Battles and Secrets (Queen of Piracy Duology #2)

Chapter 5: A new challenge

My head was hurting so much that I thought it'd explode. I had to deal with my aggressive partner while three navies wanted me dead... I couldn't be luckier! Didn't those officers have other pirate captains to arrest? Why me? Maybe I was the prettiest one... Don't judge me! You know that wasn't impossible. Also, I still hadn't ruled out the possibility of a traitor. My friends had proved their value multiple times, but I wouldn't let my guard down. Not after what Sven... Well, enough of my personal problems. The night had come and yet I wasn't able to extract much information about the SHA. No pirate knew the identity of T.E.M. All I found out was that T.E.M had sent notes for multiple pirate captains, so I wasn't their only target! One good thing, at least... Anyway, I gulped once I entered a crowded tavern with Francis. Dirk sat on an old chair while drinking ale desperately. Although I was mad at him, I had to fix us. Perhaps talking about the SHA would help. Francis walked closer, seemingly wanting to protect me.

"Don't worry, pal. It'll be alright," I took a deep breath and caressed my dog's head. "Maybe Dirk will apologize."

My dog tilted his head to the side, seemingly confused. If dogs could roll their eyes, Francis would've definitely done that. Apparently, he didn't believe Bosch would apologize since the latter never did it. Not even when we first got together.

I sat on Dirk's left, "So... Do you want to talk?"

Bosch huffed and looked away. Yeah, that wasn't a good start, but I wouldn't give up... Why was I doing that? I felt so stupid for making an effort! Francis growled, ready to bite Dirk if necessary.

"Are you seriously ignoring me?" I raised my brows. "That's too much. Even for you."

He shot me an icy stare, "I have nothing to talk about."

"I want to understand what's going on," I bit my lower lip and wished I could disappear for an instant. "You didn't mean what you said last night, did you?"

"I meant every word! In fact, more things about you bother me," Bosch huffed and narrowed his eyes. "For example, I can't even look at the... the monstrosities on your back, let alone touch them! They're horrible!"

"You once told me those scars made me stronger," I crossed my arms. "Did you change your mind?"

Dirk scowled, "Stronger, not beautiful."

This is going to be fun...

I let out a pronounced sigh once I remembered Maartje's words. What if Bosch was hiding something? Perhaps that'd explain why he'd become unbearable. Maybe the secret had caused his behavior, or I'd started seeing who he indeed was... I didn't want to think about it.

"All I give you is love and that's what I get," I pressed my lips together. "Simply delightful!"

Dirk's face got so red that I thought he'd scream... and it wasn't the cute red that showed up when he blushed. It was the most hateful color I'd ever seen. He glared at me so intensively that I thought I'd die.

"I fell in love with you because you're different, but you turned out to be too different," Bosch wrinkled his nose. "I want to puke when you try to be funny! That's horribly masculine of you."

I laughed nervously, "How romantic! I'm really feeling the love!"

"Our marriage has been a great disappointment thanks to your ridiculous attitudes!" Dirk narrowed his eyes again. "If you want some stupid romance, go after Miguel! It's what you always wanted to do anyway."

Why is he acting like this?

If making people feel bad was a job, Dirk would've gotten rich. Despite his angry behavior, Bosch did not put me down so much when our relationship began. However, something clearly changed.