Lily reclined on the deck chair, enjoying the feel of the warm, tropical sun on her bare skin. The boat bobbed gently in the waves as it cut through the brilliant blue-green waters of the Caribbean. The 23-year old brunette was wearing a turquoise bikini and a pair of sunglasses.
Beside her, Lily’s best friend, Victoria, was also sun bathing. Like Lily, she was wearing a bikini, a skimpy little red number, but the tall, slender blonde had opted to ditch the top. “Come on, who’s going to see?” she’d said, smiling, and Lily had to admit she had a point. There wasn’t an island for miles around, and no ships in sight.
On the other side of the deck was another friend, Cary. Unlike the other two girls, Cary had chosen to remain clothed, settling for a white t-shirt and shorts. “I don’t tan. I just burn.” The red-head said, shrugging. Her skin, beneath the hundreds of freckles that speckled her checks and arms, was rather pale. She sat in the shade of an awning, reading a book.
The three girls are aboard courtesy of their fourth friend, Helen. Helen was the niece of one Arthur Madison, a wealthy investor. Mr. Madison had decided to allow his favorite niece to use his yacht, the Disco Valente to take her friends on a Caribbean cruise during their summer break from college.
“Alright, girls. We’re here!” Helen called from the bridge. Lily looked up. While she’d been sunning, the  Disco Valente had come up to an island. White sandy beaches rose up from the blue waves around the landmass. Lush green foliage was piled on top. In the center, the grey tips of mountains peaked up above the trees, giving the place an exotic, remote look to it. “This is the place I was telling you about.”
“Is this island inhabited?” Victoria asked, putting her bikini top on again.
“There’s a small town on the south end.” Helen said, stepping out of the bridge onto the deck. “We can sail around to visit it sometime, if you’d like. The nightlife there is pretty good. This part isn’t visited as often. It’s difficult to get to this side except by boat.”
She grinned. The young woman pulled her t-shirt over her head and dropped her shorts. Underneath, she had on a lime green swimsuit. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this vacation started!” With that, she turned, ran a few steps and leapt off the deck of the boat, diving into the cool blue water. With excited cries, the other three joined her…

It was late at night. The Disco Valente rocked gently on the waves, anchored off shore of the island. In the cabin below deck, the four girls slept soundly in their beds. They’d had a fun day of swimming in the clear blue waters, playing on the beach and generally having fun. Tired, they hadn’t even changed out of their swimsuits before collapsing into their beds, already excited about what they were planning for the next day.
Fast asleep, none of the girls noticed the pair of rubber rafts that appeared out of the gloom. Their engines were cut. Silently, the black-clad men onboard paddled alongside the yacht as it rocked gently in the tide. Half a dozen men climbed out of their boats, onto the deck of the larger one. Glancing around, one of the men nodded to the others. Three of them split off to join him as he went below decks, to the cabin.
In the darkness, the four men spied their targets, lying with sheets pulled back in the warm summer night, revealing their gently slumbering forms. The girls’ chests slowly rose and fell in time with the soft hush of their breathing. The four dreamed, unaware of the danger nearby, as the four intruders split up, one creeping towards each of their beds.
As one, the four raiders struck. The girls awoke, groggy and confused, as hands seized them. The girls squirmed, helpless as they were flipped over. Their hands were grabbed and twisted behind their backs. Plastic zip-ties were slipped around their hands and pulled tight, binding them. The girls’ cries were silenced as they were forcibly ballgagged.
Lily whimpered into her gag in fear as she was picked up from the bed. A moment later, she was set down on the floor of unsteady feet. Out of the corners of her eyes, she could see her friends, also bound and gagged being dragged from their beds. Beside her, Cary moaned into her gag, eyes wide with terror. Lily grunted in reply. She trembled in fright. Neither of them could understand what was happening. Who were these people? Why were they doing this to the four of them?
One of the men pushed Lily forward, towards the cabin door. The boarders forced their helpless captives out of the room and up on deck. The girls sobbed as they were led to the side of the yacht, were the rubber rafts were waiting.
Two of the men jumped down into the rafts. On deck, the other two picked up their prisoners, one at a time, and handed the squirming, kicking girls down to their comrades, who set the frightened girls down in the rafts. Lily and Cary were put in one raft, Helen and Victoria were in the other. The men piled into the rafts, around the trembling girls. When they were all in, they shoved off from the larger boat. This time, there was no need to stealth. They started up the engines and quickly motored out to sea.
“Are the charges set?” one of the men said, in a gruff voice.
Another nodded. “Yes sir.” He held up a small black box.
The leader waited a moment, then gestured. “Do it.” The man bushed a button. Lily looked back at the yacht, expecting to see a fireball where the boat used to be, but it was still there. After a moment, though, she realized the boat was tilting in the water. They had blown a hole in its side and it was sinking fast. Within moments, nothing remained of the yacht above the waves.
Suddenly, out of the gloom, a large, black ship appeared, ahead of them, huge in the distance. Lily shook with fright at the foreboding vessel. The rubber rafts pulled up alongside the larger ship. Men were waiting on deck by cranes. They quickly hooked the rafts and lifted them out of the water and onto the deck. Cary and Lily whimpered in fright as they were led over to join the other two sobbing captives.
At the head of their “welcoming party” was a man in uniform who was obviously the captain of this ship and these men, whoever they were. He leered at the four as they were lined up for his inspection. He grinned, pausing to glance at Helen.
“Well,” he said, “I dare say Mr. Madison will pay very handsomely to get his lovely niece back, now won’t he?” He turned to regard the other three. “If you’re lucky, he might even pay for your friends’ ransoms to. If not…” he shrugged, an evil grin crossing his face. “I’m sure there are plenty of people who would pay handsomely for such fine looking beauties as you…take them to the brig!”