Seized (Hostage Rescue Team Series, #7) (26 page)

He handed over the trigger to Tuck, furious with himself.

“Hey,” Bauer said, slapping a hand on Sawyer’s back. “There had to be more than this one trigger out there. One of the others would have blown it at some point anyhow. I didn’t see it in his hand either until the last second.”

The words didn’t soothe his conscience one iota. Sawyer clenched his jaw and didn’t answer, sending a silent look at Ethan, who was scanning the crowd anxiously, probably for his sister and mother. They both turned around as the SEALs ran up to join them.

“Deck’s secure,” the platoon leader said. “For now, at least. But that sounded like one hell of an explosion down there.”

No shit, Sawyer thought sourly. He scanned the deck now too, watching as passengers continued to scramble into the remaining lifeboats. How the hell were he and Ethan going to find Carmela and Mama Cruz now?

“How long do you think we’ve got?” Tuck asked the platoon leader, already pulling out his radio.

“An hour, tops. Probably less.”

Jesus Christ, and Carmela might still be on board somewhere. Sawyer pushed out a frustrated breath and dragged a hand down his face. He wanted to punch something. Mainly himself. He’d never felt so helpless in his life and he hated it.

“We need to evacuate the passengers then do another sweep of the ship up to the water line,” the SEAL ordered them. “Wright, alert the helos to pick us up when we’ve cleared the ship,” he said to one of his men before looking at Sawyer’s team. “We’ll break into two-man teams and get these boats filled. You guys start sweeping the lower decks to clear them and look for passengers stuck down there. The water could be rising fast. Let’s move out.”

It killed him to know he wouldn’t be able to search for Carmela or her mother now.

Heart in his throat, Sawyer paired off with Ethan and ran back to the door they’d just come through. They were locked in a deadly race against time and every second counted.

Please be okay, Carm. Please, baby, I couldn’t stand it if I lost you.

––––––––

W
edged tight inside the pitch black closet with the others, Carmela sucked in a sharp breath when a loud boom resonated from somewhere below. The floor shook beneath her feet.

“What the hell was that?” the man, John, whispered.

“I don’t know.” But it couldn’t be good. Sounded like an explosion of some kind. The rescue team fighting the gunmen, maybe?

She held her breath and waited a minute longer, straining to hear anything more. The darkness and confined space made her breathing seem overly loud. Beneath her lifejacket her sweater was soaked with sweat but she felt cold all over. When was this nightmare going to end?

In front of her, her mother was whispering fervent prayers in Spanish. Normally Carmela would find those familiar prayers soothing, but now the fearful whispers only reminded her that they were trapped in a life and death situation.

“Haven’t heard anything for a few minutes now,” John murmured. “I think they’re gone. We should get out of here.”

And go where? “Not yet. They might come back.” And she was afraid that anyone around her would become a target if Wira was still out there somewhere. If he spotted her, he would kill her without hesitation.

The floor seemed to tilt a little beneath her. Maybe she was dizzy from the blow to the head or maybe being trapped in the dark like this had disoriented her. Either way, it seemed like the ship was beginning to lean to the right. She put a hand out to brace herself against the wall, hoping the dizziness would pass. A minute later something rolled off a shelf behind her and hit the floor.

Her heart lurched as a new fear took root. “Is it just me, or are we tilting?”

John swallowed audibly. “I think so.”

There was only one reason she could think of for that, and it was just as terrifying as facing the gunmen somewhere outside this door. She shifted her stance to counteract the change in angle, trying to fight the fear exploding inside her. Was the ship sinking?

“Okay, let’s stay calm and think this through. We’ll just stay here until—” She broke off abruptly when her shoe made a distinct squishing sound on the carpet as she widened her stance.

Oh, God, no...

She tapped her foot on the floor just to be sure and a wet slapping sound answered.

Water. Sea water. They were sinking.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, automatically pushing forward between her mother and John to reach for the doorknob. Her fingers found the deadbolt and twisted it hard. “We have to get to the lifeboats.
Now
.”

“But what about the gunmen?” her mother asked, her voice frantic.

“We can’t stay in here.”

“She’s right,” John said.

“Daddy...” Jenny quavered, then began to cry again. “What’s happening? Are the bad men still out there? I don’t want to go out there if the bad men are there.”

“No, baby, they’re gone,” he said, and neither Carmela nor her mom corrected him. That poor child had already gone through enough trauma to last her three lifetimes.

“It’s time for us to take another boat ride now, Jenny,” she said instead, hand poised on the knob. Once she opened it, there was no telling what they’d find, no telling what would happen. “Do you remember the little boats we took to shore the day we docked in Juneau?”

Jenny made a frightened sound that Carmela took to be an affirmative.

“The bad men are gone but now we have to take one of the little boats back to shore. It’ll be fine, just close your eyes and hold on to your daddy. We won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

She prayed she would be able to keep that promise. It was quiet enough outside the closet that she wondered if maybe the terrorists had fled the ship using the lifeboats.

A sudden voice booming out of the ship’s PA system made her jump.

“Attention ladies and gentlemen. This is Captain Goddard of the U.S. Navy SEALs. The ship is now secure but all passengers must evacuate immediately. Proceed to the lifeboats located on deck two. Repeat, proceed to the lifeboats on deck two immediately.”

Carmela didn’t have to be told twice. She pushed down on the handle and shoved the door open. Out in the wide hallway people were running in small groups toward the doors at either side of the ship.

“Come on.” She grabbed hold of the front of her mother’s life vest and hurried for the first outside door on the right.

People were stacked up a dozen deep waiting to get into the lifeboats, many of which had already been launched. The entire deck was crowded with passengers standing shoulder to shoulder.

“There are some boats being loaded one deck down,” John yelled to her over the noise.

She immediately turned to follow him to the nearest staircase on the port side. They couldn’t take the starboard side since the ship was already listing to starboard and the water already soaking the floor there. Partway down the steps John jerked to a halt.

A moment later, Carmela saw why.

The emergency lights flickered on, illuminating a film of water on the deck below. Her mom grabbed her wrist and hauled her back up the way they’d come.

“This side,” Carmela called out to John, who was cradling Jenny to him as they dodged the mass of passengers now fighting to find a lifeboat that had space. Together they hurried out a port side door and turned right, toward the bow.

Someone screamed up ahead. Carmela froze, her gaze instantly colliding with a big man holding a rifle next to a lifeboat.

“Look out!” Everyone around her ducked down, but when the man didn’t turn and fire on them, instead seemed to be helping people into the boat, she realized he must be with the SEALs. She didn’t see any others around though. Her heart knocked crazily against her ribcage as the sharp spike of terror subsided.

They got caught up in the crowd once more, slowing them to a stop. Claustrophobia closed in on her, making it hard to breathe. The ship listed further onto its starboard side. Frightened cries rang out among the crowd.

Carmela shifted her weight to keep from staggering into the port side wall. Shit, they were taking on water way too fast. They needed to get off this ship
now
, or they’d face having to jump into the water to save themselves.

The crowd surged around them, carrying them along the deck toward the bow. All the lifeboats they passed were either full or already being lowered into the water.

“The starboard side,” Carmela shouted over the noise. “Get around to the other side!”

They fought their way out of the mass of bodies and began the race around the stern to reach the right side of the ship. The soles of her shoes skidded on the deck, the change in angle making it hard for her to keep her balance.

A middle-aged woman grabbed hold of Carmela’s shoulders, her face pinched, her eyes stark with terror. “My son—I can’t find my son!” She cast a frantic look around, her panic making Carmela’s heart twist. “David! David, where are you?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know who—” Her words cut off abruptly when someone behind her shoved her forward, knocking the woman’s hold loose. The woman’s frantic cries raised the hair on her nape as they hurried for the stern.

When they made it around to the starboard side, another crowd blocked their way to the boats. The ship continued to roll by degrees as they slowly crept forward. One by one, the remaining boats were filled with passengers.

It felt like an invisible fist was crushing her chest, squeezing tighter and tighter with each shallow breath she took. She did
not
want to have to jump into the water. Even if the sheer terror of it didn’t kill her, hypothermia likely would, long before anyone rescued her.

“There, look!”

At her mother’s shout, Carmela followed to where she was pointing out to sea. The lights of another ship came into view and hope buoyed her spirits. Now, even if she had to do the unthinkable and jump in the water to save herself, she might still be saved.

A creaking/groaning sound rolled up from the belly of the ship. The vessel took a sudden lurch, twisting harder onto its side. Carmela and the others slipped over the wood and slammed into the railing. She grunted at the impact and immediately turned to brace herself against the metal railing.

She pushed at her mother’s shoulders. “Go, go!”

They kept heading toward the bow, passing boat after boat too full to take on any more passengers.
This must be what the passengers on the Titanic felt like, knowing there weren’t enough lifeboats to save everyone on board
.

Carmela watched in horror as people climbed onto the railing and jumped into the water. She imagined what it felt like to plunge into the icy water, try to swim away from the sinking ship. She shuddered, her throat dry, and cast a frantic look ahead of them.

Two lifeboats up, a wide-shouldered man in a dive suit and a rifle slung across his chest was helping people inside. Carmela made a beeline for it but when she finally reached it they were already lowering it into the water.

“Keep heading toward the bow,” he told her, already turning to usher the remaining passengers forward. “Everybody stay calm. There’s another ship coming.”

She didn’t believe him. She rushed for the next one, but it too was full. There were only three boats left that she could see and her heart sank. Was she really going to have to make the choice to jump into the freezing water in the darkness?

“Miss Cruz!”

Her head snapped around. Dwi, their cabin steward, stood near one of the remaining boats, which was now dangling at an odd angle over the water. He waved them over, the motion of his arm frantic. Carmela used the railing to help keep her balance and rushed over with a group of passengers.

“In here,” he shouted, and reached for her. Carmela clamped her fingers around his hand as he pulled her inward, toward the boat. His other shoulder had a bandage wound around it, the entire length of his arm soaked with blood as it hung at his side. He must have been wounded by one of the gunmen.

“Are you all right?” she asked, still gripping his hand.

Nodding, he pulled free and reached for her mother. “I’ll be fine. Hurry now.” He helped her into the boat and she turned to reach for Jenny, whom John had to peel away from his neck.

With the little girl safe in her arms, Carmela moved as far back into the crowded boat as possible and sat on a bench-style seat. Her mom climbed in next to her, then John, and Jenny immediately scrambled back into her father’s lap.

On deck Dwi was still busy shepherding passengers into the boat. Carmela set an arm around her mom’s shoulders and rested her cheek on top of her head, watching the people as they boarded. Everyone was tense, all of them afraid, some bleeding from bullet wounds.

She cast a glance out the right hand window, peered down at the midnight-dark waves only a matter of yards below them. She gasped when someone plunged past the window—too desperate to wait any longer to abandon ship—and hit the water a second later.

Pressing her hands to the glass, she peered down anxiously and saw a head appear above the surface. In the moonlight she caught a glimpse of his face and realized he was no more than a teenager. He began to swim away, his movements panicked and uncoordinated.

That could have been me
, she thought with a shiver, sending a prayer out for the boy. She continued to watch his painfully slow process toward the other lifeboats.
Swim
, she urged him.
Come on, swim! You can do it. Don’t give up. You can’t give up now, not after all this...

But already his movements were slowing. The cold had to be terrible. And she already knew the other lifeboats probably wouldn’t pick him up, for fear of swamping the boat.

More than the attack, more than the terror of the ship sinking out from beneath them, knowing he would likely die broke something inside her.

Carmela turned away, her heart shredded.

A strange numbness began to take hold as Dwi packed the boat tight. When it was jammed full he climbed aboard, fought off a man trying to force his way on board with his two young children.