“Kaia!” comes a familiar shout. “What are you doing?—“
Calum steps into the passage, looking aggravated. It only takes him a second to register that I’m in danger.
“What the fuck?” he shouts, rushing at my father and me headlong.
My dad takes his hands from my throat, throwing them up in self-defense. “Mind your own business!”
Calum doesn’t even hesitate or flinch. He just barrels straight into my dad, tackling him to the ground. “Go get some help, Kaia!”
My dad starts to fight back. I put my fingers on my throbbing throat, still in shock.
Calum grits his teeth. “Kaia! Now!”
Tears begin to fill my eyes and I turn, stumbling down the passageway. I turn toward the costume room, my mind racing.
Luckily Basil comes down the brightly lit hallway, looking up with alarm at my disheveled state.
“Help!” I shout. It comes out sounding strangled but it’s enough to get Basil to rush over to me.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“Calum has tackled… an intruder,” I gasp out.
Basil looks confused for a moment, pushing past me. A couple of dancers appear from the costume room, trying to see what the fuss is about. Bas reaches the passage and sees the two men fighting.
“Fuck! Call 911,” he calls, rushing to help Calum.
One of the dancers whips out a cell phone, calling the police. I back up as she rushes past me, trying to tell why she’s calling the cops.
I lightly touch my neck, feeling my father’s hands still choking me.
“He’s getting away out the side exit!” someone yells. “Someone stop him!”
I lean down, feeling dizzy.
“Kaia? Are you okay?”
I nod even as I burst into tears, my face going red.
“Someone get the nurse!”
I hear Calum’s voice again. “He ran outside. I’m not going to give chase.”
I look up tearfully and my gaze connects with Calum’s deep blue eyes.
“Shit,” he says. He heads over to me, kneeling next to me. “Kaia, are you okay?”
I want nothing more than to collapse into his arms, a weak, broken thing. But I can’t do that.
Even now, I’m aware of that.
So I just nod, ashamed at how fragile I feel right now. Calum licks his lips, not touching me, and tries to calm me down.
“It’s going to be okay,” he says, his voice soothing. “He won’t get away.”
I look at him, my expression pleading, although I don’t know what exactly I’m asking him to do. “He’s… my father…”
Calum’s eyes widen. He glances back over his shoulder, his mouth thinning. “Okay. It’s… it’s going to be okay.”
