Ineffable ? Joost Klein ?

48.

She wanted what Joost said. She wanted to be comfortable and loved with the man she adored. After tonight, when things finally fell quiet, Elke felt like it was time to change.

Her job was important to her but she would find another. Amsterdam would still be in reach behind the scenic quaintness of Leeuwarden. She would still see Arabella and Joost would still see his friends. They wouldn't be gone forever, but far enough for Elke to feel like they were in their own bubble. The canals would replace the skyscrapers and their weekends away would be at home.

Elke smiled and said,

'I want that. I want you, Joost...'

He grinned, dawning the dimple in one cheek and the wrinkles next to his eyes. Putting her hands back on his sides, Elke stood on her toes to follow his grip that pulled her to his lips. Her eyes slid shut at their softness and she couldn't resist tilting her head to the side in relief.

Elke used her grip on Joost's warm torso to hold herself up. Her lips slid in-between Joost's and his lean into the kiss put a comforting weight on her neck. The pursing of Joost's lips and the modest slip of his tongue was heart-stopping. Elke shivered as Joost licked up at the roof of her mouth. While he focused on massaging her tongue with his, Elke's thumb carressed his warm skin, sending it's own sensations through Joost's body.

'I love you,' she hummed in-between kisses. 'I love you so much. I can't believe we're here.'

'What do you mean? Where are we?' Joost breathed a chuckle before capturing Elke in a kiss again. He let his eyes peak open to see her emmersed in enjoying his touch.

'Here,' she answered. 'Together, after it all.'

Tugging one last time at Elke's bottom lip, Joost pulled away. He leaned his forehead against hers while keeping her jaw in his palm. He couldn't get enough of Elke and he didn't have to worry about the next time he would be longing for her, again. Elke was always going to be there, within reach and happy, fulfulling anything Joost could ever want.

'The house has a garden. I can't wait to see you in it in your dresses.'

'We could get a dog.'

'Or a cat.'

Elke melted at Joost's suggestion.

'You would get a cat for me? After you said you prefer dogs?'

'Anything to make you happy.'

'But I want you to be happy, too. You deserve to be,' Elke stated before an idea popped into her head. 'You should call your sister.'

She was glad when Joost didn't recoil at the idea. His smile slightly twitched but didn't flatten. It would be hard for him to face Nanda, but after seeing her recently, maybe Joost could rekindle some sort of a relationship with her. Once he felt comfortable, he could then try to see Hugo.

Married and living his own life in Uretcht, Hugo would be surprised to see his younger brother. Maybe Nanda had mentioned that Joost had turned up on her doorstep. Joost just hoped that the oldest Klein was willing to accept his attempts to start again.

'I'll try,' Joost whispered and Elke couldn't have asked for anymore.

---

The money was cleaned and packed into a different bag. Without fingerprints of any kind, the euros were dumped outside a city police station. There, it would be found, maybe disposed of, by those who were authorised.

Whatever leads the authorities had on the recent murders of Roan Colijn, Donnie Ellerström, Nathan Vandergust and August Diederich went cold. After a while, the cases would be linked to organised crime. Their names would circulate, maybe even be linked together at some point, but ultimately, the four men's deaths would do what Joost had wanted.