Nick Haliday #1

Nick Haliday, a man bound for Miami by plane, encounters a mysterious stranger named Lorimer who persuades him to help with a scheme involving a dingy and some cargo off the Florida coast. After Nick agrees, he discovers the operation involves smuggling and violence, with Lorimer revealing he has wanted Nick dead for five years and plans to eliminate him along with his brother Robert. When Nick attempts to escape, a violent confrontation ensues on the boat, during which Lorimer is struck down by the frenzied criminal and left for dead, while an unconscious Eileen (a woman involved in the plot) is forgotten in the chaos.