Read Online The Gods of Greenwich by Norb Vonnegut - Free Book Online Page A

bought a nothing-special insurance business and injected new life. Phelps Financial was New England’s largest insurance agency, a cash cow that funded real estate investments. The family owned properties throughout downtown Boston, including several harbor sites bordering the New England Aquarium. Caleb’s losses at Cusack Capital, while significant, were modest relative to the family’s holdings.
    *   *   *
    “Why should I hire you?” Cy peered at Jimmy and waited for an answer.
    It was the movie scene where Hollywood cops scream, “Take the shot!” It was the moment Cusack had rehearsed a thousand times in front of a mirror and during other interviews.
    “Because nobody like me will ever walk through your front door, Cy.”
    Leeser cocked an eyebrow and stared at Cusack. He waited and said nothing, but his body language spoke volumes. “This better be good.”
    Take the shot.
    “Because this market is about to flush itself. There will be chaos, Cy. And while others are sucking their thumbs and hiding behind spreadsheets, I’ll already have a plan. Because my bank investments buried me. And that will never happen again. Never. I can see the warning signs now, and frankly, I don’t like what’s on the horizon. Because I’ll turn the lights on every morning and turn them off every night, and there’s only one thing on my mind while I’m breathing. That’s making money. Because the hedge funds that survive are coming out stronger and tougher on the other side, and they’re taking market share. Mark my words. There won’t be a bank big enough to hold all their cash. Because I want to get rich. And if I increase your net worth ten times, it’ll be the happiest day of my life, assuming a few shekels drop on my lap. Because I’ll do what it takes.”
    “You mean that?”
    “Every word.” Cusack projected the unwavering cool of an old pro. It was his turn to wait.
    Cy gave no hint what he was thinking. His face was inscrutable: coal emotionless eyes, rutted brow, no smile and no frown. “What do you know about the way we invest?”
    “Not much.”
    “Good—”
    “You focus,” Cusack continued, surprising Leeser, “on companies worth less than two billion. Public filings show you own a huge chunk in Bentwing Energy, where you sit on the board and are something of an activist.”
    “What do you think about Bentwing?”
    “Some estimates say the world will run out of oil in forty years,” replied Cusack. “What’s not to like about alternative energy?”
    “Keep going.”
    “I doubt you borrow much money.”
    “Why’s that?” asked Leeser.
    “Because it’s too risky, and your returns are too consistent.”
    Leeser’s eyes glimmered for the first time. “You’ve done your homework for a guy we called two hours ago.”
    “I keep my ear close to the ground.”
    “What don’t you know about my firm?”
    “How you hedge,” Cusack answered. “You must invest in some asset, some kind of insurance to protect against losses.”
    “I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you.” Every trader in the business used that line at least once.
    “Do you short?” Cusack pressed.
    “You don’t give up,” Cy observed, not in an angry way but abrupt and factual.
    “Force of habit from the old neighborhood.”
    “I like that, Jimmy. Before we discuss my hedging model, two things need to happen.”
    “Okay?”
    “First, you sign a noncompete.”
    Is this a job offer?
    “I’d be surprised if you didn’t ask for one, Cy.”
    “Good. Second, you need to apprentice for a while. I won’t disclose our secret sauce to just anybody.”
    “Secret sauce—I like that.” Cusack repeated Leeser’s words by instinct, an old trick among finance pros.
    Cy picked up the phone and instructed Nikki, “Cancel my appointments.” Then he turned and said, “Let me explain why you’re here, Jimmy.”
    *   *   *
    Back in New York City, a different kind of interview was taking place. “I require