Battles and Secrets (Queen of Piracy Duology #2)

Chapter 17: Trouble loves me!

The stranger kept examining me. I raised a brow, wondering why he wouldn't stop doing that. I don't mean to brag, but I didn't blame him. I did look good in my purple coat... Don't judge me! Can't I love myself? Three people tried to convince me I wasn't good enough, but I didn't let them. My head hurt as I thought of how Bosch put me down countless times. I slowly stopped loving Dirk, so I shouldn't have stayed... How blind I was! I thought he'd improve his behavior, but people don't change. The truth is Bosch never deserved me. I couldn't believe he'd joined forces with the SHA... Wasn't cheating on me with Tamara enough? I shouldn't be bad-mouthing someone who died, but you saw everything he did. I squeezed my eyes shut to try and forget those horrible thoughts. The mysterious man took a step closer as if he felt my agony.

He lifted a brow, "You seem troubled."

"I'm fine," I crossed my arms. "You didn't tell me your name and why you're talking to me."

"I'm Captain Joaquim Faria, also known as Pilantra. I'm from Portugal," Faria smiled and held out his hand. "It's a delight to meet you, Captain Eva Van Acker... or should I say Storm?"

It's the Portuguese guy the SHA mentioned!

Gulping, I shook Joaquim's hand. If not even the SHA had found that pirate, he was probably great at hiding things. Had Giacomo and Nuria met him before? Perhaps they could tell me if he was a bad guy or not. I hoped the Portuguese man wouldn't give me too much trouble. After all, Atkins had said Faria robbed pirates... Who am I kidding? He definitely wasn't trustworthy! I should've left the moment Pilantra introduced himself, but a part of me wanted to give him a chance.

I tilted my head to the side, "How did you recognize me?"

"I've heard some men talking about your appearance," Joaquim slid his hand down my left arm. "It's not hard to find a blond lady wearing pirate clothes."

"You have a point," I recoiled. "What does your nickname mean?"

Joaquim glanced away, "Pilantra is a word in Portuguese to describe someone who uses... questionable methods to succeed. A cheater."

I nodded, "Really? Does that include robbing pirates?"

"I did that in the past, but I'm rich now, so I stopped," Faria chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not lying to you."

I grinned sarcastically, "Coming from someone who's known to be dishonest, that's a relief!"

"My nickname comes mostly from my habit of selling booty for more than they're worth and lying about their quality," Faria smiled mischievously. "Again, I won't do that to such a beautiful lady."

I shot him a sarcastic gaze, "For some reason, I don't believe you. I wonder why that is."

"Really? That's too bad," Joaquim slowly slid his fingers over my cheeks. "I'll prove it to you."

I laughed, "Good luck with..."

Faria shut me up by pressing his lips against mine. He closed his eyes while aggressively sticking his tongue inside my mouth. I gasped, more confused than a blinded seagull... Yes, I make too many comparisons with sea-related things, but can you blame me? I'm a pirate! I scowled, feeling intense nausea and a slight warmth in my chest at the same time. He slid his hand down my back... and I knew exactly where he wanted to touch. I couldn't let that continue. Besides feeling nothing for Joaquim, I didn't want any romance after my traumatic experience with Bosch. I pushed Faria away and he widened his eyes, seemingly surprised.

I pointed my cutlass to his chest, "If you do that again, I'll rip off more than just your mustache."

"I wanted to know how the legendary Storm tasted like," Joaquim's lips curled into a provocative smile. "I thought you had a thing for Iberians. You seemed rather cheery with that Spaniard."