Here Comes Trouble (Nothing Special #3)(79)
“Didn’t expect to see me so soon, huh Detective Ruxsberg? Imagine that. Here I was, just waiting in the parking lot for you to come out, so I could kill you, when I asked this nice young man here if he knew you.” The gun pressed hard into Curtis’ temple. The attacker’s face was just barely visible behind his son’s head. “And you know what he said back to me?”
Ruxs didn’t make a sound. No one moved.
“He said, ‘Yeah, Ruxsberg and Green are my dads.’ Well, well, well. Detective Ruxsberg has a nice little family. He doesn’t care about destroying other people’s families though.”
Ruxs finally found his voice. His anger pouring off him in waves. “Jacobs, no one destroyed anything of yours, especially your family.”
“The hell you didn’t!” Jacobs barked, his voice just an octave below screeching. “You took the woman I loved. Shipped her away like she was nothing.”
Ruxs moved to step forward, his patience already gone, but Green grabbed at his arm. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Ruxs shouted. “Are you talking about my mother? She went to rehab you, asshole!”
Jacobs moved back towards his raggedy-ass Buick that was parked behind him, holding Curtis with his back tight against his chest. “I know that!” He pointed the gun at him, which was fine with Ruxs, as long as it was off of his son. “She broke up with me. Said that we couldn’t be together anymore. She was gonna get clean and … and… find her son.” Jacobs said the last words with utter disgust. “She chose you.”
Ruxs stood there with his mouth hanging slightly open. He wondered for a second if Jacob had the right woman. His mom had hated him for years. Now she’d chosen him not only over drugs but over a man too? He blinked rapidly. What the hell had his partner said to her?
“If you really love her and want to be with her, then go to rehab too. If you’re not constantly trying to pump her full of drugs when she gets home, then you might can be together. But if she knows you killed her only son and grandson, then you’ll never get that chance.”
Ruxs could hear Green talking beside him, trying to negotiate. Trying to say anything positive to get the gun away from Curtis’ head. It was going to take some work and they only had a small window of time before the parking lot held more than just the few of them. The scene would soon be flooded with officers, snipers, SWAT, and news helicopters. And there was nothing scarier than a cornered addict. Jacob was clearly high. His eyes were bloodshot, there was white salvia caked in the corners of his mouth and in the cracks in his lips. His hand was gripping the gun so hard his knuckles were white, his pointer finger hugging the trigger. One scare, or wrong move and… Oh, god. Ruxs couldn’t finish that thought.
“I’m not going to kill her grandson… or even you Ruxsberg.” Jacobs sneered nastily. “I’m going to take the one you love.”
Ruxs’ eyes widened. If this bastard thought he was going to let him shoot his partner, his best friend, his love: he had another thing coming. Ruxs’ hand inched behind him.
“Not yet.” A deep, hushed growl came from behind him. God better have a plan, because Ruxs was ready to shoot.
“It’s just us in this parking lot Jacobs. It’s not too late. Don’t do this. Don’t end it like this. Put the gun down. Let us get you some help, help you get your woman back.”
“Shut the fuck up, Green. I’m not listening to a dead man. She’s not coming back to me and I ain’t going to no goddamn rehab. What me and Gloria had was perfect,” Jacobs yelled, his hand shaking that pistol next to their son’s head.
Ruxs looked Curtis in the eye, held him pinned there. He had tears coming down his red cheeks but he was still as a statue except for when Jacobs jostled him. He had a dark bruise up high on his cheekbone and a cut over his right eye, just deep enough for blood to ooze down the side of his face, like Jacobs had hit him with the butt of the gun.
“Curtis, son, we’re gonna get out of this. You have to listen to me,” Ruxs spoke calmly.
“Shut up!” Jacobs yelled. Still keeping his head strategically positioned behind Curtis’
“Faster,” Day hissed behind him.
“Son. Remember all those sparring matches you watched between me and your dad in the gym?” Ruxs spoke faster.
Curtis didn’t respond but Ruxs saw his mind working. His son was brilliant; he’d pick up on what he was trying to say… he had to. Please. He has to. “Your dad has this irritating move he always does and I can never stop it. No matter how much I anticipate it, it always works.”
Ruxs saw the moment Curtis realized what he was saying. It was a risk, but this was the only way for all of them to get out of this situation, to even have a chance. He could feel Green tensed and ready next to him, could sense God, Day and Syn primed to react.
As soon as Curtis eyes closed tight and his head bent forward, Ruxs and Green both pulled their weapons at the same time Curtis slammed the back of his head into the bridge of Jacobs’ nose, stunning him. Curtis crouched slightly and rammed his sharp elbow into one of Jacobs’ ribs as hard as could. When Jacobs howled at the pain, caught off guard by the quick move, his weapon fired in their direction. He kept firing his pistol rapidly as he scrambled to get behind his car.
Ruxs and Green ducked behind the concrete pillars, but neither fired a shot, nor did their bosses behind them… not until Curtis spun out of the way and dropped down to the ground.