The federal agents were armed.
Sirens sounded in the distance, and she wanted to cry with relief. Maybe it was a coincidence, but she hoped that help was coming.
“Get up, get up!” one of the gunmen ordered. Caitlyn realized with disdain that they were separating the men from the women. Two more armed men had appeared, and the guests seemed to be acquiescing to their demands. Did they want money? The boat? The admiral?
“Take all of the men inside!” one of the gunmen yelled. Her heart stopped as she realized they were removing the ramp that had connected the yacht to the pier. Wasn’t there engine trouble or something? She could hear the hum of it now though. Did the captain not know the boat was being taken over by armed men?
She gasped as the yacht began to move.
“Where are you taking us?” one of the men demanded. He took a step forward and then fell, gasping, as he was shot in the leg. A woman’s scream pierced the air, and Caitlyn swallowed the bile rising in her throat.
No, no, no. This could not be happening.
Rope was produced from somewhere, and they were tying up some of the men while several of the gunmen moved around, trying to round up everyone else. The men were pushed toward a door leading inside the boat, presumably so they’d be out of sight. Out here on the deck everyone could see them.
“What’s going on? Who are those people?” a waitress near her whispered. She looked to be around Caitlyn’s age and appeared as terrified as Caitlyn felt.
“I have no idea. Oh my God.”
“They’re hijacking the boat!” someone shouted. Another shot rang out through the air, and as the gunmen closest to them ducked down, Caitlyn snatched her phone from the ground. She pocketed it before anyone noticed. Two of the gunmen came rushing toward Caitlyn and the woman.
“Get up! Get up!” one of the men yelled. He was wearing a dark ski mask, but Caitlyn could see a beard beneath it. He was tall, too, with broad shoulders like the man who’d been outside of her office. For a brief second, she froze. It couldn’t be him. That was impossible.
He turned to call out to another man, apparently not recognizing her yet.
“Move,” the second man said, grabbing the waitress by the arm and dragging her toward another door leading to the kitchen and dining room.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” she wailed, hurrying along with him.
Caitlyn hastily stood, wobbling, as the man pulling the waitress by the arm moved more quickly. Shakily, she followed them to the area the women were being herded to on the other side of the boat. Starboard. Port. She had no idea. She knew nothing about boats, the Navy, or guns for that matter.
Had they taken the men to one of the cabins? They weren’t on deck any longer.
Other women were being pushed toward them, and Caitlyn frantically scanned the deck before she was pushed inside the door. There were fifty guests at the party. Twenty staff, including the waitstaff, caterers, captain, and various others. There’d been four NCIS agents. How had the gunmen gotten aboard though? She’d seen several rush on, but the rest had appeared out of thin air. Had they been hidden here all along? How many were there?
The boat began to move faster out of the Bay, toward the Pacific Ocean. The San Diego Bay might’ve been twelve miles long, but they were at the perfect spot to simply sail out into the ocean. Certainly, someone would’ve heard the gunshots, but it would be too late for anyone to scramble and stop them. The Navy had ships stationed here. The Coast Guard had boats.
Everyone expected a luxury yacht like this to sail away and be gone for a few hours though. Dinner cruises and chartered trips weren’t exactly out of the norm. Would anyone even realize what had happened? Although anyone close to the pier would’ve heard the gunshots, no one else would be alarmed by the sight of a sailing yacht.
Goodness. The Navy expected the admiral to sail away on the yacht. She didn’t even know exactly what he was in charge off. Ships? The navy base? An entire fleet? Certainly, he was important enough to have federal agents guarding him when he was apparently being threatened, but they’d gone ahead with the party. Evelyn had assured her there was nothing to be concerned about.
Caitlyn was pushed into the dining room with other women, the men shouting around them. She huddled with the women near a wall, watching as one woman fainted. “She needs help!” someone called out.
The boat began to pick up speed, and Caitlyn watched in alarm through the dining room windows as they sailed out of the bay. How far could a boat like this go? Could it sail for hours without refueling? Days? She realized that she knew next-to-nothing about boats.
She looked around, wondering where Evelyn and Admiral Rice were. She hadn’t noticed them when the men and women were being separated. Hopefully they were somewhere safe. She still wasn’t sure what they wanted from him. While someone in the admiral’s position certainly had access to classified information and military secrets, it’s not like he’d carry important papers around with him to an anniversary party.
Maybe they were planning to kidnap him and demand that he tell them everything he knew?
The gunmen began arguing with one another, gesturing to something outside. Seeing her chance,
