Here Comes Trouble (Nothing Special 3)

Green’s smile faded at the look in his partner’s eyes. He responded in his own hushed tone. “Aren’t you always?”

After hours of strategizing and planning in the office, all of them were revved up with excitement. With their inside information, this bust should go smoothly. Chainz’s own crew was turning against him. JJ probably wasn’t the only one they could get some information from. They were sure there were others that wanted Chainz’s deal to fall through. But God didn’t want to poke around too much and have word get back to Chainz that they were on to him.

Green was already exhausted, but he tried not to show it. Ruxs was finally in a better mood since Day confirmed that they wouldn’t go after JJ since he’d cooperated in aiding their investigation, and Ruxs had permission to get him out of town with their department’s witness relocation funds.

Ruxs didn’t try to dissuade Green from accompanying him to his mom’s place. It would be futile. His knee bounced rapidly as he sat staring at his mom’s small duplex. He heard Green kill the engine but he made no attempt to move.

God, please. Let her act somewhat decent today. It’s only six o’clock. Please, don’t let her be high already. Don’t let her say she hates me over and over. I don’t think I could handle that right now.

Ruxs jumped when he felt Green’s firm hand land on his knee, stilling the nervous movement. “Hey. I’m right here with you. You’re fine.”

Ruxs shook his head and climbed down from the cab. He opened the back door and pulled out two of the grocery bags and Green grabbed the other two. They made their way up the cracked sidewalk, and Ruxs made a mental note to come back and clean up all the trash in the tiny yard and cut the overgrown grass. He was sure the landlord would complain about it soon, and Ruxs didn’t have the time to find his mom a new place. He hoped the inside wasn’t as bad. He wasn’t in the mood to clean up either.

Ruxs took a deep breath and opened the front door, since his mom never locked it, regardless of how many times he’d told her to stop that. “Hey momma.” Ruxs smiled. She actually didn’t look half-bad today. She was dressed in some black stretch pants and a too-tight tank top. She had her feet curled under her on her small loveseat. She cut her eyes at him and turned her lip up.

“I thought I told you to knock on my door, Armin.”

Ouch. Blow number one.

“Momma, you know I go by Mark, and if you locked your door, I’d knock on it.” Green was setting the bags down on the small dinette table and Ruxs did the same. He quickly began taking out the groceries so he could put them away. He didn’t want Green in here too long.

“How you doing, Ms. Ruxsberg? Did you have a good day today?” Green asked, sitting in the recliner across from his mom. Ruxs held his breath, waiting on his mom’s reply.

He heard her exhale the smoke from her Virginia Slim before answering. “It was the same shit, just a different day, Christian.”

“Um, my name’s Chris, Ms. Ruxsberg.” Green corrected her.

Oh no.

“I’ll call you whatever the fuck I want to call you in my house,” his mom snapped.

Fuck. Here we go. Ruxs hoped she’d leave at that.

Green cleared his throat. “Of course. Christian’s fine. I’ve always liked that name anyway.”

“Did you and my wonderful narc son get all the drug-selling-crack-using scum off the streets today? Is that how y’alls’ day went? Ridding the world of us heathens. You here to search my house, Officer Christian?” His mom’s voice was elevating with each sentence.

Ruxs was moving like a crazy person throwing the groceries in the cabinets. “Um Momma, I didn’t know you were out of eggs too. I’ll bring some by in a couple days when I come back to cut the grass, okay?” he said loudly, trying desperately to change the conversation.

He heard his mom’s raggedy house shoes sliding across the dirty linoleum in the kitchen. He stood up from loading the yogurt in the refrigerator. She was looking in the one bag he’d yet to put away. “Did you get me a carton of cigarettes?”

“No, Momma.” Ruxs turned back and kept loading the cold stuff.

“I texted you and told you to bring it,” she yelled. Her screeching voice was ten times louder in the small kitchen.

“I didn’t get it,” Ruxs mumbled. He turned to the side to ease past his mom. He barely looked in her eyes. He always wished that one day he’d look and see the mom he used to have, the one that used to love him, staring back at him. But her eyes were glassy and so red it was hard to tell what her natural eye color was anymore. She was high. That’s why she was being extra mean. Damnit.