"Why is it you?"
Matteo Konar's question left Winters at a loss for words.
"You said it yourself," Winters tilted his head slightly, "they're afraid of me."
Matteo Konar pressed on mercilessly, "Do you really believe that if any of the other three 'Excellencies' endorsed Leo Fernando, the Navarre Family's business would fall through?"
The old man's voice was already as grating as if two files were grinding against each other in his throat, and his words made Winters feel even more uncomfortable.
So Winters turned his head to carefully scrutinize Matteo Konar, his gaze first falling on the man's dark eye sockets, then on his stern and cold thin lips.
"What if so?" he asked with a smile, "And what if not?"
"If it is," Matteo Konar's tone was surprisingly calm, "I would have to reassess your intelligence."
The answer was, of course, "no," and Winters knew that well enough.
