Part 3

"Tonight's casino night, June!" Kamakura called. "Ready to go join the festivities?"

"Of course!" The girl approached her "husband" and gave him a kiss by the window. "As much as I'd love to spend our 2 week vacation in our room-alone-we ought to go and have fun at this prestigious place."

"Extensive Enterprises have made Hotel Escape the hottest place in Hawaii. We should go see why."

…. ….

All dressed up and fancy, Marie and Kamakura entered the hotel's ballroom with class and style. They blended in well with the other guests that were cavorting and playing at the different tables set all over the room. Exciting jazz music sounded throughout the area, making everyone feel happy and lively.

"We can talk more in here," Kamakura muttered. "There are too many people for hidden microphones to work here."

"We still need to play for the cameras, though," Marie pointed out.

"Right." Kamakura took her hand in his. "Shall we?"

They wandered around the room, socializing with the other guests and gambling a bit of government money on the side. They kept up their acts well as the loving couple, all while investigating anything they could to find out what Cobra was up to investing so much money in Hotel Escape.

"Blow on my dice for me, sweetheart?" Kamakura held out two red cubes to the girl. Seductively, Maria gave them a little gust of air before her companion threw them on the table. He won and gave her a great big kiss in front of the entire table.

"I always said that you were lucky," he told her. "I think this deserves a drink."

"Sounds great!" The man gave his girl another kiss and headed into the crowd. Suddenly, the cell phone from under her tight-red dress buzzed. She pulled it from the strap at her hip and opened it.

Hey, Sis! Hope your honeymoon is going well! ;) ;)

How are the cute little pjs I got you?

Marie's blood jumped inside her. It was a question. That meant…

The girl subtly glanced around, looking for whatever danger Scarlett was referring too. She quickly sent a confirmation text:

It's amazing so far! :)

Which one do you mean? Red or black? I've used both. ;)

Marie waited for a reply. It came within only a few moments.

Both! As long as they worked! :p

How is the hotel?

Another question. Marie sent her a brief answer then gazed around the area. She found what the danger was.

Tomax. With Xamot close behind.

She had half a mind to run from that place, to get away as quickly as she could, but met a broad chest before she could sprint.

"You okay, hun?" Kamakura asked, staring down at his "wife". Glancing back slightly, Marie saw the twins only a few feet away.

"I got a text from 'Maye'," she responded. "She asked how our honeymoon was going." Kamakura saw the threat behind her, but he remained stoic.

"What did you tell her?"

"The truth, darling." Marie reached up on her toes and pressed her lips onto his. The boy blushed as her tongue snaked its way into his mouth, but he did his to roll with it. They kept it up as the twins passed. When Marie sensed that they were out of eyeshot, she released her partner.

"Sorry," she said softly. "But even with different colored hair, I get the feeling that Tomax will be able to spot me from a mile away." Kamakura rose a brow. Marie sighed. "I guess this isn't something you were briefed on."

The couple went to a few of the slots on the other side of the room. Marie kept a close watch on Tomax and his brother as they mingled with their staff and guests. They were the owners of the hotel, after all.

Kamakura had his beloved sit at one of the machines.

"So, you know them personally?" He'd dropped his lovey voice, leaning against the silver slot and staring down at the girl.

"Yeah." Marie inserted a quarter and pulled the bar. "A lifetime ago." The machine made joyous noises; she didn't hit the jackpot, but she wasn't empty handed. She did another round. "Michael and I were always together at the Cobra island from when I was 10 to the time I was 17. We were inseparable…until Cobra took me to their base and Club Viper. I was there for the rest of my time after that, being experimented on day and night. Tomax and Xamot came to visit me once in a while, so we got to know each other real well."

"They came to personally visit you?" Kamakura didn't take his eyes off of the girl.

"Yeah. But never together."

"What? That doesn't seem right."

"I know. It was weird, to say the least. I mean, maybe at first they visited me together, but those days didn't last. Tomax was usually the one to come in and see me. He would ask me lots of questions and kept me company for hours. Trust me when I'd say that he got to know me pretty quickly. He'll recognize me instantly, if he gets the chance. No amount of hair dye is going to change that."

"Then we'll need to be careful that he doesn't get the chance to see you."

…. ….

That night, the couple was curled up in bed. They remained on separate sides as both tried to get some sleep. However, Marie couldn't seem to get any rest.

"Kent?" She rolled over to see if he was still awake. His back was to her, but she could tell that he heard her.

"Yes, Juniper?" His choice of nickname for her made her giggle-but only for a moment.

"Do you remember when we met?"

Kamakura flipped around, meeting her emerald gaze.
"Of course I do."

…. ….

Before…

We'd gotten some Intel on some Cobra activity in their new nightclub, Club Viper. We busted into the joint to exterminate a new weapon that our informant called "Project: Angel", which we now know is linked to "Project: Icarus". The team consisted of Duke, Scarlett, my Sensei Snake-Eyes, and myself. The guards gave us a lot of trouble; everyone but myself ended up captured by Storm Shadow and the twins. I had a hard time finding everyone, until I found a girl trapped in a heavy-duty cell.

"You're looking for your friends, right?" She said. I didn't trust her initially.

"Who are you?" I had asked.

"A resident."

What a strange thing to say. Resident? "How do you know where they are?"

"I can hear them. Through the walls…they keep banging against it."

This girl was younger than me, but I still felt like she had some wisdom to her. She called herself a "resident", so maybe she knew her way around. At that point, I couldn't afford to leave her behind." I helped her out and we hurried off to save my team.

…. ….

Now….

"We were able to help your friends escape," Marie continued, "but I was forced to stay behind."

They had gone to "share" a late-night shower so that no microphones would hear them. It may have seemed suspicious, but Kamakura could tell that Marie needed to talk tonight. Seeing Tomax and Xamot seemed to have shaken her up somewhat and this needed to be taken care of before it started affecting her work.

"Yeah. We came back for you and Project: Angel a week later." The corner of his lips fell and he looked away. "Little did we know at the time that…you were one and the same."

... ... ...

Part 3 is out! What a twist!