Wanted Man (Loki Fanfiction - Book #1)

Chapter Seven

Dinner that night was on The Winchester's rear veranda, where the ocean breeze blew in to cool off the day's heat and humidity. For the first time since the Chitauri blasted their way into her apartment, McKenna relaxed. It might have been being at the shore. Maybe it was the vanilla martini. She didn't know and she didn't care. All that mattered was that she finally relaxed.

The same couldn't be said for Loki, however, as he was anything but relaxed. All through dinner, his eyes darted about and twice, he snapped about in his chair, as if he thought someone was trying to sneak up on him. When he did it the first time, she said, "What's the matter?"

He'd turned back to her, but didn't look at all at ease. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

The second time, she'd peered around him, staring in the same direction. All she saw were couples and families enjoying their meals. Nothing more and nothing less.

When it was time for coffee, he snapped about again. "Loki, what are you looking for?" she asked, stirring creamer into her cup.

"Something doesn't feel right," he said, frowning as he turned back to her.

"Doesn't feel right, how?" She remembered the way her hair all stood on end right before the Chitauri showed up. "Do you think they're here?"

"I think it possible. They're shapeshifters, so they might not be in their true form, as they were in your apartment."

"I didn't get a good look at them and why do I think that's probably just as well."

"They're reptilian. More skeleton-like, though."

"Of course they are." She stared at her coffee mug. She'd ordered decaf. Maybe she should've ordered Irish. "They sound lovely."

He rose abruptly from his chair. "Come. We need to go."

"Loki, I still have to pay the bill." She signaled to the waitress, who came over to them. "The check, please."

"Of course."

As the waitress darted off, Loki sank in his chair, his legs sprawling out beneath the table, and he drummed his fingers restlessly on the tabletop until the waitress returned with McKenna's credit card and receipt. Then, when McKenna signed the copies and tucked everything back into her wallet, he practically jumped up and grabbed her hand.

"What the..." Her feet barely touched the decking as he propelled her down the rear steps onto the beach. She stumbled, but managed to remain upright as he all but dragged her away from the Winchester. Finally, she dug in her heels and yanked hard on his arm. "Stop!"

He did, and didn't look at all happy about it. "What?"

"That's what I want to know." She jerked her hand free. "What's going on?"

"I told you, something wasn't right."

"Well, what something? If it was Chitauri, wouldn't they have just shot the place to hell? They didn't seem to be all that concerned with who all they hit or what they destroyed in Brunswick."

He glanced over his shoulder, where only empty white sand lay between them and the B&B. He did a slow scan of their surroundings, shaking his head as he turned back to her. "No. I don't think it's Chitauri. S.H.I.E.L.D is another story, however."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. S.H.I.E.L.D? I'm sorry, but," she held up a hand, "who is S.H.I.E.L.D?"

He met her stare now and rake his free hand through his hair. "They are the brains behind the Avengers Initiative. I'll assume you've heard of them."

"Captain America? Iron Man? That Avengers Initiative?"

He offered up a curt bob of his head. "The very same."