Scuba Diving with a Sea Dragon

World of Aquatica: When a jaded Navy SEAL turns to a friend for aid, he meets a man who wants to show him that there are still wonders in the world. When Britt O’Connor’s targeted by a group of mercenaries for reasons unknown, he realizes it’s time to cash in a big favor. Britt heads to World of Aquatica. He knows that’s where his ex-SEAL buddy, Price, has secretly holed up after Britt helped him flee the military police. Britt also knows that Price isn’t human, and he could use a little of the man’s paranormal abilities right about then. Getting there is easy. Getting inside and locating Price is a bit more difficult. Still, Britt manages it, only to discover that Price isn’t the only paranormal thing at the park. Vampires and shifters are real. In fact, not only does Price vouch for him, but Britt meets Gerard, a shifter who claims he’s the other half of his soul. When Gerard scents Britt as he’s on his way to meet with Alpha Kaiser, he immediately recognizes him as his mate and follows him. Discovering that Britt already knows about the paranormal, he declares that Britt is his mate, but Britt will need some convincing. While Britt can accept being attracted to the shifter, after all the depravity Britt has seen, how can he trust in something as fickle as love? The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Scuba Diving with a Sea Dragon Copyright © 2022 Charlie Richards ISBN: 978-1-4874-3824-1 Cover art by Angela Waters All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Published by eXtasy Books Inc Look for us online at: www.eXtasybooks.com Scuba Diving with a Sea Dragon Beneath Aquatica’s Waves: Book Fourteen By Charlie Richards Dedication We only get so much time in this world. Don’t squander it. ~Unknown Chapter One “What the hell?” Growling under his breath, Britt O’Connor stared at his readout. He started typing rapidly, his fingers flying over the keys. Britt clenched his jaw as he worked to counter the hacker trying to break into his system... and failing. Britt knew he was an excellent hacker. Hell, after he’d left the military, he’d chosen to utilize his skills to make his livelihood. Technically, Britt was listed as an analyst for a security firm, but he took the occasional anonymous side job. Still, Britt knew it was the hubris of man to think he could be the best, and he would never fall into that trap. There’s always someone better out there. Whoever Britt was facing—as much as it galled him to admit—was one of those people. They were better. Before long, they would break into his heavily encrypted system. That meant Britt had to make certain there was nothing left to find. At the same time, if he could manage it, he would implant a reverse worm. The code would allow him to backtrack to the user, allowing him to see where they were located, and perhaps, if he was lucky, he would see a signature revealing who the hacker might be. Worth a shot. Continuing to type with his right hand, Britt reached over and grabbed a flash drive with his left. He paused an instant to find the slot and insert it. Then, while Britt did his best to delay the hacker from entering his system, he began directing sensitive files to the drive. Britt felt sweat bead at his temples, and his fingers began to cramp. At fifty-four years old, he was lucky he hadn’t acquired arthritis in his wrists and digits. Still, he didn’t usually have to work quite so quickly. Finally, Britt had pulled as much sensitive information off his desktop as possible. He knew he was only a couple of moments away from being breached. After encrypting everything on the drive, he removed it from the machine. Britt activated a failsafe he’d designed but had hoped never to have to use. In seconds, Britt’s entire hard drive was wiped clean. He grabbed his laptop and shoved it into his bag. Hurrying around the room, Britt snagged a few other necessary electronics. With a backpack on his back and his laptop bag’s strap over his shoulder, he made his way to his basement. Britt knelt before a set of dusty-looking wooden shelves. Reaching under the bottom, he pried up a board and set it aside. He pulled out a large go bag with guns, ammunition, a couple changes of clothes, as well as money, and a couple of different IDs and passports. Britt replaced the board and used an old hand-brush hanging on the wall—left there for that reason—to kick up some dust, hiding the evidence. With his bags in hand, Britt crossed to another wall. He picked up a can of paint off the floor, revealing a stone panel. When Britt stepped on it, a section of wall that looked like stone rotated ninety degrees, revealing a dark corridor. Britt replaced the can of paint exactly, pulled a flashlight from his belt, and headed into the dark expanse. If my systems have been breached, I need to know if my anonymity has been compromised, too. In Britt’s mind, the best way