Brad Meltzer
The Millionaires
Copyright © 2002
Song lyric from Absolutely Sweet Marie © 1966, renewed 1994 by Bob Dylan
For Cori,
who every single day
amazes me
For Dotty Rubin and Evelyn Meltzer,
Nanny and Grandma,
for teaching me my past,
and in the process,
showing me my future
And in memory of
Ben Rubin and Sol Meltzer,
Poppy and Grandpa,
whose legacies still touch our entire family
Twenty-three percent of people
say they would steal if they couldn’t get caught.
… but to live outside the law, you must be honest.
– Bob Dylan
1
I know where I’m going. And I know who I want to be. That’s why I took this job in the first place… and why, four years later, I still put up with the clients. And their demands. And their wads of money. Most of the time, they just want to keep a low profile, which is actually the bank’s specialty. Other times, they want a little… personal touch. My phone rings and I tee up the charm. “This is Oliver,” I answer. “How can I help you?”
“Where the hell’s your boss!?” a Southern chainsaw of a voice explodes in my ear.
“E-Excuse me?”
“Don’t piss on this, Caruso! I want my money!”
It’s not until he says the word “money,” that I recognize the accent. Tanner Drew, the largest developer of luxury skyscrapers in New York City and chief patriarch of the Drew Family Office.