Ineffable ꕥ Joost Klein ꕥ

38.

Donnie thought that the only thing he ever wanted was to take revenge on Nathan. The years he spent in jail weren't as torturous as most would think. He knew a lot of the inmates having done deals or worked with them in the past. This made it easier to establish relations for when he served his time and was back in the business. But every day, Donnie thought about the man who he thought he could trust.

The buisness was never free from betrayal and the term 'there is no honour among thieves' ran deep. But in The Netherlands, Donnie Ellerström, Joost Klein and Nathan Vandergunst had established their alliance that was known throughout Europe. If one of them was crossed, the other two were automatically the same.

When Donnie turned up that fateful day, he vowed to skin the Belgian. His pride was hurt from the betrayal. For the first time, Donnie felt what it was like to be the victim of Nathan's sly, cunning set-ups.

But even with a gun to his head and Nathan standing an arm's length away, Donnie doubted his desire in the 4-year-long plan.

It wasn't that Donnie hated Ski Aggu. He had no desire to kill the German. Like a ladybug didn't desire to kill a human, Donnie deemed the act impossible.

Ski Aggu was Germany's underground martyr. While Joost and Donnie dealt with drugs, forged documents and burglaries, Aggu dealt with guns, mass-murders and god knew what else. No one dared to cross him, not even the German government.

Donnie watched Elke's hands tremble as she counted the money. The stacks that were crisp and previously untouched were now covered in her fingerprints. If they made it out of the house after tonight, Donnie feared what would happen if the money ended up in the hands of the authorities.

'What do you know about Lockheed Martin, Elke?' Ski Aggu asked. He appeared to be enjoying watching the girl shakily count wordlessly. With a lingering smirk, the masked man remained in his armchair with one of his men behind him, while his other held his place behind Donnie.

'T-The weapons' manufacturer?' she stuttered, glancing up from a finished stack. Aggu hummed as he took a drag.

'Um... not a lot...'

'Do you know that on the eve of every modern conflict, every modern war, their stock skyrockets? Their activity on the market is a key indicator for what's to come. And every time that line on the economic graph goes up, people end up dying.'

Elke paused her counting and dared to look up through her eyelashes. Ski Aggu lingered on each word like he knew they would chill Elke's bones. He exhaled the last of his cigarette's smoke and flicked it towards the pool. It landed near the glass fence, burning embers dying on their own. Elke tried to avoid Aggu's gaze by staring at it, but at his rise from the armchair, she looked up in panic.

'When your clients ask about the market, and they ask for advice for investments in Lockheed Martin, Tesla, or Johnson & Johnson, does your conscience interrupt your work?' the German lowered into the space next to Elke on the sofa. 'Do you think about the people that die from their business?'

'Elke, stop looking at him.'

Stuntje's harsh hiss in her ear made her blood run cold. She realised that with Aggu torturing her with his words, his close proximity next to her, Elke had forgotten to look away from his mask.

Her attempt to turn away was stopped by a grip on her jaw. Elke clenched her teeth as she was forced to look into her reflection. Aggu's tantalising smile had dropped and his hand held Elke's jaw with a rough, unforgiving strength.

Donnie went to step forward but was met with Nathan's movement in front of him. The man wished that the Belgian would put a hand on him to spike his fury, but with nothing but heavy eye-lids, Nathan stared Donnie down. He could do nothing but watch as Aggu stared at the squares around Elke's pupil.