I rolled my eyes. “Oh, yeah, Ike, I’m real proud of that; real proud, indeed! In fact, why don’t you go call my mother and tell her what Richard Walker said? I’m sure she’ll be very thrilled at the awesome respect her son inspires among the nation’s top securities cop. Believe it or not, Ike, there was a time not that long ago when I was a nice Jewish boy from a nice Jewish family. Seriously. I was the kid who used to shovel driveways after snowstorms to make extra money. It’s hard to imagine that less than five years ago I was able to walk into a restaurant without people looking at me funny.”

I began shaking my head in amazement. “I mean—Jesus!—how the fuck did I let this whole thing spiral so far out of control? This wasn’t what I intended when I started Stratton! I swear to God, Ike!” With that, I rose from my chair and stared out the plate-glass window at the Empire State Building. It wasn’t all that long ago when I’d first gone to Wall Street as a stockbroker trainee, was it? I had taken the express bus— the express bus!—and had only had seven dollars left in my pocket. Seven fucking dollars! I could still remember the feeling of looking at all those other people and wondering if they felt as bitter as I did about having to take a bus to Manhattan to eke out a living. I remembered feeling bad for the older people—that they had to sit on those hard plastic seats and smell the diesel fumes. I remembered swearing I would never let myself end up that way, that somehow I would become rich and live life on my own terms.

I remembered getting off the bus and staring up at all those skyscrapers and feeling intimidated at the very power of the city, even though I had grown up just a few miles outside Manhattan.

I turned and faced Ike, and with nostalgia in my voice I said, “You know, Ike, I never wanted it to end up this way. I tell you the truth: I had good intentions when I started Stratton. I know that doesn’t mean a lot right now, but, still…that really was the case five years ago.” I shook my head once more and said, “I guess the road to hell ispaved with good intentions, just like they say. I’ll tell you a funny story, though: Do you remember my first wife, Denise?”

Ike nodded. “She was a kind, beautiful lady, as is Nadine.”

“Yes. She was kind and beautiful, and she still is. In the beginning, when I started Stratton, she had this classic line. She said, ‘Jordan, why can’t you get a normal job making a million dollars a year?’ I thought it was pretty funny at the time, but now I know what she was talking about. You know, Stratton’s like a cult, Ike; that’s where the real power is. All those kids look to me for every little thing. That was what was driving Denise crazy. In a way, they deified me and tried turning me into something I wasn’t. I know that now, but back then it wasn’t so clear. I found the power intoxicating. Impossible to refuse.

“Anyway, I always swore to myself that if it ever came down to it, I would fall on my sword and sacrifice myself for the sake of the troops.” I shrugged my shoulders and smiled weakly. “Of course I always knew that was somewhat of a romantic notion, but that was how I’d always envisioned it.

“So I feel like if I throw in the towel right now and take the money and run, then I’m fucking over everyone; I’m leaving the brokers high and dry. I mean, the easiest thing for me would be to do what you said: take a lifetime bar and go off into the sunset with my wife and daughter. God knows I have enough money for ten lifetimes. But then I’d be fucking over all those kids. And I swore to every last one of them that I’d fight this thing to the bitter end. So how do I just pick up now and hightail it out of town—just because the SEC is giving me an exit ramp? I’m the captain of the ship, Ike, and the captain is supposed to be the last one off the boat, no?”

Ike shook his head. “Absolutely not,” he replied emphatically. “You can’t compare your SEC case to an adventure at sea. The simple fact is that by taking the bar you ensure the survival of Stratton. No matter how effective we are at foiling the SEC’s investigation, we can’t delay this thing forever. There’s a trial date in less than six months, and you’re not gonna find a jury of your peers very sympathetic to your cause. And there’re thousands of jobs at stake, as well as countless families who depend on Stratton for their financial existence. By taking the bar you secure everybody’s future, including your own.”

I took a moment to consider Ike’s wisdom, which was only partially true. In point of fact, the SEC’s offer wasn’t really that much of a surprise to me. After all, Al Abrams had predicted it. It had been at one of our countless breakfast meetings at the Seville Diner. Al said, “If you play your cards right, you’ll wear the SEC down until there’s no one left in the office who knows anything about your case. The turnover there is mind-boggling, especially when they get caught up in an investigation that’s not going well.

“But never forget,” he added, “that just because they settle, it doesn’t mean it’s over. There’s nothing to stop them from coming right back at you with a new case the day after you settle the old one. So you need to get it in writing that there’re no new cases pending. And even then there’s still the NASD to contend with…and then the individual states…and then, God forbid, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI…although chances are they would’ve already gotten involved if they were planning to.”

With the wisdom of Al Abrams still in my mind, I asked Ike, “How do we know the SEC isn’t planning on coming right back at us with another lawsuit?”

“I’ll have it worked into the agreement,” Ike replied. “The settlement will cover all acts up to the present. But remember—if Danny goes off the reservation again, there’s nothing to stop them from bringing a new case going forward.”

I nodded slowly, still unconvinced. “And what about the NASD…or the states…or, God forbid, the FBI?”

Sorkin the Great leaned back in his throne and crossed his arms once more, and he said, “There’s no guarantee on that. I’m not gonna mislead you. It would be nice if we could get something like that in writing, but it doesn’t work that way. If you want my opinion, though, I’ll tell you that I think the chances are very slim that any other regulator will pick the case up. Remember, the last thing any regulator wants is to get involved with a losing case. It’s a career killer. You saw what happened to all the lawyers the SEC assigned to the Stratton case: Every last one of them left the office in shame, and I can assure you that none of them got generous offers in the private sector. Most SEC lawyers are just there to gather experience and develop a track record. After they’ve made a name for themselves, they move on to the private sector, where they can make some real money.

“Now, exempt from that is the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They’d have a lot more luck with the Stratton investigation than the SEC had. Funny things start to happen when criminal subpoenas are floating around. All those stockbrokers who were subpoenaed down to the SEC and supported you so admirably…well, they probably would’ve jumped ship if those same subpoenas had come from a grand jury.

“But that being said, I don’t think the U.S. Attorney has any interest in your case. Stratton’s out on Long Island, which is the Eastern District. And the Eastern District isn’t particularly active with securities cases, unlike the Southern District, in Manhattan, which is very active. So that’s my best guess, my friend. I think if you settle this thing right now and walk away, you can live your life happily ever after.”

I took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “So be it,” I said. “It’s time for peace with honor. And what happens if I go near the boardroom? Does the FBI show up at my door and arrest me for violating a court order?”