SEAL's Promise (Alpha SEALs Coronado Book 5)

by Makenna Jameison

  “And no one can get hold of the captain?” Troy asked.

  Their CO frowned. “He hasn’t responded to radio communication. Multiple civilians on the ground called 911 after they heard gunshots, but as far as I know, there’s been no communication from the ship itself. The PD has their hostage negotiator trying to get them on the radio. The Pentagon’s not waiting around though. We’ve been ordered to move in.”

  “How many hostages?” Jackson asked.

  “We’re still waiting for word on that,” their commander said. “NCIS should have a count for us but haven’t provided a final number. There was an event planner running the anniversary party. She’d have the numbers, but it’s believed she’s aboard the yacht, too.”

  Troy rubbed a hand over his chest. Butterfly was an event planner—his redhead from the beach. Although he’d looked up a few wedding planners over the past several weeks on the off-chance he could find her, it had proven harder than he thought. Who knew there were so many damn wedding planners around San Diego. Plus, with their week-long deployment to Somalia and grueling trainings, he hadn’t had a hell of a lot of free time. He’d half considered enlisting his sisters in the hunt, but then he’d never hear the end of it. His jogs on the beach where he’d seen Butterfly had proven fruitless as well. He’d gotten plenty of exercise and sunshine, but he sure the hell hadn’t seen her.

  Not that his redhead would be aboard a yacht the admiral was on. That would be too much of a damn coincidence. And as he’d discovered, there were a hell of a lot of event planners in San Diego. Still, he couldn’t ignore the strange feeling flooding through him.

  What if his girl was the one in danger? She wasn’t his, that was for damn certain, but hell. Uneasiness washed over him nonetheless.

  “You okay?” Logan asked, zipping up his own wetsuit. He attached his underwater compass to his dive suit and glanced over at Troy.

  Troy realized he’d paused in the middle of gathering his gear. That wasn’t like him. Normally on a mission, he was one hundred percent laser focused. His dive chronometer was sitting on the bench beside his own compass. He needed to get his mind back in the game. Focus on the task ahead, not a woman from weeks ago. “Yep,” Troy affirmed. “I’m good.”

  “Guess we’re not taking the Zodiac,” Blake said, scrubbing his hand over his jaw. Zodiac inflatable rubber boats were used by SEALs in BUD/S training or for transporting men to beaches. The team would be chasing after heavily-armed men in the middle of the ocean tonight though.

  “Negative,” the CO said. “There’s an MK-V SOC waiting for you. Gear up, and we’ll send you in. The Coast Guard vessel pulled back, and San Diego PD has a bird in the air watching from a distance. No more shots have been fired, and we’d like to keep it that way. As far as we know, no civilian lives have been lost. We need to get on that damn boat. The full moon means we’ll be easy to spot in the water. You’ll stop at a safe distance and dive.”

  Troy nodded. They were already putting on their wetsuits. The SOC, or Special Operations Craft, would transport the team relatively close to the yacht. Thankfully, they’d be able to move fairly close undetected now that the sun had set. If they knew the passengers were safe somewhere onboard, they’d be able to pull right up beside the yacht or rappel down from a helo and take it over. They couldn’t risk the civilian lives though. A silent approach was necessary in this case—then they’d board, search, and seize the ship.

  “We’re waiting on the final word? It sounds like negotiations haven’t happened.” Troy said.

  “Affirmative. We have clearance from the Pentagon to move in. Your number one priority is taking out the armed men and taking control of the yacht. We’ll call in a medevac if necessary for any passengers who are critical. Otherwise, you’ll be bringing the boat back to San Diego Bay escorted by a couple of Navy boats.”

  “Hell of an anniversary party,” Ethan muttered.

  “And what about the ship’s captain?” Blake asked, his gaze narrowing. “Do we have any intelligence on him?”

  “He’s clean,” their CO said. “He was vetted to ensure the admiral’s safety given the circumstances.”

  “He’s a civilian?” Jackson asked.

  “Yep,” Grayson said. “But there are a number of Navy officers on board in addition to the admiral.”

  “He should’ve just taken a damn Navy boat,” Blake said. “Anniversary party my ass. He’s been receiving threats for a month. I can’t believe they went through with this given the circumstances.”

  “Says the unmarried guy,” Logan quipped with a chuckle.

  Blake raised his eyebrows. “Engaged, asshole. And if Clarissa thought we were in danger, she’d be the last person throwing a big wedding or anniversary party.”

  “Touché,” Logan said.

  “We don’t know if the captain and crew are injured or what the condition is of any of the passengers. Multiple gunshots were reported before the yacht set sail. The San Diego PD is pulling surveillance footage in the hopes that we can get an ID on these guys. The Navy has surveillance footage as well that is currently under review.”

  “Jesus,” Troy muttered. “Where’s the rest of the admiral’s family? I know the wife was with him, but what about the kids?”

  “They’re safe,” the CO confirmed. “They’re at his house under protection. Additional agents were sent over as a precaution. MPs are outside the home as well. It’s a whole damn crime scene at the pier—police, paramedics, investigators. It looks like the tranquilizer darts were shot from a distance. These guys are well-trained. More of them might be out there. If they’ve got eyes on the pier and activity there, it’s all the more reason we can slip in undetected. They know the Coast Guard is out there watching them.”

  “But they don’t know about us,” Blake said.

  “Damn,” Ethan said. “I doubt they’re expecting a SEAL team to move in so quickly.”

  “Probably not,” Logan said with a chuckle. “Although if they wanted to negotiate, why would they remain incommunicado? Honestly, these guys sound like morons. Now they’re trapped on a boat. How the hell do they think they’ll escape in the middle of the ocean?”

  “Helicopter?” Troy asked.

  “If they have their own helicopter, it’d be damn easy to shoot down,” Blake said. “They’d have to take hostages with them. It’s not like the police department will be sending in a helicopter to escort them to safety.”

  “They could be planning to take the admiral somewhere,” the CO said. “Everything is a possibility at this point.”

  “Maybe they’re just making a statement,” Jackson said. “It could all be a distraction for something else. They have the admiral, and while all eyes are on that, something else happens.”

  “The base has moved to FBCON DELTA,” their commander said. “Intelligence hadn’t indicated a threat to base security before this incident, the threats of blackmail against the admiral notwithstanding.”

  “And you think this all ties back to the threatening messages Admiral Rice received?” Blake asked. He finished putting on his gear, grabbing his weapons. “They still haven’t released a damn thing. It was all an empty threat.”

  “That seems nuts,” Troy said. “If it is the same group, now he’s got more security on him than ever. If they wanted intel the admiral had access to, it would’ve made more sense just to grab him somewhere before he was surrounded by federal agents. And lots of people on base have access to highly classified information.”

  “He’s got codes to nuclear warheads,” the commander said.

  “I still think it could be a distraction,” Jackson said. “It seems like a damn stupid way to get information from a high-ranking military official.”

  “Maybe this was the only way to get him to talk,” Troy said. “They could threaten harm to the wife or other women. The admiral wouldn’t just stand around watching them be killed off one by one—or worse, tortured. The threats about releasing whatever incriminating photos they claim to
have didn’t work, so this escalated.”

  The CO cursed and looked around at the team. “I’ll be in communication with you the entire time. You’ll have to search the whole ship to make sure every gunman is accounted for. I’m still trying to establish the number of souls onboard. We don’t want an innocent civilian getting tossed out into the Pacific in the middle of the night.”

  “Hell no,” Jackson said. “We’ll get to them and get everyone safely back to shore.”

  Blake glanced around at the team as they stood at the ready. “Is that all for us, commander?”

  Their CO nodded. “Let’s do this. Multiple lives are at stake here.”

  “Then let’s move out!” Blake ordered.

  “Hoorah!” one of the men shouted.

  Troy gripped his weapon, hustling out of the locker area with his teammates, his pulse pounding. They exited the building, the sun nearly gone. Inky darkness was taking over, and he was damn glad for the cover of night. The assholes who’d hijacked the ship and threatened to harm both innocent civilians and senior military officers wouldn’t even know they were coming.

  Chapter 9

  Two Hours Later

  Caitlyn huddled on the floor of the cabin, her neck aching from the cramped position she’d been forced to stay in. The admiral’s wife, Evelyn, was being kept in here as well, but she had no idea where Admiral Rice or the other men had been taken. Her wrists were bound in front of her, leaving her arms and shoulders stiff and sore, and her ankles were bound together as well.

  The boat rocked in the water, and her stomach churned. She’d never been opposed to boats before and had never worried about sea sickness, but after the past several hours? She’d be happy never setting foot on a boat ever again.

  “At least they haven’t taken us further out to sea,” Evelyn said, looking over at Caitlyn. She was tied up as well, her face pale as she hastily glanced toward the closed cabin door.

  “How can you tell? The constant motion of the boat is making me seasick.”

  “I don’t hear the engines,” Evelyn said. “Admiral’s wife,” she added with a half-smile. “We have our own small boat, and of course we’ve been on plenty of ships together over his years in the Navy.”

  “Huh. I just thought we couldn’t hear it because we were below deck.” Caitlyn shifted slightly, her eyes moving to the closed door. The gunmen had left the light on in the cabin at least—presumably to keep watch. They’d open the door and glance in every so often. She wasn’t sure why they’d put them on the floor though. Although there was a small window, it’s not like anyone could get close enough to see them. They were out in the Pacific Ocean for goodness’ sake.

  Her stomach churned again. It had been hours since she’d eaten a few appetizers. Now the shrimp cocktail sat heavily in her stomach. She didn’t know where the other passengers were. She didn’t know how many armed men were aboard.

  Evelyn shook her head. “No, they shut off the engine over an hour ago. I have no idea how far out in the ocean we are. We were moving for a while, but they could’ve gone in a wide circle for all I know.”

  “A wide circle?”

  “No sharp turns,” Evelyn said.

  “What do they want?” Caitlyn whispered. “We’ve been on this boat for hours.”

  The older woman blew out a sigh. “I’m worried it’s somehow related to the threats my husband was receiving. He has access to highly classified information. Someone was trying to blackmail him, threatening to release some nonexistent incriminating photos. We’re still not certain what that was about. There’s nothing that would’ve caused us any concern. But they also said harm would come to our family if he didn’t cooperate.”

  “Good grief,” Caitlyn said. “So they hijacked an entire boat? That seems extreme.”

  “They’re extremists,” Evelyn said. “Obviously no sane person would act that way. The Navy began investigating the threatening letters, they had federal agents guarding us…. Oh God. I just hope my children are okay.”

  “They are,” Caitlyn assured her. Of course, she had no idea if that was true or not. But she’d assured the woman multiple times over the past few hours that the Navy and police would protect her kids. It’s not like the hijacking had gone unnoticed. They’d fired shots into the air right there on the pier. Anyone within earshot would’ve called 911.

  A tear rolled down Evelyn’s cheek, and she tried to swipe it away with her bound hands. “This is bullshit,” she whispered angrily. “We’ve been in here for hours. We should untie ourselves and fight.”

  Caitlyn bit her lip, panicking. She wasn’t a match for an armed man. She didn’t even know how to shoot a gun. “What if they come in and see us trying to untie the ropes?” she asked.

  “You can lie on the ground,” Evelyn said. “They know you’re not feeling well, so it wouldn’t be a real surprise. I’ll start working on the ties around your wrists. If they come in, hide your arms under the bed.”

  Caitlyn took a deep breath and nodded, trying to scoot on her butt closer to Evelyn. Despite worrying about her kids, the other woman looked much calmer than Caitlyn felt. She was nauseated, her head was starting to throb, and it felt like she was caught in the middle of a nightmare. Except she couldn’t just wake up and end it.

  Evelyn shifted slightly on the cabin floor, glancing over at the door. “They’ve been coming by every thirty minutes or so. I think we’ve got twenty minutes before they’re back.”

  “Unless something happens,” Caitlyn muttered. She lifted a shoulder, trying to brush a strand of hair back from her face. She’d pulled it back earlier since she was working tonight, but a few stray strands had pulled free.

  Briefly, she wondered if the tall gunman had recognized her because of her red hair. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d stood out because of it.

  “Hold out your hands,” Evelyn said. “I don’t know how long this will take. The ropes seem really tight, but thankfully, they tied them in front of us, not behind our backs.”

  “And you really want to fight them?” Caitlyn asked, her eyes darting around the cabin. It’s not like they could toss pillows or a bedspread at the armed men.

  “Or run,” Evelyn said. “We can’t very well jump overboard in the middle of the ocean. Even if we were close to shore, it’s quite cold this time of year. But we can hide.”

  Caitlyn frantically shook her head. “This boat is beautiful, but it’s not that big. They’d find us for sure.”

  “Maybe, but we can’t just sit here and wait for help. It’s been hours.”

  Evelyn began picking at the knot binding Caitlyn’s wrists together, using her fingers to attempt to loosen the rope. Caitlyn was growing alarmed that she didn’t hear anything—no voices from the other passengers, no talking amongst the gunmen. She supposed that was better than hearing gunfire or other sounds of violence, but it felt like they were just drifting in the ocean. Helpless. Alone.

  “Who do you think will come rescue us?” she asked in a low voice. “The police or Coast Guard?”

  Evelyn shook her head. “There are multiple high-ranking Navy officials on the yacht. Honestly, I think the Navy will get involved. They’ll send in a dive team or something.”

  “A dive team?” Caitlyn asked, crinkling her nose. “That’s like out of a movie or TV show.”

  “Believe it or not, it’s more common than you’d think. There’s a large Navy base here, and several SEAL teams are stationed in Coronado. You and I were separated at first, but I saw a small Coast Guard boat coming after us when the gunmen first took over the yacht. They fired at them. I didn’t see what happened with the boat, but obviously we’re still stuck here. With the firearms the gunmen have, a small boat approaching won’t work. And it’s not like they can just blow us out of the water with all the hostages.”

  “How do you know all this?” Caitlyn asked, looking at her in bewilderment.

  Evelyn worked at the knots more, frowning. “Like I said, my husband’s an admir
al. Of course, I’m not involved in any military issues or discussions that he has, but he gets phone calls in the middle of the night. I might not ever know specific details, but I get the gist of what’s happening some of the time. I’m sure they’ve got people trying to negotiate with the gunmen, but there are more than fifty people onboard. That’s not even including the crew and staff hired for the event. They’re not going to mess around and let everyone be killed. It would be bad enough if it were simply civilians who were in danger, but when members of the military are being held hostage as well? They’ll stage a rescue. Even if the police don’t like it, the Navy will step in. They’ve essentially kidnapped multiple Naval officers.”

  “I don’t know,” Caitlyn said. “This is all just…unfathomable. I was supposed to be running your anniversary party. We should’ve been slicing the cake now and having a champagne toast. I never thought any of this could happen—it’s something straight out of a nightmare.”

  “I’m so sorry you and everyone else got dragged into this. We had NCIS agents guarding us, and they assured us things were under control. Believe me, my husband never would’ve agreed to this party if we thought there was danger. Damn it,” she said, growing frustrated as she worked at the knot. “We can’t just sit here helpless though.”

  “Maybe they forgot about us,” Caitlyn hedged.

  “Yeah. Right. I think this is finally starting to loosen a bit.” She froze and quickly shifted away from Caitlyn as they heard footsteps approaching. Caitlyn wished like hell that she’d simply jumped off the yacht earlier when the armed men first boarded it. After they’d pulled her from the dining room, they’d frisked her, taken her cell phone, and then tied her up. She’d been shocked when they’d brought Evelyn into the cabin shortly afterward but had to admit, she was relieved not to be alone.

  A man she hadn’t seen before burst into the cabin, cursing. “Your husband is wearing on my patience,” he seethed, storming over toward Evelyn. “The information he told us was wrong. A lie! You’re coming with me so he knows I’m not messing around.”