Kurt Younger, an ex-mercenary, doesn't need anything from anybody. Never has and hopes he never will. Now he's facing a midlife crisis. At the center of it is a sackful of stolen emeralds and a woman. One is worth two million bucks. The other is priceless, a woman who has captured his heart. Having one won't do much good without the other. Paula Taylor is too smart and beautiful for her own good and going stale in the closet of a dead marriage and a meaningless life. Enthralled with Kurt Younger, she must decide: Forsake all that she has known to run away with Kurt to his hideaway island in the Florida Keys or never see him again. Kurt is determined to have both the emeralds and Paula. Only he knows lives are at stake. His, and if he isn't careful--Paula's.