs at his logic, turning away from him, and storming toward the hotel. There is no arguing with the man, especially when he has such twisted logic that turns her into the bad guy. Loki laughs at her back, which only fuels her frustration as she picks up the pace. He catches her in a few long strides as they come to the end of the side street, now standing on the sidewalk across from the hotel's grand exterior.

"Shall we?" He asks, a smug smile plastered across his face.

Rolling her eyes, Anna shakes her head and steps onto the street to check traffic before crossing. A white van flies toward them, and she looks back at Loki while waiting for it to pass. Her eyes land on his, sheer panic replacing his smile, as her world goes black.

Rough hands grab her, causing her wounded arm to scream with pain as she lets out a muffled cry through the black hood. Her wrists twist behind her, quickly bound with zip ties, and she is tossed like a sack of flour into what she assumes is the back of a vehicle. Loki's cry of pain follows, along with a sickening thud, as the unconscious Asgardian is somehow bested by a squad of militants and thrown into the van next to her.

Now playing: "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin.

*****
Author Note

Ah, the Pera Palace Hotel. I've had dinner there, and it was absolutely breathtaking. It's rumored that Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express at the hotel! Ernest Hemingway and Alfred Hitchcock were both guests of the hotel as well.

At the time of my visit, I was completely unaware of this. I was simply enraptured by the gorgeous hotel restaurant on a terrace overlooking the city! (Fun fact: sitting at that hotel restaurant, I began writing my first novel! Is it a sign?)

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