Devil and the Deep (The Ceruleans Book 4) - Julie Ann Walker Page 0,121

sound of cheering had Bartolome glancing toward the reef where a line of men hauled in rope. Two of Bartolome’s best divers bobbed to the surface at the same time the crate on the end of the rope was pulled atop the reef.

“We can do this, Captain!” Rosario grinned up at him. “Just look!”

It was too soon for Bartolome to celebrate. There was still much to do. “You know what to do with it, Rosario,” he told his midshipman.

Rosario snapped him a salute, the smile still splitting his face. “Aye-aye, Captain! For King and Country!”

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Author’s Note

I tried to do justice to the beautiful setting, the rich history, and the magnificence of Fort Jefferson and Dry Tortugas National Park. I did change some minor details—like the ranger’s station and the crack in the foundation—to better fit this story. Welcome to the wonderful world of fiction writing! That said, dear readers, if you ever get the chance to travel to remote Garden Key and Fort Jefferson, don’t hesitate. Do it. It’s a humbling and awe-inspiring place.

Acknowledgments

A big thanks to my husband. This past year certainly wasn’t an easy one, was it, sweetheart? But through it all, you were there. Right beside me. Holding my hand. I couldn’t ask for a better partner on this crazy journey of life.

I have to give a shout-out to Sean, Whitney, and Dan. In the name of research for this book, the three of you gamely hopped aboard an itty-bitty floatplane piloted by a bearded, barefoot, retired Coast Guardsman. You’re all crazy. Which is probably why I love you.

Fist bumps to Deb, my editor, for making this book shine. Same goes to Nicole. This one was a doozy, wasn’t it, ladies? Team effort all the way. A big thank-you to Dawn, my cover designer, for this amazing cover. And hugs to the whole Sourcebooks crew for always supporting me and my work.

About the Author

Julie Ann Walker is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romantic suspense. She has won the Book Buyers Best Award, been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA Award. Her latest release was listed as a Best Summer Read of 2015 by Publishers Weekly. Her novels have been described as “alpha, edgy, and downright hot.” Most days you can find Julie on her bicycle along the lakeshore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.

Continue reading for an excerpt from the first book in The Deep Six series

Present day

10:52 p.m.…

“And the Santa Cristina and her brave crew and captain were sucked down into Davy Jones’s locker, lost to the world. That is…until now…”

Leo “the Lion” Anderson, known to his friends as LT—a nod to his former Naval rank—let his last words hang in the air before glancing around at the four faces illuminated by the flickering beach bonfire. Rapt expressions stared back at him. He fought the grin curving his lips.

Bingo, bango, bongo. His listeners had fallen under a spell as deep and fathomless as the great oceans themselves. It happened anytime he recounted the legend of the Santa Cristina. Not that he could blame his audience. The story of the ghost galleon, the holy grail of sunken Spanish shipwrecks, had fascinated him ever since he’d been old enough to understand the tale while bouncing on his father’s knee. And that lifelong fascination might account for why he was now determined to do what so many before him—his dearly departed father included—had been unable to do. Namely, locate and excavate the mother lode of the grand ol’ ship.

Of course, he reckoned the romance and mystery of discovering her waterlogged remains were only part of the reason he’d spent the last two months and a huge portion of his savings—as well as huge portions of