Ineffable ꕥ Joost Klein ꕥ

32.

'I see why you're so invested. If I had someone like her going out and getting me coffee, I'd leave it all behind, too.'

'Shut up, Donnie.'

Joost didn't turn to the man whose head was out the window. She hurried to the nearest cafe and disappeared around a corner. His morning cigarette having been finished minutes prior, Donnie pulled himself back into the apartment and shut the window.

When Joost woke up this morning, it didn't take long to remember what had happened. The bandages around his shoulder and middle retrained his movements but the aches were still there. He groaned as he sat up, leaning back against a pillow to see his bedroom door sitting open. With his good arm, he reached for his glasses beside him and was soon able to see part of his living room.

Joost wasn't happy to see Donnie limp into sight with Elke in tow. But he had no choice but to accept the man's help in heaving him out of bed. Donnie's bad leg made it so that Elke took his place, something Joost was thankful for. Her small hands steadied and lowered him onto the sofa, where he had remained with his head laying back.

'I'll leave you guys to talk,' Elke had said, her gaze lingering on Joost for longer. 'Do you need me to get you anything?'

'No, thank you. Be careful.'

His eyes followed her to the door. When she was gone, Joost stared at the wall as a place holder. It hurt to move and Joost couldn't bare to even turn to see Donnie at his window. He knew the conversation that was coming as well as the one he would be having with Elke later. If it were up to him, Joost would have sent Donnie out to get the coffee, leaving time for Elke to obsorb everything. But it was out of his control and Joost had no choice but to lie back against the cushions in discomfort.

Donnie threw himself down beside Joost without a care. The blonde clenched his teeth as the cushion's sink from the weight stretched his side's wound. With his leg outstretched and with an arm along the back of the sofa, Donnie faced Joost with an air of what was to come.

'So,' he started. 'You want to tell me exactly what you were thinking last night?'

Joost let his head roll in it's place against the back cushion. He eyed Donnie, the man who had botched the whole operation. He didn't blame him for what he did because Joost had, indeed, changed his mind.

When he saw the way Nathan acted with those two men, Joost had answered the long-running question. He knew that he was going back on his word to Donnie, but in the moment, Joost was so focused on his revelation that he didn't care.

'I know why Acid's here. I know why he's been using amateurs and botching our deals,' Joost said and Donnie's eyebrows rose.

'You figured it out just from last night?'

'You heard that none of Acid's men have been seen anywhere in Europe, right? You found out that he was alone here?'

'Right-'

'And that the informat from the meet said about guns?'

Donnie nodded along to Joost's questions.

'He's working for someone. I think someone's killed off all his men and is using him. Why else would he risk being here? Why would he use all these people with no experience or criminal records? He was meddling with our deals to keep us busy because he has no one else to cover for him.'

'But who? Who would be able to do that to him? Acid's crazy.'

'I don't know, but whoever it is, those two guys with him last night were working for them. Acid was being watched. They were there to make sure he got the money. And if it is for guns, then we've got an even bigger problem on our hands. If the feds find out we're linked to it, if you're linked to it, then Acid's going to do what he does best and make sure we go down for it.'