This book is dedicated first and foremost to my wife and best friend Patty, who continues to be my biggest motivator and literary fan. Patty, Rachael, and Alex are the center of my universe. They are also my own personal dive team. I look forward to our days underwater together, in tranquil seas that don’t hide monsters.
While Mom won’t get to read this one, I’m thankful that Dad is here and still reading. At 85, he’s reading on the 89-year level.
My family, Eric, Stacey, Missy, Jesse, Jake and Mike, Kathy, Kathleen and Gabriel, and way too many awesome friends to list . . . thank you for your encouragement and friendship. I am surrounded by people I love, and I am truly blessed.
Thank you to Jon Ford for editing assistance.
To Anthony Ziccardi and Michael Wilson at Permuted Press, my extreme gratitude for making me part of the team. You guys rock!
And finally, I can never do an acknowledgments page without thanking those who have served in uniform in defense of this country, particularly those who have come home injured, sometimes with invisible scars. Thank you for your service. Because much of the action in this book takes place underwater, I’d like to add a special dedication to the members of SEAL Team Six who killed Osama Bin Laden, and those same SEAL Team Six members and Night Stalkers who died when their Chinook went down in Afghanistan. True American heroes.