Despite his thick appearance, Carl Andretti was quick enough on the uptake. He comprehended his position here perfectly. Stern wanted that Bund shit used on this project for some very compelling reason. It didn’t matter what that reason was. Stern held the purse strings and Smythe had bought in. The CTO knew that he had nothing to win in this fight. He didn’t want to ponder what he might stand to lose.

“Perfectly, Mark.” He nodded his head meekly and snagged another couple of candies.

Stern’s face twisted into a wicked little smirk. “Good, glad to see some cooperation. Now on to this SEC thing. I don’t know who tried to whack Catherine Goldman and I really don’t care. I want you to understand that the next SEC inspector that even so much as stubs his toe in the shower will result in the untimely disappearance of a certain CTO and his family.” Stern paused for effect, his smirk now an intensely evil grin. “Carl, you aren’t the only one around here with connections. Am I very clear on this point as well, my friend?”

Sweat had already popped out on Andretti’s broad forehead at the mention of Catherine Goldman’s name. Now his wrinkled dress shirt was soaked through. Rivulets ran down his jowls and onto his loosened collar. What the hell was happening here? Why was he now the focus of all of Stern’s heat? Something was very wrong. Had the venture capitalist somehow discovered his mob connection? He seemed to be implying that he had. He was more than willing to play a game of “mine’s bigger than yours.”

Carl Andretti nodded meekly. A bit of the candy had found its way into a loose filling and was beginning to hurt like hell. The rest of it had rekindled the fire in his belly.

Stern’s wicked smile melded into one of satisfied triumph. “Good. Very good. Glad to see we understand each other. Nothing like a little man-to-man talk to clear the air.” Stern reached and snagged one of the candies for himself, inspected it, then popped it into his mouth. “Oh, and there’s one final point I’d like to bring up for both of you.” Smythe had been still, watching his CTO get the tongue-lashing he had long deserved. He was enjoying the pained look on Andretti’s shiny, fat face. His head snapped around to look at the VC, not sure now where he was going. Stern still had the broad smile on his face, but his eyes were hard. “That little scheme that you two thieves have cooked up? The one that screws around with the transaction times on the system? Quite clever. Of course, I’ll be taking a fifty percent share of the proceeds.”

Smythe’s jaw dropped. Andretti stared in disbelief.

Mark Stern had just pulled the pin on a grenade and dropped it in their midst.