Ocean Storm (Queen of Piracy Duology #1)

Chapter 32: Invading a prison! What could go wrong?

My feet burned as I ran faster than a hurricane. I knew Dirk didn't have much time. I cleaned my tears and looked from one side to the other, wondering if an acquaintance would see me crying. The last thing I needed was to give my crew and allies reasons to think I was a damsel in distress. Tears didn't make me weak, but the men who worked for me probably disagreed. I won't lie, pretending not to care about certain things was extremely hard. Unfortunately, I didn't see Maartje or Laurens anywhere, so I'd most likely have to rescue Bosch on my own. My only hope at that moment was Gálvez. It would be impossible to break into a British prison alone, so I needed his help. I hoped he was still in the tavern. I smiled when I saw Miguel hadn't left... I couldn't believe it! Why would he wait for me? Perhaps I had misjudged the Spaniard.

Taking a deep breath, I approached him. Gálvez grinned once he noticed my presence. I have to admit he had a fantastic smile. I could stare at that smile all day long... Anyway, I got distracted for a moment.

"I need your help," I sighed and bit my lower lip as I remembered Dirk's horrible situation. "The Navy captured Dirk. We must rescue him from jail before he's executed!"

Gálvez laughed softly, which made me purse my lips. There was nothing to laugh about! That wasn't a joke and I couldn't waste any time. He gazed upward, seemingly thinking. I wouldn't stop looking at him... Did Spaniards have some kind of weird magic that attracted women? If yes, Miguel was no exception.

Miguel widened his eyes, "Really? Let's warn our crew and get out of here before they catch us then!"

I stared at the Spaniard... and it wasn't because of his stunning eyes and perfect face. Had I gone crazy, or he'd really considered leaving without Bosch? That was simply unacceptable! I controlled myself not to yell at Gálvez.

I raised my brows, "Are you insane? We can't leave a man behind!"

"I can find a captain that is less unstable and aggressive than Bosch to work with us," Miguel caressed my hand slowly while sighing. "He isn't worthy of your affection, Eva. Please, don't risk your life because of him."

I shook my head in denial. There was no way I'd leave Dirk to die. I frowned, wondering why the Spaniard would say those things about Bosch. Was Miguel indeed worried about me, or he just wanted to protect himself from danger? What if he was jealous? No, a guy that could have any woman he wanted would never care about me... right? Anyway, at that moment, I wanted to believe Miguel only wanted to save his own skin.

"Cut the nonsense!" I pulled away and glared at him. "You're only worried about yourself, Miguel."

Miguel sighed and downturned his head. I bit my lower lip, wondering if he'd realized I was right or if he'd gotten upset. If El Dorado liked me, he had a rather weird way to show it. Abandoning allies wasn't exactly appealing to me.

"This isn't true! You're special to me," Gálvez pressed his lips together while getting closer. "I just don't want you to get hurt. Especially because of someone who doesn't deserve it."

I looked away for a brief moment. Miguel kept gazing at me as if he wanted to say something that he couldn't. The Spaniard caressed my other hand, giving me a weird shiver of pleasure. For a reason I didn't understand, I held Gálvez's hand as if I never wanted to let go and looked deep into his eyes. I shook my head in denial to wake up. No, I couldn't fall into his trap... was it really a trap? Or I just didn't want to feel anything? God, I was so confused.

I took a step back, "One man less could make a lot of difference when we fight the Navy. We're at a disadvantage already and losing an important ally could cost us greatly."

"I know many pirates, so you can rest assured that I'll find us a new ally," Gálvez took a deep breath and raised his brows. "You must let Bosch go. He's violent and explosive. Trust me, it's only a matter of time until he starts treating you with disrespect."