Page 45 of Fighting Jacob

Noah’s eyes shift from the road to me when I yank my phone out of my pocket. “I’m going to fucking kill him, that’s what I’m going to do.”

After scrolling to my recent calls list, I hit the number of the last call I received. Maggie answers a few seconds later. “Mavericks, this is—”

“Where does he live?”

Maggie knows every local in Ravenshoe, so if anyone knows Callum’s whereabouts, it will be her.

“Jacob, this isn’t a good idea—”

“Where does he fucking live?!”

Noah socks me in the arm, warning me to calm down before adding a stern finger point to his threat. Confident I’ve got things under control, he holds out his hand palm side up, soundlessly requesting my phone. I don’t want to give it to him, but with my anger making me lash out, I hand it to him.

“Maggie, it’s Noah... No, I haven't talked to him yet... I know... Maggie... I’ll make sure. Bye.” He disconnects the call before tossing my phone back to my side of the cab. “He lives in Hopeton.”

After checking it’s clear, he executes a U-turn and heads in the opposite direction before his eyes stray to mine. “How much did Lola tell you?”

“That he assaulted her once, then she ran, and today was the first time she has seen him in months.” My words are ground out through clenched teeth.

“What about what happened today?”

My fists ball so firmly, my clipped nails dig into my palm. “She didn’t say, but she has a bruise on her wrist... and her fucking neck.” Anger steam rolls back into me. “The mark on her neck isn’t little. He had to clutch her pretty hard to inflict that much damage.”

“From what I got out of Maggie, that sounds about right.” Noah tightens his grip on the steering wheel. His anger is just as intense as mine, his blood pressure just as high. “Maggie went to check on Lola when she took longer cleaning the bathrooms than usual. She found Callum pinning her to the wall by her throat.” His breathy chuckle confuses me until he discloses, “Maggie hit him with her baseball bat, then threatened to shoot him if he didn’t leave.”

I’m glad Maggie protected Lola, but now I feel horrible for swearing at her. I’ll be sure to apologize the instant I’m done dealing with Callum.

“She’s not one hundred percent convinced, but she thinks he was on something. His eyes were all fucked up.” He waits for a truck to roar past us before locking his eyes with mine. “Be careful, alright?”

After jerking up my chin, I drop my eyes to my busted knuckles. I haven’t reached Callum yet, and I’m already sporting bruises. I’m not usually an aggressive person, but this isn’t something I can ignore. Callum didn’t hit Lola once; he hurt her twice. I may not have been there to protect her the first time, but I can and will now.

Around twenty minutes later, Noah pulls his truck to the curb of an old brick house on the outskirts of town. The lawn is unkept, not seeing a lawnmower the past year, and the shutters are hanging off their hinges. It looks more suitable for a horror movie set than a family home.

I jump out of the passenger door and stride toward the rundown house. Blood is still surging through my veins, my anger not dampening the slightest during our drive. As I take the front three stairs of the porch, Noah pleads, “Don’t kill him; just rough him up a little.”

I’m about to knock on a broken screen door when a blond-haired, blue-eyed man walks down the litter-filled hallway. His hair is greasy, and his clothes are stained, but if you peel away the mess covering him, I can see how he might attract a girl like Lola. He’s got all the attributes of a bad boy. It’s just a pity women don’t realize the bad boys in romance books don’t rate as highly in real life.

After opening the screen door separating us, the man props his shoulder on a paint-peeled door. “Aww, isn’t this sweet? She sent her bitch to fight her battles.”

“Are you Callum?”

He smirks an arrogant grin. “If I am?”

“Then I’m about to teach you a lesson on what happens when you put your hands on a woman—my woman.” Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, I drag him to within an inch of my face. “Are you Callum?”

“Maybe...?”

His smirk grows so wide, his yellow teeth glisten in the afternoon sun. His pompous attitude has my anger reaching breaking point. The fact he thinks he can assault Lola as if it’s a fucking game causes me to snap.

Without a thought crossing my mind, I head-butt him right in the nose. He sprawls back, his ass hitting the wooden porch with an almighty thump since his hands are too busy protecting his nose from another hit.

Sensing my slip in composure, Noah pushes off his truck and heads my way.

“Wait.” I hold my finger in the air, requesting a minute.

His eyes reveal his unease, but since I've yet to place a hand on Callum, he maintains his security officer stance halfway down the cracked path.

Callum exhales a ragged breath when my boot lands in his rib. He coughs up blood as his lungs fight to replenish the air they just lost. Grabbing the scruff of his shirt, I drag him back onto his feet. Because I want him to experience the fear Lola went through, I push him backward until his back splays against the outside wall of his house, then I curl my hand around his throat. I place enough pressure on his neck to make his eyes pop open but not enough to kill him—unfortunately.

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