The Final Choice

31 'Colby's POV'

I held Callie close to my side, as we maneuvered our way through the crowded hotel. When we finally made it out to sidewalk, I looked around for my car. Then, I remembered that we had taken an Uber, because we wanted to drink. Great.

"I need to call an Uber," I sighed. Callie didn't reply, but Denise nodded at me, looking worried. I knew the feeling. I still had rage coursing through my body, from what had happened. Seeing that man put his hands on Cal had ignited something in me, that I had never let come out. 

I didn't know what to do, at first. He was standing there, digging his nails into her thigh, while he held her by the throat. I had wanted to kill him. Like, actually kill him. I couldn't let Callie get hurt in the process though. 

The satisfaction that I felt, when his blood finally burst over my knuckles, was like a drug. I just wanted to keep hitting him, until there was nothing but a bloody pulp beneath me. 

I, somehow, managed to pull myself out of that. When I saw Callie all bloody and scraped up, with her dress torn, and scratches on her inner thigh from that piece of shit grabbing her...I saw red again. 

The only reason I didn't go back to actually kill him, was because she asked me not too. Now, here we were, standing on the curb, and I was completely lost on what to do. She wasn't freaking out. She wasn't crying. She wasn't doing anything. 

She was standing here, with my arm around her waist, just looking at the ground, while she pulled at her fingers. It was like she had folded in on herself, completely withdrawing from the world around her. 

God, I really hoped that this didn't mess with her progress. It seemed like she was starting to heal, even if it was only a little, from the mess that Will had left behind. Now, another bastard had tried to exert control over her. 

I was proud of her though. She fought back. She even tried to burn the bastard's eye out. It was amazing to see that fire come back out in her, even with something so traumatic. She wasn't going to crumble, in the moment.

I was just really hoping that she didn't withdraw from us now. That was how she dealt with things, and I knew that, but it wasn't healthy. 

"Callie?" I said, gently, as I took out my phone. She looked up and met my gaze, with her beautiful, but sad, green eyes. "Yeah?" she whispered, almost sounding bored. "You okay? Do you need to sit down, while we wait for the car?" I asked. She shook her head slightly. "No. I'm okay," she replied, softly. 

She wasn't okay. There was no way that she was okay. 

When I had gone back to get security to tell them what had happened, and to show them the guy still knocked out on the ground, I almost made the choice to finish the job. But, then there were witnesses and I really couldn't afford to let that happen. So, I gave security my number to give the cops.

"Don't you think you should stick around and talk to them?" he had asked. I shook my head. "No. I have something more important to take care. Thank you for your help. It's appreciated," I replied. 

I had no clue if that was actually going to work. Would I get in trouble for leaving the scene? I had no clue if Callie wanted to be involved in this or not, but that could wait. I honestly didn't care all that much about what might happen with that, right now. I was more concerned with getting Callie home, and making sure that she was okay. 

I got on my Uber app and set up a ride. It said that the car was only 10 minutes away. We didn't have long to wait, but I could feel my own anxiety rising. This was the last thing I had expected, when tonight had began. It was supposed to be a good night. Instead, the last person in the world who deserved it, had been targeted again.