Battles and Secrets (Queen of Piracy Duology #2)

Chapter 25: Creepy paintings

The evening had come and no one knew what to do. Knight was quieter than a statue, Francis walked around the table, my friends sipped their drinks... That silence was killing me! Besides, Joaquim hadn't come back yet. Maartje and Laurens were in danger, but their rescue could be ruined by a couple's argument... Wasn't that great? Only God knew if Laurens and Maartje were still alive! I bit my lower lip, wondering how I could make Faria feel better. Despite my worry about the SHA, I was more concerned about him... Don't judge me! He was a jerk at first, but I knew how it felt to be the weird one. While drinking my ale, I thought of the right thing to tell him. Even though there wasn't a correct way to help someone in his situation, I had to try.

I stood up, "I'll be right back."

"You'll waste your time," Andrew glanced at his hands. "We should wait for Joaquim to return. He's too stubborn."

"He must know someone cares," I raised my brows. "Besides, I've dealt with a much more stubborn guy, so don't worry."

Miguel sighed, "I can vouch for that."

Nuria gazed at her brother, "Who are you talking about? Is it a relative?"

"I wish," I chuckled nervously. "See you soon."

After walking a few blocks, I found Pilantra near the ocean, gazing at the orange sky. I approached him while hearing the waves. That was the best sound ever... After my daughters' laughter, of course! You'll know what I mean if you have kids.

Joaquim stared at the ground, "Go ahead. Call me names like everyone does."

"I'm a criminal woman wearing man's clothes," I laughed softly. "Do you seriously think I'll judge you?"

"My parents expelled me from home after finding out. A freak wasn't welcome in their family," Faria gazed upward as if he held tears. "Once a pirate gave me a job, we went to the Caribbean and never returned to Lisbon. I vowed to fight against my flaw."

"That's horrible! You're not a freak and being different isn't a flaw," I wiped some dirt off my coat. "There's nothing more boring than normality."

"You shouldn't lie to make me feel better," he shook his head in denial. "I don't deserve it after kissing you aggressively and causing so much trouble."

"About that... If you prefer men, why did you kiss me?" I raised a brow. "Also, what made you open a brothel? Nuria told me everything."

Joaquim chuckled, "Pretending to be crazy about women and financing a brothel is the perfect disguise."

That's why Rosa said he wasn't genuine! She was right!

If you ask me, Faria pretended too well. He didn't have a liar reputation for nothing. Besides fooling his buyers, he tried to be someone he wasn't... How sad! You know me, I'm always myself regardless of judgments, but that clearly wasn't true for everyone.

"That's understandable, but you could've avoided provoking everyone after we met," I crossed my arms. "You almost got kicked out!"

"The more I push people away, the less they'll get close to me, so they won't find out the truth," the Portuguese captain pursed his lips. "Until Andrew exposed everything today."

Although I understood Pilantra, I could never do what he did. The man had become a different person to hide his real self... That was worse than fighting drunken Navy men! Joaquim was known for lying, but I had a feeling that story was real. I could feel his pain.

"You should stop pretending," I walked closer. "There's no fun in not being yourself."

"The worst person I can be is myself," Faria shook his head in denial. "Everyone prefers the unscrupulous man who disrespects ladies over the kind guy that isn't attracted to women."