“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.