Chapter 7: Keep Your Guard Up
May 28, 2016
Pacific Grand Hotel
The day before the operation both teams checked into the hotel where the wedding reception will be held. The hotel was scoped and surveyed for any planted explosives, cameras were also placed at the exits and entrances of the halls to keep an eye on every move of everyone in the hotel. But with three hundred guests and one hundred staff members, it will a much more difficult job to do.
On the day of the operation, the wedding ceremony concluded without any hitch. With a smaller area to secure and with limited guests, it was much easier to contain the situation and prevent any dilemmas. Takumi and Tora was part of the minister's entourage to make sure he was well protected since he was the number one target of the supposedly hit man. Since he helped pass a legislation in the government, a few influential criminals have put a bounty on his head therefore endangering his life.
After the wedding, the security team met up with the two teams to go over their strategies and came up with an emergency plan in case something unexpected occur. The difficult part of their assignment will start during the reception. With a larger area to cover and over three hundred civilians to scrutinize, it will be much easier for people to walk in and out of the function undetected but with the security team in full alert it will be more difficult for the supposedly suspects to get in.
With everything set, they all got ready for the big event. The girls returned to their own room and changed their attires. Shizuko wore a purple flowy dress and sported a pixie cut hairstyle, she replaced her eye glasses with a pair of contacts and opted for a natural look. On the other hand, Sakura wore a baby pink cocktail dress and put her curly hair down. Misaki dyed her hair back to dark raven and straightened her wavy locks. She chose to wear a fitted black dress that stopped a few inches above her knees and paired it with a black stiletto. She completed her look with a nude eye makeup with bold red lips.
They all headed to the hall together to blend in with the guests. Guests were starting to pour in and with the security thoroughly inspecting each guest, the line moved very slow and the outside hallway became crowded. On her turn, Misaki casually opened her clutch which contained a handgun and couple of cartridges. Yukimura quickly looked through it and let her pass through.
"Enjoy the party," he said. She gave him a small smile and walked into the hall. She paused for a minute as she took in the appearance of the ballroom. The once dull and empty room was decorated with such elegance that she sighed in amazement. A big chandelier hung on the ceiling, located in the middle and four huge lavender fabrics draped down from the ceiling to the corners of the room. All the tables were covered with white linen and were decorated with a tall glass vase with white hydrangea and candlelight's as centerpieces. The table of the bride and grooms matched the theme with lavender covers and light settings, it was located on the man-made stage right at the very front with the bridesmaids and grooms' men's table.
Misaki walked towards the bar as she continued to bask in the beauty of the room while the rest of the girls went to their posts. The guests were slowly occupying the venue, a few were clustered in groups as they greeted each other and socialized, unwary of the fact that their lives might be in danger. With many politicians and important people in the hall, the hotel was also packed with bodyguards in standby. It will be more difficult for someone to create a disturbance with everyone on their guards. But working for 2 years in the field she realized that anything is possible as long as the person has a motive. Her thoughts were cut short when she heard someone speak.
"Rough night?" The husky voice muttered on her right. A smile graced her lips as she remembered the same incident a few weeks earlier.
"You have no idea," He broke into a smile as she faced him.
"You look beautiful tonight, I almost didn't recognize you,"
"It is probably the hair," his gaze shifted to her hair.
"I like it,"
She smiled from his compliment and looked back at the crowd. He continued to study her face, admiring her beauty from the side.
"Dance with me?"
She crossed her arms and arched her brows, reliving their first encounter. They both had different agendas at the time, it might not have been the most ideal way to meet someone but it sure made a great impression on both of them.
"Remember the last time you asked me to dance?" she cocked her head to the side.
"It is different this time," he winked and extended his hand to her, despite shaking her head in disbelief she took his and they moved to the floor with a few other couples.
He placed his hands on the small of her back, "You were seducing me that day,"
"I did not do such thing," she laughed, it was becoming easier to joke around with him.
"Hair flipping, batting your eyes at me. You were totally attracted to me," he moved his eyebrows suggestively.
"Required for the job," she smirked at him. Never in her life would she actually do that in real life.
"Are you saying that you are doing your job now? Because in real life you are aloof and cruel but in the field, you act sweet and flirty,"
She pulled him closer and while staring into his eyes she kicked him on the shin, "What do you think?"
"Yup. Still you," He slightly winced then buried his face on her shoulder while chuckling. His lips graced her exposed neck and her skin tingled in response. She felt her skin become hotter, deciding to not show him her vulnerable side, she hid her face on his shoulder and he smiled warmly at her actions.
"It is much easier to be liked with this façade," she sighed as she held her head up. She couldn't possibly show her vicious side during their missions. It was hard at first to act sweet and innocent in front of her targets without pulling out the gun to shoot them on the face. It took a lot of self control but she eventually got the hang of it.
"For what it is worth, I like your cruel side as well," he whispered to her ears. Her head moved to the side as his breath tickled her, she gripped his shoulders tighter and he grinned in satisfaction.
"Am I turning you on?" she rolled her eyes and shoved him to put some distance between them.
"No," but her face said other wise.
"Are you guys fucking flirting right now?" Kuuga asked on the other line "We are in the middle of a mission,"
They almost forgot that there were people that could hear them as well. Misaki realizing her action quickly looked away in embarrassment
"Save it for later," Tora exclaimed.
"We know," Takumi exhaled as the others laughed in response. The jokes were put aside as Kanou cut in their conversation.
"Stand in position. They are entering the venue," Kanou alerted them. Misaki pulled out from his hold to recollect herself and focus on her task, it wasn't the right time to get distracted. The dance floor cleared out and they all took their seats
"Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce you Mr. and Mrs. Eito Fujioka," the host introduced the married couple. The white door on the left corner of the room opened, it was decorated with flowers and silk streaming on the sides to a floral arch. An upbeat song played as the bride and groom danced their way inside, the guests erupted into cheers. Misaki fell in silence as she watched the bride move in her elegant white dress.
The couple stood at the front and gave a small speech, "I would just like to thank you all for coming to take part in this wonderful occasion with me and my beautiful wife. I hope that you enjoy the night," he handed back the mic to the host.
"Please take your seats as they take their first dance as a married couple," hand in hand they stepped onto the dance floor. As their wedding song began playing, the floor lighted up with different colors. A slight yearning crossed Misaki's eyes as she watched the couple happily swaying, lost in each other's eyes. She wondered if she will ever find someone to spend the rest of her life with. With the kind of job, she was in, is it ever possible to settle down and have a family? Her gaze moved to the blonde guy sitting on her left. She caught on with the reality and mentally slapped herself for putting unrealistic ideas in her head. She focused her attention back to the couple and set aside the thought, she promised herself that she will never make the same mistake that her parents did before.
As the night slowly come to an end, there was no sign of any problem. They slowly relaxed in their seats and gradually let their selves enjoy the party. The best man and the maid of honor gave a speech, letting in the guests with the couple's love story and how they fell in love with each other while adding in some quirky jokes here and there. The reception went to an emotional turn as the parents gave their final speech. It made Misaki think of her late parents, they wouldn't even be able to see her if she ever gets married. The wedding sure took her to an emotional roller coaster ride, she laughed silently.
After the meals and cutting the cake, the program ended and the floor was left to the guests. Music began playing and the guests started gathering on the dance floor. Everyone was enjoying themselves and drinking the night away when a loud shot thundered over the music and a couple of guests let out a shriek. Three more shots followed and the music was cut off. The screams of terror enveloped the walls of the venue. The security and both teams were caught off guard. Some guests and staff took cover behind the tables while the others made a run for it, with gunshots firing from every direction it was hard to decipher how many suspects there were.
Shizuko spotted a man pulling out his gun from the next table, aiming for a government official hiding behind the table on her right. She pulled out her hand gun and shot the gun out of his hand.
"What is the status?" Misaki asked as she looked around for the minister. Her main priority was to get him out of there safely.
"There's more than one shooter," Hinata informed them. With many civilians still trapped inside, it was hard for them to aim at the suspects.
Misaki and Takumi was luckily seated near the stage. She spotted the minister squatted down at one of the champagne table with the bride looking at the scene in front of them in bewilderment. It was then when she noticed a red laser pointing at his head, without thinking she hastily ran to his side and pushed both of them out of the way, the shooter missed and hit the wall behind them.
"What is happening?" Eito asked in confusion
"I will explain later, lets get you both to safety first," with the gun fires mostly coming from the back of the room, she figured that they can escape from the exit near them.
"We caught two shooters," she heard from the other line.
"There's one more."
Misaki felt a strong torso come in contact with her back followed by a gunshot, her eyes widened in shock as she looked back at the person collapsed on the floor.
"Takumi," her voice trembled.