Battles and Secrets (Queen of Piracy Duology #2)

Chapter 21: Nothing like Gálvez magic

My hands were so sweaty that I had to clean them on my coat... How annoying! That precious purple fabric was too wonderful to be dirty with sweat. If I couldn't see my family before dying, I deserved an undamaged coat, at least. Maartje rubbed her eyes, seemingly stopping herself from sobbing. I shook my head in denial... How did Mrs. Campbell choose the worst possible moment to kill my cousin and me? There wasn't a good day to kill us, but Laurens and Maartje's anniversary couldn't be the best option. My poor friends would die on their favorite date... Unbelievable! Even though I tried to forget it, I couldn't stop hearing that maniac talking about Luna and Tess. I'd never forgive myself if she took away my daughters... Guess what? I was the worst mother ever! Losing everyone I cared about was my definition of happiness... At least it couldn't get any worse. I stopped wondering as two guards dragged Nuria to my cell. Her eyes were red, so she'd probably cried.

Nuria crossed her arms, "Eso es una locura. Those idiots interrupted my walk!"

"Why didn't they let us have one last glass of rum?" I huffed while gazing at the water leak. "A drip isn't the most beautiful thing to see before dying."

Maartje took a deep breath, "Since we're getting killed, I must make a confession."

Seriously? More secrets?

I tilted my head to the side while Nuria raised a brow. What could my cousin be hiding? Was it something crazy? She was family, so it definitely wasn't anything good. Miguel's sister walked closer to Maartje, seemingly curious.

I chuckled, "I'm not a priest, but I'm listening."

My cousin rubbed her neck, "Laurens and I didn't exclude everyone from our celebration because we wanted to try something different."

"Why are you doing this?" Gálvez's sister ground her teeth. "You'll ruin our scheme!"

"I have to say it!" Maartje pointed at me. "We can't die without telling Eva the truth."

Nuria rolled her eyes, "First, you don't know if we'll get killed. Second, we were doing something good, so there's no reason for a heavy conscience."

What did these two do?

Although it probably wasn't anything horrible, my head hurt while I wondered what Gálvez's sister was talking about. Maartje glanced at the iron bars, then back at me.

"It's fun to watch you talking nonsense, but could someone explain what's going on?" I crossed my arms. "I'll pay a drink for whoever talks first."

Maartje took a deep breath, "Nuria and I conspired to get you alone with Miguel."

"You should've listened to me!" Nuria narrowed her eyes at my cousin. "Thanks to your horrible idea of leaving the girls with them, it wasn't romantic enough!"

My cousin huffed, "She would've noticed something was wrong if I'd offered to watch them!"

I laughed, not believing Maartje and Nuria were still obsessed with my love life... Why couldn't they stop being nosy? I rubbed my face, unable to understand their attitude.

"Your plan worked perfectly well!" I grinned sarcastically. "That's why we ended up in prison!"

Nuria put her hands up in surrender, "In our defense, we had no idea the SHA would show up."

"Neither did Giacomo and Laurens. However, they knew about our idea. The four of us were involved," Maartje chuckled softly. "We'd create excuses if you or Miguel came to us for company."

Gálvez's sister stared at her boots, "Joaquim didn't participate because we were sure neither you nor my brother would go after him."

"Your strategy was fantastic," I nodded. "Except that it didn't work because, as I said a thousand times, Miguel is just my friend!"