Ineffable ? Joost Klein ?

18.

In desperation, Elke tapped on Joost's name in her contact. The last text from that morning sat waiting for her. It was a stark reminder of how much had changed in a few hours with the emojis accompanying their messages.

Coming over now :)

Okie. Don't mention anything about how I look when you get here :/

Joost had turned up that morning and did the one thing Elke asked him not to do.

Elke's thumbs typed fast. It took all her power to not sniffle or whimper away her tears. A handful slid down her cheeks and her hands were yet to cease their shaking. Her chin hurt from keeping her head up on the wood floor.

What would Joost even do? Would he rush home to find her dead body or find her in the midst of being tortured? What would the men do to him when he turned up?

'Shit,' the curse made Elke look away from her sent message. The pair of Converse shoes to her left faced the pair of Addidas Sambas as the sound of a phone vibrating filled the room.

'Answer it, you fuckwit.'

The vibrating paused as the phone was answered and put to an ear.

'I have a missed call from the phone of the man who you just killed. Did you want to explain that to me?'

'I-I thought that's what you wanted us to do?'

The man who answered the phone looked to the other with drawn together brows. One was just about to crouch down and look in the last place the bag could be when he paused. He couldn't hear what the caller was saying but judging by his friend's expression, it wasn't good, and anything bad from Nathan was damning.

After some back and forth, which consisted of some short, clipped replies from the receiver, the call finished. He gave one look to his friend before the two left the bedroom.

Elke watched the retreating pairs of shoes. Hope bloomed in her chest, soothing her hammering heart. She was sure her ribcage was bruised from its caged frenzy and her tense stomach ached against the floor. Through the discomfort, Elke couldn't be happier to hear silence in her apartment.

---

The WRX was nowhere. Joost looked around Jordaan and hoped he would see Roan's car parked in the streets or driving through the city. Alanis didn't log anymore calls from the tracked phone or any transactions on his bank card. It was a dead end and Jooost hated feeling like he had wasted his time.

After dropping Apson back at the workshop, Joost decided he would head home. With the way today's deal went, Joost couldn't fathom spending more time investigating Nathan and his doings. Their lead was gone and maybe it was because Nathan knew they were watching Roan. They needed to take a step back and re-evaluate.

But for now, Joost wanted to be with the only person who wouldn't ask him what their next move would be.

Parking his car, Joost pulled his phone out as he headed for the lift. He had felt the buzz of a text while driving. Despite breaking countless other driving rules in his life, Joost never looked at his phone while behind the wheel.

He pressed the button and went to the text as the lift shot to the underground carpark. As the ding sounded, Joost paused before he stepped inside.

Someone's broken in

The words sat above his text box like a cloud over his head. Swivelling on his heel, Joost ran back to his car and unlocked it. He threw open the passenger's door and reached under the seat. He hadn't touched what was hidden there for some time so he was relieved to find it was just as he had left it.

Shoving the barrel into the waist of his jeans, Joost ran back towards the lift. He couldn't get into the box fast enough and slammed his hand against the only floor he had ever been to. The pull at his navel from the lift's ascent was nothing compared to the churning of his insides.

The gun would feel strange being in his hands again but Joost was prepared to use it. If he walked into Elke's apartment and came face-to-face with anyone related to Nathan, Joost was putting a bullet through their skull.

He was livid. He should have known that Elke's involvement wasn't over. Joost had forgotten the one thing that he told everyone else; if Acid talked to someone, he had a use for them.

Joost went to bolt out the lift doors before they fully opened. His eyes flew to 406 and paused at the sight of the door sitting open. The sunlight from the window in Elke's bright living room leaked out into the hallway. Joost didn't have the time nor the mind to check when Elke had texted him, so without knowing if the perpetrators were still inside, Joost took great caution.

Pressing his back against the wall, Joost pushed the door open with one hand. He peered in and saw the living room at the end of the hallway. From what he could see, the apartment was trashed. Elke's organised habits and gentle touches were no where to be seen. It angered Joost to know Nathan's men had gone through her things and the gun in his waistband was begging to be used.

He restrained himself as he stepped through the door. His steps were slow and the quiet of the apartment both unnerved and relieved him. Joost stuck close to the wall, the back of his jumper running across the beige paint. When he got to the end of the hall, Joost inched his head around to Elke's bedroom.

The door sat open and just like the rest of the apartment, it was in disarray.

'Elke?'

Joost waited, his hand rising to his waistband. He watched Elke's bedroom while holding his breath. As if prompted by his call, a ring weaved through the silence. Joost's ears ached at the pitch and he pushed his jumper and t-shirt up to settle his hand on the gun's handle.

Despite it being the best case scenario, Joost's heart jumped at the sight of Elke. She stepped into sight and his hand fell back by his side, letting his jumper cover the gun. With sagging shoulders, Joost exhaled and relaxed in great relief.

'Joost...' she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her cheeks were sodden and Elke's knees trembled as she made her way out of the bedroom.

Joost was already holding his arms out when Elke's pace quickened to a run. He had stepped out from the hallway and didn't hesitate to cage the girl as she glued herself to his front. He was thankful that his jumper was thick, concealing the weapon on his hip. But with Elke's face buried in his chest and her body trembling in his arms, the thought was the least of Joost's worries.

'What happened? Are you hurt?' he questioned, letting his eyes fall shut to enjoy Elke's grip around his middle.

'N-No... I'm fine. I'm okay,' Elke spluttered. 'They didn't take anything... but...'

She didn't continue and Joost waited for her to find the strength. He held her like she was glass just waiting to shatter. He was desperate to know the story and relay everything to the guys at the shop. The line had been crossed and Joost was ready for war, but before that, he was going to give Elke everything she needed.

Joost was surprised to feel her retract her arms from around his middle. He let his hands fall to her waist as he pulled back and felt Elke's rest on his stomach. Her watery eyes peered up at him, her eyelashes clumping together and her lip quivering. If Joost wasn't so dreadfully worried, he would have said how pretty Elke was even when she cried.

'Joost, I... I need your help. I haven't been honest with you and... I think... these guys were looking for something...'

Please, god, don't make this be another lesson of why I shouldn't get attached to anyone, Joost thought.

Elke's words scared him. Was she a cop? Had she been lying to him about her job? Was it all fake to get close to him and tear him and his friends down from the inside?

If Elke was fake, if she wasn't who she said she was, Joost wasn't convinced his feelings would change. So, as she stood clutching his jumper, Joost hung on to every word.