Rapscallion

"There is?" Morgan said. Then he smiled as Pepper passed him his pistol. "Now, why didn't I think of that? There you go, Captain. Be my guest." Morgan held out the gun.

"What is this?" Lasseur said.

"Your chance to make things right. If you are who you say you are, then he's played you for a fool. Are you going to let him get away with that? Go on, take it. Kill the son of a bitch."

Lasseur hesitated. Then, slowly, he took the gun. Croker looked sceptical. He took out his pistol and trained it on Lasseur.

"Kill me," Hawkwood said, "and they'll only send someone else."

Morgan laughed. "They'll be too bloody late."

"They'll hunt you down, Morgan. You'll be in a world of trouble."

"Funny, that's what that navy lieutenant said. I've forgotten his name already. Remind me, Cephus."

"Sark," Pepper said.

"No, not him. The first one."

"Masterson?"

"That's the one! Kept telling us that, if we killed him, the navy would only send someone after him."

"They did," Pepper said. "They sent Sark."

"And look what happened to him!" Morgan grinned at Hawkwood. "I'm guessing they sent you to look for the other two - am I right? Wonder why they sent a Runner? Perhaps the navy's out of lieutenants. God, you'd have thought they'd have learnt by now, wouldn't you?" He turned to Lasseur. "II you're going to do it, Captain, now's the time. Might as well put the poor bugger out of his misery."

Lasseur faced Hawkwood. His expression was as bleak as a winter sky.

He raised the pistol and fired.