Nothing Special 03 - Here Comes Trouble (10 page)

She turned to him and the harsh look of disdain she wore made him close his eyes. He couldn’t look. He loathed that fucking look.
Why the hell does she hate me so much?
With his eyes still closed he kept talking. “Come on, mom. You gotta meet me half way here. It’s just me and you now. We’re family. We’re all we’ve got. I’ve been here for you the whole time. No matter what you’ve done and said to me, it’s in the past. I forgive you. But I really need you to be here for me, now. I-I’m going through some things and I could sure use my family right now. I remember —”

“Don’t go that way!” his mom yelled, interrupting his aching plea.

He opened his eyes and saw she wasn’t even paying attention to him, her concentration on the television program. Ruxs huffed a small sigh. He wasn’t giving up. He’d wait until the show went off. He didn’t have shit else to do. He removed his hand from her knee and sat back on the couch, draping his arm around her. “So what are you watching?”

She shrugged his arm off. “None of your business.” She stood up and went to the front door. “You have to go. I’m tired.”

Ruxs ran his hand over his hair, squeezing the back of his neck. This whole situation was so fucked up. He literally had no one to turn to. He looked up at her, just now fully taking in her appearance. He frowned at the ratty house robe closed tight around her narrow waist. Her lipstick was smeared around her mouth; her eyes looked like a raccoon, her dark eyeliner smudged like she’d been crying – but that was impossible – she was incapable of such an act. He tilted his head to the side, her eyes were everywhere but on him, shifting back and forth, her leg bouncing nervously. Ruxs looked around the small space, finally standing up. His anger was rising quickly, he couldn’t believe this. Didn’t want to believe it. He walked back towards her bedroom. Ignoring her screeching for him to leave.

“What are you doing?” she yelled. Her small fingers uselessly grabbing at his thick bicep.

He ignored her still. He marched back to the front of the apartment and peered out the kitchen window. Nothing back there. He took in the scene in front of him. The usual dirty dishes littered the sink, but there was also takeout.

“That’s it! Out! Right now, Armin! I don’t want you to come back, ever!” She opened the front door, pointing outside.

Ruxs came back into the living room, yanking the door out of her hand and slamming it closed. She jumped at his anger.
Good
. He took a calming breath, not wanting to act too rashly. Green wasn’t here to keep him out of trouble. He leveled his angry gaze on her and hissed his question. “Who’s the man in the closet?”

Her eyes widened before narrowing. “You’re crazy. Get out of my house.”

“Who’s in there? It’s got to be a man because you wouldn’t hide a female.”

“You’ve lost your mind. I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” She shook her head at him, walking back over to the couch, plopping down and lighting another cigarette.

“That’s what I’m talking about.” He pointed at her. “You’re sitting over there, like always. But when I came in I had to kick the recliner closed… meaning someone had obviously been sitting in it. Someone just used the shower because the mirror is still foggy.” He tilted his head at her. “But
your
hair’s not wet. You also have no money, but you have enough takeout in your kitchen to feed two grown men.” Ruxs stood over her. “You forget I’m a detective don’t you? So I’ll ask one more time before I put a bullet in the fuckin’ door. Who’s the bastard in the motherfuckin’ closet?”

His mom jumped up her eyes bulging at the sight of his Glock in his hand. “I’m going to call the police. Put that thing away right now!”

“I am the police!” he yelled back.

She slapped him hard across his face. The sting only making him angrier. The beast inside him snarled and clawed. Green wasn’t here to chain it. Someone was fucking his mom and was too damn cowardly to show his face. His vision dimmed around the edges. The darkness opened its doors and Ruxs eagerly jumped in for the ride.

“You’ve got until the count of three to come out, or else I’m going to unload my goddamn clip, then I’m going to reload it and empty in there again!” he yelled, his deep voice flooding the duplex. “I won’t stop until you either come out or I hear your body drop!”

Ruxs cocked the hammer of his weapon, not seconds after he did, he heard a man’s voice pleading, “Wait, wait, I’m coming out.” The knob turned slowly on the closet and the door creaked open.

“Let me see your fuckin’ hands first,” Ruxs yelled, pointing his gun in that direction.

His mom had a hold of his other arm but he kept his aim steady. “Leave him alone! This is my house! You have no right!”

He saw the man’s hands before he stepped out of the closet wearing only a towel around his neck and a pair of low-slung denim jeans. Ruxs lowered his gun slowly, but his breath caught when he realized who it was. It was a low-life piece of shit that he’d busted more than once. The young twenty-seven year old hustler had served six months for possession before he was released just a year ago. Only he came out doing the same bullshit. Selling to kids and crack mothers, basically anyone that had the money.

“Jacob, what the fuck are you doing in my mother’s house?” Ruxs growled.

“I swear man; I didn’t know that she was your mom.” He begged.

“I doesn’t matter honey. You don’t have to explain anything to him because he’s leaving and never coming back,” his mom yelled.

Ruxs turned and faced her. Sputtering at the term of endearment. “H-honey. Are you fuckin’ serious! I’m older than him! What the hell are you doing with this kid?”

Jacob made a couple steps back towards the bedroom. “I’m just gonna get my things and go.”

Ruxs spun back around. Closing the distance between them in three long strides. “The fuck you are.” Ruxs spun Jacob hard and pushed him up against the wall.

“Hey!” he yelled.

“Keep your goddamn hands up.” Ruxs snarled, kicking his feet apart. “You selling to my fuckin’ mother, you piece of shit?”

Ruxs’ mom ran over to them, yelling at him to let him go. As soon as she said that Jacob was her boyfriend and they were in love, Ruxs thought his head was going to pop off. He kept his palm in the center of Jacob’s back, while he glared at his mom. “Do you know I’ve arrested this asshole twice? Did you know he sells crack cocaine to kids and pregnant women? Don’t you know he’s just using you?”

“That’s not true. He loves me! Loves me enough to give me what I need. Something you never did!”

Ruxs’ heart clenched at his mother’s words. She loved a drug dealer more than she loved him. Well he was going to fix that. As long as this shithead was walking around, his mom was never going to get clean. He’d keep her high. Keep her supplied with as much and as many drugs as she wanted. Ruxs ignored his mom and dug deep into Jacob’s right pocket, coming up empty. But, when he dug in the other he found two small bags of cocaine. “Mmm hmm. Just like I thought.”

“I’m not dealing, man. That’s for personal use.” Jacob tried to argue. “I swear, Ruxsberg. I’m not dealing. I-I’m being straight up. I love her. I do. I didn’t know this was your mom, man.”

Ruxs growled angrily and pulled one of Jacob’s arms down, twisting it behind the man’s back. As soon as he started to read Jacob his rights – not even getting past “You have the right to remain” – Jacob pushed back against him, yanking his hand free. He spun and swung his fist, connecting it with Ruxs’ left cheek.

Ruxs grunted but the punch wasn’t enough to hurt him. Jacob may have been in his twenties but he had street smarts and he could fight dirty. Ruxs pushed his mom out of the way but she threw her own swing at him, scratching his eye with one of her fake gold rings on her finger. Ruxs was actually stunned by her hitting him, even more so, that she was fighting against him. He looked at her, his eyes reflecting all the pain he felt from her doing that to him. Jacob ran into the bedroom, but there was no exit back there.

“You are taking his side over your own fuckin’ son! I’m the only one that’s been there for you! Took care of you!” Ruxs yelled, his eyes beginning to flood again. He was pissed. Tired of crying for this woman. His back stiffened. “I came here to beg you. Get clean, please. So it can be me and you just like it used to be.”

He wiped angrily at the tear that fell down his face. His voice and his movements were frantic. “I will take you to rehab right now. I’ll pay for the best place money can buy. I’ll sell everything I have, if you just say yes. Tonight, no waiting. You’ll be out by Thanksgiving. Then me and you, we can go out for a nice dinner. Maybe go out of town for a few days. You can live with me. We could be a family, momma. Please. I love you, can’t you see that?” Ruxs was so lost in his feelings that he didn’t hear Jacob’s footsteps moving towards him until it was too late. Since Ruxs’ large frame was blocking the entrance to the hallway, Jacob slammed his lithe body into him, knocking him off balance, making him stumble over the leg of the couch. He fell over the raggedy cushions, knocking his head into the corner of the end table. “Fuck!” He squeezed his eyes shut at the immediate throb that begin under his right temple.

“Hurry! Run!” He could hear his mom yelling, obviously at her
boyfriend
. But Ruxs would be damned if that motherfucker was getting away.

He ignored his own pain, jumped up, hurdled the table, and clasped his arm around Joseph’s neck, bringing him easily down to the floor. He got his cuffs out of his pocket and secured both Jacob’s arms behind his back. The man struggled with everything he had but he was no match for him. Ruxs brought all his weight down on Jacob, his knee resting directly at the base of his spine. The man yelled and screamed in agony, but Ruxs didn’t give a damn. As soon as he had him secured, he continued to disregard his mother’s insistent pleas and pulled out his cell phone requesting a squad car. With Jacob still under him he began to read him his rights again.

“You have a right to have a lawyer present during any ques —” Ruxs didn’t get to finish his reading this time because the glass shattering over the back of his head sent him crashing down to the floor. Water splashed over him, running down his neck along with the blood from a cut behind his ear. Ruxs held his hand over the cut, looking at all the broken glass and flowers he’d just bought littering the living room floor. He looked back at his mom. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. He was in shock. He couldn’t believe it, his mind still refusing to believe she’d done it. He checked and saw that Jacob was still on his stomach in handcuffs.

“Give me the key, Armin.” She held her shaking hand out to him. “Right now!”

Ruxs worked himself back up to one knee, his head rebelling against the movement. “What did I do? You have to tell me. What did I do for you to hate me?” He half-whispered, half-groaned with anguish.

She picked up her heavy glass ashtray off the coffee table and held it high over his head. “Shut up! Just give me the key. I won’t let you take the man I love!”

Ruxs just watched her in surprise. He couldn’t move at all. He wanted to be knocked out. He’d rather her slam that damn five pound ashtray over his head instead of witness another second of this. The countless criminals he’d encountered over his years as a cop hadn’t been this damn evil to him. His own mother would rather him be dead.

“Armin. Don’t make me do this. Give me the key. Just let him go.” Tears rained down her face. Ruxs wished those tears were for him, but he knew they weren’t.

“Fuck no,” he hissed.

“Hit him! Hit him. Gloria!” Jacob yelled from the floor. “I’ll go to jail if you don’t! Who will take care of you, baby, if I’m locked up? We won’t be together ever again if they take me.”

Ruxs saw the determination in his mother’s eyes. Knew she was going to do it. He closed his eyes and waited for it. When he heard the loud bang, his body jerked hard, believing that he’d been hit, but it was the front door.

“Freeze! Put your hands up! Drop that fuckin’ thing or I will tase you!” A uniformed officer was yelling at his mom. Ruxs reluctantly opened his eyes. She looked so scared, so frail, and clueless. He still wanted to help her, but he knew it was over. Anything he thought he could have with her was gone, there would be no going back from this. Ruxs hung his head. This was the last of his family… gone.

“Sir. Sir!” the officer yelled at him. Ruxs looked back up. “Sir, are you the detective that called us?”

His mom was already in handcuffs being taken out of the house. Another officer had joined them and pulled Jacob to his feet, ushering him right behind her. Whatever his mom was yelling didn’t register through the ringing in his ears.

“Sir. I’m getting you medical attention.” The officer clicked the mic on his shoulder but Ruxs shook his head no, groaning at the pain the action caused. 

“That won’t be necessary. I’m fine.” Ruxs got to his feet, stumbling a little from the dizziness that washed over him. He thought he might have a slight concussion from impact of the vase. But the cheap, dollar store container was so thin, he doubted it. He went to the tiny linen closet and grabbed one of the few towels that was in there, pressing it to the cut right at the edge of his hairline behind his ear. “Shit.”

He followed the other officer outside, closing the front door behind him. Of course now there were four squad cars in front, lighting up the neighborhood. Ruxs quickly gave his full statement to the officers. Detailing the events from time he walked in to the time they arrived. He was used to reports; he knew what needed to be said. He’d almost left out the part about being struck and threatened by his own mother, but he changed his mind. He told them everything. She would no doubt be charged with assault and battery.