The cold muzzle seemed to pierce Danitz's spine. The sea breeze seemed to fall still, leaving only his heavy breathing in the alley.
"Raise your hands slowly," Lorne's voice came from behind him, deliberately lowered and carrying a hint of menace. "Turn around, and I'll put a bullet through your head."
"Damn it, you did this on purpose!" Danitz suddenly gritted his teeth. "You struck up a conversation to make me drop my guard, didn't you?"
Uh... Those words left Lorne at a loss for how to respond.
He had no idea what Danitz had dreamed up.
First, you were the one who approached me. I didn't even want to talk to you.
Second, this was an accident. I never intended to attack you.
Of course, Lorne wasn't going to say any of that aloud. The other man was probably a higher Sequence than him. If he told the truth and Danitz took it as a provocation, it would be bad if he lashed out in humiliation.
Lorne rested his index finger lightly on the trigger, his voice carrying just the right amount of mockery. "As expected of Flame. You catch on fast."
He went along with the other man's explanation, keeping his tone serious.
Danitz's muscles tensed. As a boatswain of the Golden Dream, he had faced countless brushes with death, but this was the first time someone he was trying to recruit had held him at gunpoint. More humiliating still, the other man seemed entirely unimpressed by his title of "Flame."
"Who the hell are you?" Danitz forced the words through clenched teeth.
"As you can see, someone trying to make a name for himself at sea."
A reckless rookie, then... Danitz cursed inwardly. People like this, who acted without considering the risks, were often the most dangerous.