Pirate By Blood

Chapter 25: Conflict

CHAPTER 25

Conflict

Maleen didn’t run towards him, like she had presumed she would.

She knew it would be risky. He was surrounded by Sarah and all of her crew – they could move faster than she could. If they got suspicious, all it took was a bullet...

And that wasn’t what Maleen wanted in any way at all.

So she walked like the rest of them did; casually, with a determined face to show she meant business and possibly war if it came to it. She made as little eye contact with Leroy as possible – that way she wouldn’t be tempted to run to him.

But she still couldn’t help but remember all of the questions she had been planning to ask him...

Why did he leave? Why couldn’t she come? Why had they killed her mother? Did he still think about her? Did he even know that they had hung her? Did he care? Why had he used Martina as a hostage, and not cared for her safety in the least?

‘No, Maleen,’ She told herself, ‘not yet. Wait until you’re both safe; then you will have all the time in the world to bombard him with your questions.’

She bit down on the inside of her lip to make sure she said nothing. No one could tell she was doing it – her mouth just looked like it was pulled downwards into a stubborn frown.

“Stay quiet, and don’t move unless I say it’s okay to do so,” Pedro whispered in her ear as they made their way towards the crew, “It’s best we play it safe until we get Leroy away from them – they have power over us at the moment.”

Maleen nodded once, keeping her frown in place. She already knew that she would be expected to keep quiet – whether or not she would be able to just that was a different question all together.

As they walked forward, Maleen couldn’t help but sneak a glance at her father; even though she told herself she wasn’t going to do it in the first place. She had to know...she had to guess what he was thinking just by looking into those strange, sparkling, dark eyes of his.

Did he recognise her?                                                          

She couldn’t tell, but there was something in those familiar eyes that gave Maleen a small tingle; a feeling of hope.

Simon was right about him changing though. He was still the same old Leroy she remembered, but there were obvious differences even from a distance. His clothes, for instance, were definitely less tidy, and much grubbier. He still wore that white shirt she remembered, along with his brown, knee-high boots. He still had the same tired, dark eyes and tanned skin and brown hair; but they had all changed in their own little ways...

His dark eyes were now showing something that Maleen couldn’t quite describe. She got the feeling that those eyes had seen many things that Maleen would never dream of seeing; things that were unpleasant and had morphed his mind. He looked like he had a keener edge – perhaps even a sinister one.

And then there were the other, smaller differences. His hair was no longer as neat as it once was, for example. It was no longer neat and slicked back with whale blubber; it came past his ears in soft curls, and was tatty and unwashed. His shirt was not glistening white and in perfect condition; it was thin and worn and grubby – even ripped in some places. The neckline had been stretched and revealed a large amount of his chest beneath. It was also baggy – and he wore it as if he didn’t care. And that look in his eyes...Maleen wasn’t sure as to whether or not she could trust him.