Head held high, he ignored Keisha calling out to him and entered his office. He closed the door behind him and began to shake.
That meeting was nothing more than a slap in his face, and Jake burned from the public humiliation. He sat behind his desk and buried his head in his hands. Two raps sounded on his door, and he sat up, blinking furiously to see Maria poke her head around the door.
“Can I come in?”
He gestured to the chair. “I assume you heard the news?”
Her lips tightened. “What are you going to do?”
He met her sorrowful eyes. “Right now? I had plans to leave early anyway. Stacey has an appointment with her doctor. Clarke came here earlier and dropped some hints that perhaps my personal life had contributed to the problem.”
“What?” Her shriek cleared out any fog swirling around in his still-shocked brain. “That is the biggest bunch of bullshit I’ve ever heard.”
“I always prided myself on leaving my issues with Brian and Stacey at home. But maybe I did let them control me somewhat.” Maria opened her mouth, but he put his hand up. “I’m willing to admit it, but only that far. I’ve given this place everything I could. It was my salvation when things were falling apart. And I refuse to be made the scapegoat.”
“You don’t deserve this.”
He smiled sadly. “But you know I have to go, don’t you? I can’t stay. Basically I’ve been demoted.”
Tears streaked down her face. “Please don’t leave.”
“It won’t be right away. I can’t quit without securing another job. I need the health insurance for Stacey.”
Maria wiped away her tears. “Maybe it won’t work out, and she’ll hate it here.”
But they both knew that by bringing in someone over him, he’d received a vote of no confidence, so if not Renée, it would be someone else.
“We have to get to work. You have a report to get to me, and I have a termination before I leave.”
He came around the desk, and she hugged him. “I’ll go with you.”
Stunned, Jake held her away from him and saw the sincerity and steely determination in her eyes. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
She kissed his cheek. “You didn’t.”
After she left, he forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand. The person he had to terminate was a financial consultant accused of lying about investment potential to one of their long-time clients. In addition, he’d spent a significant amount of time surfing the Internet. The phone calls were all recorded, but when Oliver had given him a printout of the computer sites accessed, Jake paused and knew he needed more information.
The man, in his late twenties, came in with his eyes downcast, and stood as if waiting for his sentencing from the executioner.
“You can have a seat, Mr. Mannis.” He did as asked but still couldn’t meet Jake’s eyes. “Do you understand why you’re here?”
Mannis nodded. “Yes,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry you got caught, or sorry for what you did?” Normally Precision had a zero-tolerance policy on fast-talking employees, but Jake wanted to hear what Mannis had to say.
The young man jerked his head up, and Jake narrowed his eyes. A faded yellow-and-purple bruise ringed his eye, and Jake noticed some bruising on his neck as well.
“I’m sorry for what I did. I thought I was giving a good tip—”
“That would give you a big commission?”
He flushed. “I needed the money,” he whispered.
“Because you’re being abused?”
Mannis’s eyes grew wide. “H-how…?”
“Your computer. Now. Who’s hurting you?”
Mannis pressed his lips together and hung his head but remained silent.
Jake left his chair to sit next to him, and put a hand on the younger man’s arm. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me. I know people, and we can help you get away.”
Several minutes passed, and Jake waited patiently, hoping Mannis would speak.
“He doesn’t mean to. Greg is so tired when he comes home. He’s a surgeon, and his job is much more important than anything I could ever hope to do. He just needs to blow off some steam.”
Barely able to contain his anger, Jake gritted out, “On you? He hits you, and you think it’s okay?”
“I did something stupid, and he got mad. But he loves me. So I thought if I could get this big commission and show him I could contribute something, then he’d be happy.” Mannis’s large brown eyes blinked rapidly. “But you’re going to fire me, right? That’s what everyone said when you called me in.