Ocean Storm (Queen of Piracy Duology #1)

Chapter 33: No more hiding the truth

The British were killing me little by little. Although I managed to win every fight against my enemies, I felt destroyed inside every time I faced them. Besides, they always found a way to hurt me both physically and emotionally. Their men usually left at least one injury on me and stressed me so much that I thought I'd explode. Maybe they did that because Sven was by their side. He probably did everything he could to help the Navy ruin my life. Uncle Ruben once said envy was a powerful motivator for treason... yeah, I should've taken that more seriously. The worst part was that Sven's betrayal affected not only me but also other people I cared about. Maartje and Laurens suffered as much as I did. Dirk ended up wounded and it was the traitor's fault as well. My distress increased while I gazed at his injuries. The only thing that comforted me was that we were at the port already. I needed to board Ocean Storm with Bosch before the Navy found us. Besides, I had to take care of his lesions quickly. Taking too long to help a wounded person could cost their life.

"I can take it from here," I looked at Miguel and Maartje. "Thank you for helping me today."

My cousin nodded and left with Francis. Gálvez's lips curled into a weak smile as he slowly walked away. Still helping Dirk to stand, I took him to Ocean Storm. It was night already. I looked from one side to the other, making sure no one was at my ship. It was almost impossible that the British had enough time to find my vessel, but one can never be too careful.

I took Dirk to Kenneth's room, "Hang in there."

Even though I wasn't a professional, Kenneth had taught me a thing or two about first aid. While Bosch sat on a chair, I grabbed some instruments to close his wounds. He grimaced as I cleaned the blood. Luckily, none of his injuries appeared to be infected. His left eye was a little less swollen than before.

"I can't believe I let this happen to you," I shook my head in denial and pressed my lips together. "I'll never forgive myself!"

Bosch caressed my arm, "It's not your fault. They knocked me down very quickly while we were running. There was nothing you could've done to stop it."

I knit my brows, "What did they do to you?"

"Those bastards kicked me repeatedly after making me fall, dragged me to an alley and hit me everywhere they could," Bosch gazed at his wounds and sighed. "I didn't feel my legs when they took me to jail. My head was hurting so much that I could barely open my eyes."

Why am I worried about him? God, this is making me feel stupid...

"That's so terrible that I can't even joke about it," I laughed nervously. "I thought my stepmother was the most aggressive person I've ever met, but I was clearly wrong."

I kept analyzing Dirk's injuries, wondering if they would heal soon. The last thing I wanted for him was more scars. I knew how it felt to have the skin ruined forever.

Bosch raised his brows, "As my brother said, there's always someone worse."

We laughed. I approached Dirk, relieved that he seemed to be feeling better. At least my first aid lessons with Kenneth were useful for something, right? Even though I was sure I'd do everything wrong, the redhead's wounds appeared to be appropriately taken care of.

"Let's walk a little," I held out my hand to him. "It can help your legs recover."

We walked to the mainmast. I smiled while observing the stars and the ocean breeze made my hair flutter. Dirk closed his eyes for a minute, appearing to be enjoying the moment as well. He gazed at me as if he was thinking of something to say.

Bosch took a deep breath, "I never thought the woman who threw me into the ocean would become my guardian angel."

I felt my cheeks blushing. Although I felt stupid for it, I smiled. People had called me many things, but angel definitely wasn't one of them. The only person who once called me that was Laurens when I stole an orange for him.