Ocean Storm (Queen of Piracy Duology #1)

Chapter 27: Too bad to be true

I had no idea what to do after finding out what Sven had done. We'd been friends for eight years and had gone through so much, but he still decided to ally with the damn Navy. I couldn't accept the fact he'd betrayed me. Together, we learned sword fighting with uncle Ruben, survived a shipwreck, handled Captain Monster's violence, became famous... God, I felt like my head would explode at any minute. Since enemies could always smell weakness, I glared at Sven to hide how devastated I'd felt. He would at least respect me more if I didn't show that what I really wanted to do was cry desperately... and punch him, of course. Dirk seemed even more broken than I was. He wouldn't stop shaking his head in denial and chewing on his lip. I couldn't tell whether Bosch was holding his anger or tears, perhaps even both. There was only one thing I knew for sure: Sven wasn't the person I thought he was. What had I missed? The Sven I knew was kind, friendly, honest, and even funny sometimes. What the hell had happened to Sven Van Hout? I couldn't recognize the man in front of me. His betrayal made me feel as if a piece of my soul had been destroyed.

I frowned, "Did you hit your head, Van Hout? Because you've definitely gone crazy!"

The traitor kept staring at me as if the situation didn't seem wrong to him at all. I felt nauseous. Johannes laughed with his arms crossed and I clenched my teeth. Arjen and Dirk were arguing, but I couldn't hear anything since they were relatively distant. Besides, I only paid attention to Sven at that moment.

"Go find Campbell and the rest of our men, Kelder!" Sven glanced at Arjen, then back at me, grinning cruelly. "Van Acker and I can handle these two."

Dirk's quartermaster nodded and quickly left the street. Bosch kept glaring at him and gritted the teeth, apparently trying to stop himself from saying something impolite. I prayed to be stuck in a nightmare. That situation was too bad to be true.

I need to wake up!

I sighed, "So, you and Arjen were the ones who told the Navy we were in Tortuga?"

"We didn't have to. Giving the British a list of places where you two went the most was more than enough," Sven elevated his chin as if he felt great with what he'd done. "They'll be waiting for you and Bosch on multiple locations."

I pressed my lips together, wondering how I'd never realized the real bastard Sven was. Although I couldn't read Dirk's mind, he'd probably thought the same about Kelder. It would've hurt much less if Sven had invaded my room one night and stabbed me. Looking the traitor in the eye while he pointed that damn gun at me was the worst sensation ever.

"I don't understand. We've always been good friends and worked together for years... you even saved me from drowning, for crying out loud!" I ground my teeth and widened my eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"I thought you and Laurens would go down the first damn week after the vote!" Sven frowned and got so close that his pistol nearly touched my forehead. "Due to some miracle, a woman and a black man managed to lead a pirate ship without messing it up."

I lifted my brows, wondering if Sven was indeed serious. That situation would only get worse if he was sincere. I gawked as I remembered the election. Francis took a step closer to Sven, growling again, but I made him a signal to remain still.

Yeah, now I know why Francis never liked Sven...

"Wait a minute! You voted for Laurens and me just to humiliate us and show everyone how better you'd be as a leader?" I pulled and raised my brows while gaping. "Maartje's the next in line, not you! What would you have done to her if you'd succeeded?"

Sven pursed his lips and I stared at him. Although he wouldn't talk, his silence spoke more than a thousand words. The rage in his eyes was something I'd never seen before. Not even Hendrika looked at me with such hatred.