Page 86 of Fighting Jacob

Destiny Records’ head receptionist’s throat works hard to swallow before she redials Cormack’s number for the fourth time the past ten minutes.

An hour passes before Cormack finally strolls into the office. His low-hanging shoulders have me hesitant to approach him, but the bitch smirking at me from behind his shoulder quells any chance of me walking away quietly. Delilah is on his heels, looking as snarky as ever.

Peta, Cormack’s receptionist, rushes to his side to announce he has a pesky visitor, but I beat her to the punch. That’s not hard considering a man of my size only needs to stand to gain the attention of every person in a room.

“Jacob, what are you doing here?”

I slant my head to the side so I can lock my eyes on Delilah. “Maybe you should ask her that question?”

“What now?” Cormack mutters before shifting on his feet to face Delilah. She tries to act innocent, but it’s a woeful waste of time. No one with eyes of the devil can pretend to be saintly. “Let’s take this somewhere else.”

Cormack waves his hand to a boardroom at the side of the foyer. When we enter, I move to the far side of the table. I don’t want anything blocking my view when Delilah discovers what I have up my sleeve for her.

After sitting opposite me, Cormack locks his blue eyes with mine. “What can we help you with?”

“Fire her—immediately.” My eyes stray to Delilah. “Then, if you’re lucky, Rise Up will remain the star act of your record label.”

Spit shoots out of Delilah’s mouth like venom when she snarls, “Rise Up is contractually bound to Destiny Records, and nothing you or that silly little hick Noah wanted to marry say will change that.”

“Is that right?” When Delilah slumps in her chair, believing she has the advantage, I lay out my winning hand. “The contract Noah signed is null and void.”

I push the contract to their side of the desk. It’s open to the section I was seeking earlier. A missed signature might not seem like much, but it’s the equivalent of a fatal error on a legally binding document.

I can tell the exact moment Cormack spots what I’m referring to. He hisses out a curse word as his fingers rake through his hair. “What do you want?”

“Fire Delilah, or I’ll encourage Emily—who happens to be Noah’s power of attorney—to sign the country’s current number one selling band to another label.”

I anticipate for Cormack to react negatively to my demand, so you can imagine my surprise when he simply smiles before shifting his gaze to Delilah. “I’m sorry, Dee, but I have to let you go.”

She shoots out of her chair like her ass is on fire. “Why are you letting this ape dictate what you do? You’re the managing director of this company, yet you're allowing an imbecile bully you into firing me.”

Delilah's face reddens with anger when Cormack mutters, “Be sure to have your desk cleared out by the end of the day.”

“You’re a...” Look up every swear word you’ve ever heard, then you’ll have an idea of what Delilah just said. “This isn’t the end! I’m taking this further.”

After snatching her coat from her chair, she storms out of the office. She rambles the entire way, startling more than a dozen employees at Destiny Records.

Once her rant dulls to a hum, Cormack slumps low in his chair before making a tipi with his index fingers and thumbs. “How long have you known about the missing signature?”

A victorious grin stretches across my face. “Since the day Noah signed the contract.”

“Then why didn’t you say something? We could have used that when he was being sued!”

“I never got a chance. Isaac interrupted our conversation by offering to pay the amount Summit Hill was requesting. Although it wasn’t ideal, I was confident Rise Up’s record sales would easily cover their debt, so I held off until I needed it. Today I needed it.”

Cormack smirks. “If only you had told me an hour ago, then I wouldn’t have wasted my precious time searching for a legitimate way to fire her.” He leans forward until his elbows are resting on the table. “I bumped into Delilah having a go at Emily—that’s why I couldn’t be reached. Emily assured me she’s fine, but I think she’s still a little rattled. You should probably go check to make sure she’s okay.”

When I stand, he slides Noah’s contract back to my side of the desk. “What happens now?”

“That’s up to Noah.” I stuff the contract in the breast pocket of my jacket. “But I know him. If you do right by him, he’ll have no reason to seek alternative representation.”

Cormack isn’t a bad guy; he just hired the wrong woman to represent Rise Up. For what reason, I don’t know, but I’m glad it’s over.

I wait for Cormack to nod before exiting the boardroom. After returning the contract to my dad’s safe, I head back to the hospital. For the first time in weeks, my pulse is thrumming with excitement instead of fear. I can’t wait to tell Noah and Emily about how I slayed a dragon without breaking a sweat.

Just as I enter Noah’s hospital room, I’m blinded by a flash of light. After squinting to adjust my vision, I spot a man with a camera barging past Emily. When he elbows the little curve in her stomach, I see red.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" I grab him by the scruff of his shirt so I can yank him into the hallway.