The Ides of July // Loki - Book 1 ✓

Chapter 5: Welcome to Restitution

THE SIGHTS, sounds, and smells of Istanbul blur to Anna. No longer entranced by this city she so passionately admired, she is repulsed by it and what memories it holds. One memory, in particular.

It's only been an hour and a half since it happened, but Anna feels as if she's been weighed down by the memory for a lifetime. With her arms loosely wrapped around the man driving the motorcycle, she lets her head rest against his back. He stiffens for a moment, only to relax a second later, but Anna doesn't notice. She's staring blankly out into the world, tinted dark by both the visor of her helmet and the memory of Rifat's murder.

Finally, the motorcycle slows to a stop outside of a large factory building. The parking lot is full of cars and empty of people, meaning everyone is still busy working inside. Every person is still going about his or her business - working, eating, living - leaving Anna with the sole burden of a man's death. Of course, no one here will be affected by the news. No one here will even know about it, let alone be expected to mourn for a man few in this city knew existed.

"Where are we?" she asks, her voice soft.

She releases her grip from the man, leaning back, and pulls off the helmet. Her throat is dry from the dust of their trip, and emotion is still caught deep in it. Sliding off the bike, she clutches the helmet tightly against her stomach.

"Nişantepe," the man replies without looking at her.

He dismounts from the bike and lifts the seat storage to reveal a small black bag tied with a drawstring. Checking its contents, he closes the storage compartment and reaches a hand to Anna. She stares at him for a moment, watching his outstretched palm, then glances back at his face.

"The helmet," he says with a smirk.

"Oh, of course," she replies, passing the helmet to him, her cheeks flushed. "Sorry."

Once the helmet is locked to the bike, he circles it and walks toward Anna. With one hand holding the drawstring bag, he reaches out with his other and tugs her elbow along with him in the direction of the building.

"Are we going inside?"

He nods. She stares up at the building, barely paying attention to her feet as she follows him toward an unmarked metal door. He opens it with a tug, and she's ushered into the factory floor. Her eyes take a moment to adjust to the relatively dim indoor lighting, and she jumps as the heavy door bangs shut behind her.

"Sorry," the man tells her, noting her jitters. "This way."

Anna follows him through the factory floor as they weave their way through production lines. Machinery whirs loudly, a steady thrumming pervading every inch of the building, with the occasional voice cutting through the static. Whatever they are working on isn't something she recognizes, so she stops studying the machinery and focuses on avoiding any potential collisions. After all, her mind can only process one thing at a time right now.

They cross to the other side of the factory where the air is significantly cooler. Anna shivers, the sweat drenching her shirt turning ice cold, and wraps her arms around her chest. Her arms shake ever-so-slightly as she clings to herself as if attempting to hold herself together. In front of her, the man guiding her presses a button to call the elevator, and they step inside a few seconds later.

The doors creak as they slide together, metal against metal, and he presses the number two. Instead of letting go of the button, he holds his thumb against it until the lights in the elevator flicker out only to be replaced instantly by an eerie red glow.

"What's happening?" Anna asks him, digging her nails into her biceps. "Where are we?"

He smirks, "Sorry for the cloak and dagger. Bit clichéd, if you ask me."

"That doesn't answer my question," she replies in a failed attempt to keep her voice level.

She lurches forward as the elevator jerks, tumbling against the wall. The man reaches forward to grasp her by the arm, steadying her, as the elevator doors grind against the platform while they open. A man in a crisp, tailored black suit stands across from them, his cold brown eyes trained precisely on Anna as she returns to her feet.

He smiles, "Welcome to Restitution."

Now playing: "Alive" by Sia.