I had no idea what to do after finding out what Sven had done. We'd been friends for eight years and had gone through so much, but he still decided to ally with the damn Navy. I couldn't accept the fact he'd betrayed me. Together, we learned sword fighting with uncle Ruben, survived a shipwreck, handled Captain Monster's violence, became famous... God, I felt like my head would explode at any minute. Since enemies could always smell weakness, I glared at Sven to hide how devastated I'd felt. He would at least respect me more if I didn't show that what I really wanted to do was cry desperately... and punch him, of course. Dirk seemed even more broken than I was. He wouldn't stop shaking his head in denial and chewing on his lip. I couldn't tell whether Bosch was holding his anger or tears, perhaps even both. There was only one thing I knew for sure: Sven wasn't the person I thought he was. What had I missed? The Sven I knew was kind, friendly, honest, and even funny sometimes. What the hell had happened to Sven Van Hout? I couldn't recognize the man in front of me. His betrayal made me feel as if a piece of my soul had been destroyed.

I frowned, "Did you hit your head, Van Hout? Because you've definitely gone crazy!"

The traitor kept staring at me as if the situation didn't seem wrong to him at all. I felt nauseous. Johannes laughed with his arms crossed and I clenched my teeth. Arjen and Dirk were arguing, but I couldn't hear anything since they were relatively distant. Besides, I only paid attention to Sven at that moment.

"Go find Campbell and the rest of our men, Kelder!" Sven glanced at Arjen, then back at me, grinning cruelly. "Van Acker and I can handle these two."

Dirk's quartermaster nodded and quickly left the street. Bosch kept glaring at him and gritted the teeth, apparently trying to stop himself from saying something impolite. I prayed to be stuck in a nightmare. That situation was too bad to be true.

I need to wake up!

I sighed, "So, you and Arjen were the ones who told the Navy we were in Tortuga?"

"We didn't have to. Giving the British a list of places where you two went the most was more than enough," Sven elevated his chin as if he felt great with what he'd done. "They'll be waiting for you and Bosch on multiple locations."

I pressed my lips together, wondering how I'd never realized the real bastard Sven was. Although I couldn't read Dirk's mind, he'd probably thought the same about Kelder. It would've hurt much less if Sven had invaded my room one night and stabbed me. Looking the traitor in the eye while he pointed that damn gun at me was the worst sensation ever.

"I don't understand. We've always been good friends and worked together for years... you even saved me from drowning, for crying out loud!" I ground my teeth and widened my eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"I thought you and Laurens would go down the first damn week after the vote!" Sven frowned and got so close that his pistol nearly touched my forehead. "Due to some miracle, a woman and a black man managed to lead a pirate ship without messing it up."

I lifted my brows, wondering if Sven was indeed serious. That situation would only get worse if he was sincere. I gawked as I remembered the election. Francis took a step closer to Sven, growling again, but I made him a signal to remain still.

Yeah, now I know why Francis never liked Sven...

"Wait a minute! You voted for Laurens and me just to humiliate us and show everyone how better you'd be as a leader?" I pulled and raised my brows while gaping. "Maartje's the next in line, not you! What would you have done to her if you'd succeeded?"

Sven pursed his lips and I stared at him. Although he wouldn't talk, his silence spoke more than a thousand words. The rage in his eyes was something I'd never seen before. Not even Hendrika looked at me with such hatred.

"I thought you liked her, but I guess I was wrong," I sighed and pressed my lips together. "I was wrong about a lot of things..."

Sven scowled, "Maartje chose a runaway slave instead of me! I'll never forgive her for that!"

When I thought the situation couldn't get any worse, guess what? It did! Besides being power-hungry, Sven was jealous of Maartje and was willing to kill her because of it. I couldn't help but laugh. Sven's eyes bulged and I wondered if he wouldn't shoot me at that instant. He was so focused on me that he seemed to have forgotten entirely about Dirk.

Why have you taken my friend from me, God? This can't be Sven!

I narrowed my eyes, "This is unbelievable! The Navy can't be paying you enough to do something like this."

Sven chuckled while staring me down. Johannes looked away, apparently searching for someone. Another piece of my heart got crushed every time I remembered that situation wasn't a bad dream. I winced as my headache came back.

"Trust me, they are," he raised his brows. "Besides, they promised a job to Arjen and me once we brought you and Bosch to jail."

I frowned and my eyes bulged, "What? But you're both Dutch! I didn't know foreigners were allowed in the Royal Navy..."

"My mother was British, so I have double nationality. The same applies to Arjen," Sven gazed upward for an instant and smiled. "My job will probably be better than his since Campbell's daughter became very fond of me."

I rolled my eyes. God, I couldn't take that conversation anymore! Besides, the clock was ticking and I needed to find a way to escape, but how? If Francis bit Sven's leg, I could get shot. If I attacked him, I could get myself and Dirk killed. My hands trembled since there was nothing I could do about that situation.

"To summarize, you and Bosch don't stand a chance against us even if you escape today!" Sven's lips curled into a wicked grin. "We're assembling a massive fleet to destroy every single pirate ship left in the Caribbean. A battle is imminent and I can guarantee you'll lose."

Sven's so stupid that he's telling me his plan...

The bastard laughed loudly, "Hundreds of men-of-war will tear you apart! After that, I'll finally have the power I deserve, and you'll suffer, you dumb little..."

At that instant, Dirk showed up on Sven's left and, with all his might, pushed the latter away from me. My enemy crashed against a wall, letting his weapon slide away from his hand and winced. I gawked since I hadn't noticed that my ally had moved until that moment. Bosch bared his teeth, punched Sven twice in the face, and used his cutlass to wound the latter's waist. Sven flinched and screamed in pain as blood dripped from the injury.

"I've had enough of your nonsense!" Dirk glared at Sven and pursed his lips. "You disgust me!"

I approached Bosch while grinning mischievously, "That was so awesome..."

Dirk blushed and laughed softly. Although I hated to admit it, I liked it when Bosch showed he cared about me. The redhead looked even more attractive when he got angry at someone who wished me harm. Also, being protected spared me a lot of work sometimes. What? Fighting could be pretty exhausting!

Johannes frowned and grabbed his pistol, "Stay where you are!"

Bosch gulped and pointed his blunderbuss at Johannes. My eyes bulged as I wondered what my ally intended to do. He quickly shot my brother in the leg. Johannes winced as the bullet entered his skin. Sven got up and ran to Dirk with his cutlass. Hesitantly, I shot the traitor's leg, making him scream in pain and fall to his knees. Francis barked excitedly as if he approved what I'd done and bit Sven's other leg. My enemy yelled again as the injury bled. Although it broke my heart to shoot Sven, nothing else could've stopped him from harming Dirk and me. He was no longer my friend and I had to accept it, no matter how much it would hurt.

Bosch glowered, "Your brother had it coming."

I sighed while gazing at my injured brother. He wouldn't stop touching his leg, probably due to the pain. Even though I hated that Johannes was hurt, I knew that shot was the only way to stop him. I'd just shot a man who was one of my closest friends for years, so how could I judge Dirk for doing what he'd done? Besides, Johannes was too stubborn to give up on the Navy, so that action was probably necessary.

"It's all right, Dirk. I understand your reasons," I glanced from side to side and took a deep breath. "Now let's go to the port before more enemies arrive."

My ally lifted a brow, "Shouldn't we discuss our destination first?"

At that instant, more Navy men approached from a distance. Campbell was leading them. Dirk gulped and I controlled myself not to scream in panic. God, why couldn't the British just stay in their country? I just wanted to loot some vessels in peace... Come on!

"Never mind!" Dirk pulled me by the arm. "Let's get the hell out of here."

I nodded and we both ran to the port with Francis. Luckily, the Navy men didn't chase us, which probably happened because we weren't seen. Also, Sven and Johannes were too busy with their pain. Kenneth was still working on Ocean Storm's repairs. I swallowed hard, wondering if he'd be fast enough to fix everything since we needed to leave as soon as possible. I didn't know how long it would take for the Navy to find us again, so I couldn't stay in Port Royal for long.

I sighed and rubbed my chin, "We need to go somewhere those bastards won't find us..."

"That'll be much harder now that Arjen and your friend made sure to basically put them across the entire Caribbean!" Dirk narrowed his eyes while pursing his lips. "Damn traitors!"

I sighed and reflected on the subject for a moment. Honestly, I could barely focus after Sven's betrayal. My mind was only on the horrifying way he'd looked at me while threatening my life and talking a bunch of gibberish. God, it would be so weird to go back to my ship without Sven... My heart ached just with the thought of it.

"We could go to San Francisco de Campeche tomorrow morning. The city is controlled by the Spaniards, so the British have no authority there. Besides, a lot of Spanish cargo ships go there," I winked and smiled. "I could use some gold!"

Dirk scowled, "Are you seriously thinking of plundering ships when we're wanted everywhere?"

I raised my brows, "I'm a pirate, how could I not?"

Bosch appeared to be considering my proposition. I huffed, wondering how long he'd take to make a decision. God, sometimes it was so annoying to make decisions with another person! Deep down, I just wished to do everything the way I wanted.

"I suppose that's a good idea," Bosch sighed while taking a step backwards. "See you in San Francisco de Campeche, Eva."

I waved goodbye. Although I wanted to talk to Dirk for a while longer, he'd boarded White Shark already. I still felt like crying due to Sven's attitude and no one could see me sad, especially Bosch. There was no way I'd be vulnerable near him regardless of how much I wanted to. The tears ran down my face as I boarded Ocean Storm. Francis whined as if he felt my sadness. I quickly dried them as I saw Maartje and Laurens approaching from the forecastle deck. I suddenly felt nauseous and fatigued, probably due to the effort I'd made while fighting the British.

Laurens knit his brows, "Storm, are you alright? What happened?"

Maartje's eyes bulged as she gazed at my injuries, "Why are you hurt?"

There's no way to hide it. I must tell them.

I looked briefly at the sky, feeling weirdly dizzy. God, it would be devastating to tell my friends the truth... I still couldn't think of Sven without feeling as if a hand smashed my heart. My eyes were wet, but I kept myself from crying more.

"Sven isn't coming back," I swallowed hard as the words seemed to burn my throat while they came out. "He betrayed us."

Maartje gawked and Laurens' eyes widened. They seemed to be as shocked as I was. Francis licked my boots, apparently trying to comfort me. I caressed his head.

I took a deep breath, "I've just fought some British guys with Bosch. Sven was with them and confessed that he formed an alliance with the Navy to get a job there."

My cousin walked from one side to another with both hands on her face. Laurens gaped and scowled. I downturned my head as I remembered the way Sven had talked to me a few moments earlier.

Laurens narrowed his eyes, "That bastard! I knew it from the moment he tried to fool me with that stupid gunpowder shortage nonsense!"

"It was indeed weird when Sven left the tavern for some minutes right after you disappeared with Bosch in Tortuga..." my cousin rubbed her chin and pressed her lips together. "The British must've known we were at that place since going there was his idea!"

I frowned and cocked my head. What the hell was my cousin talking about? I didn't know Sven had left the restaurant in Tortuga until that moment. My head hurt even more as I recalled that he'd suggested that tavern. Squeezing my eyes shut, I felt stupid for not having realized earlier what he'd been up to. Sven never seemed very excited after Laurens and I took charge, so why hadn't I seen that as a red flag? I wish I could've gone back in time at that instant...

"He must've left the restaurant to warn the Navy where Eva was going," Laurens shook his head in denial and sighed. "I can't believe Sven turned against us! This is too bad to be true!"

"Bosch's quartermaster has been working with the British as well. God knows how many other pirates have betrayed their captains..." I gazed downward for a moment. "Also, can you believe Johannes is helping them?"

Laurens gaped and Maartje's eyes were frozen open. Although I couldn't read minds, I was sure they wondered what other bad news I'd bring. Fortunately, there weren't more terrible things to say. My headache returned as I remembered I'd have to tell the entire crew what Sven had done.

What if more pirates are helping the British? I can't even think about it without freaking out!

"I expected your brother would be involved in this mess somehow," Laurens pressed his lips together, apparently remembering something. "He was always obsessed with following the rules."

Maartje bit her lower lip, "Did Sven tell you anything about what the British have in store for us?"

"Yes, like every stupid villain. He said a battle is imminent and hundreds of Navy ships are being assembled to fight us. Also, the officers are waiting for us in Nassau, Tortuga, Port Royale, and Puerto Rico," I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut for a second. "Dirk... I mean, Bosch and I decided to sail to San Francisco de Campeche tomorrow morning. The British never go to New Spain, so we should be safe there."

"I wonder how they got permission to wait for us in Tortuga and Puerto Rico..." Maartje rubbed her chin and frowned. "These islands belong to other nations!"

"They're Royal Navy officers, Maartje. When they decide to have a tea party somewhere, there's no stopping them," I raised my brows. "Or should I say a cannon party?"

My cousin chuckled and I looked at Dirk through my spyglass. He wouldn't stop rubbing his forehead. My ally appeared to be forcing his eyes shut, but I couldn't see his face very well. Regardless of how painful Sven's treason was, Dirk had a much worse problem to solve. It wouldn't be easy to tell the crew that the second in command was a traitor. Bosch had been betrayed by the man he trusted the most, so he was probably suffering more than I was.

Laurens frowned, "Why would Sven even want to do something like that? He seemed to like being a pirate!"

"Sven expected you and I to fail when he voted for us at Sea Urchin," I clenched my jaw as I thought of the traitor's words. "He wanted to humiliate us, become captain and pick his quartermaster."

Maartje gulped as if she already knew Sven intended to kill her once he took charge. I didn't have the guts to tell her that horrible truth out loud.

"If a broken heart could kill, I'd be dead right now..." a few tears ran down my cousin's face. "Do you believe we stand a chance against Sven and the Navy?"

I wondered if Sven had told the truth about the hundreds of ships the British intended to use against buccaneers. My crew and I were doomed if we couldn't find new allies fast. Two vessels could never beat the Royal Navy.

I sighed and pressed my lips together, "Only time will tell."

Laurens stared at the floor, seemingly hopeless. Francis licked Maartje's boots as she downturned her lip corners. I couldn't tell whether I was more furious, depressed, or afraid. My sweating increased as I kept thinking of Sven's treason and the Navy's plans to destroy pirates. Only a miracle would be able to save us from defeat. My eyes begged me to let the tears flow. I hoped Dirk and I wouldn't run into any Navy men in our new destination. The last thing I needed was more problems.

****