I understood, in that taxi, that I had not raised a boy who abandoned me.

I had raised a boy braver than any adult I had ever known, and he was, right now, walking through airport security beside a dangerous man, entirely alone, and counting on me to be worth the sacrifice he was making.

Chapter 7 — Six Million Dollars

The next morning I put on a dark cap and a face mask and walked into a small bank branch in Clintonville, my heart slamming, certain that someone was watching me.

I asked the young teller to check the balance on the unmarked card.

She typed, scanned the screen, glanced at it a second time, and gave me a pleasant, professional smile.