Security was already headed our way, pushing their way through a crowd not as willing to part for them as they had been for Leon. Casey turned her face toward me and yanked her hand from mine. There were tears in her eyes, but she wiped them away, a hard and defiant look on her face.
“Leave me the fuck alone,” she said. “I can take care of myself.”
She was right. She could take care of herself. I knew I should leave before the guards got to us, but for some reason, I couldn't leave her there, standing there alone to face the music. I'd jumped into the middle of it. I'd made myself a part of the spectacle. The least I could do was stand there, take the heat, and see it through with her.
She flipped Leon off as the security guards approached. One of them took her by the arm, but she fought back – pulling her arm away from him, practically snarling at him.
“Get the fuck off me,” she hissed.
“Come with me, Casey,” he said, his voice firm. “You're out of here.”
I sighed. “Casey, come on. Let's just go.”
She didn't look at me, she just pushed her way past the two guards. I followed close behind her, with security on our heels. Casey pistoned out her fists, banging open the large double doors with such force that when they swung out, they almost hit the doorman on the other side who was moving to open them at the same time.
Once we were both out on the sidewalk outside the club, she took off down the street without a word or a backward glance at me. Greg's voice called from the doorway.
“Malcolm, what the hell, man?” he said. “I'm sure you can come back inside, now that she’s gone.”
“I'm not worried about it, Greg,” I said.
I kept my eyes on Casey as she stopped about twenty feet from me and slumped against the building. She squatted down and buried her face in her hands. Even from where I was standing, I could hear the loud sobs that came from her tiny body. She was shaking and crying and screaming, banging her fists against the wall.
When I walked over to her, I noticed her hands were bloody, but that didn't seem to faze her.
“What do you want?” she said, not bothering to look up at me. “I told you to leave me the fuck alone and I meant it.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Do I look okay?” she said.
Her eyes flashed up at me, an almost wild and crazed expression of near panic on her face. She shook her head, lowered her gaze, and went back to staring at the ground.
“I can't believe I did that,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Greg had joined us on the sidewalk, and was standing there, staring wide-eyed down at Casey. If she even realized he was there, she ignored him completely. “You really went crazy in there,” he said, a smirk on his face.
“Fuck off,” she said, not bothering to look up at him. “I'm not in the mood for your bullshit. You assholes cost me my job. So, walk away and leave me the fuck alone. Got it?”
When I didn't move, she looked at me, pure
disgust on her face. She pushed herself up off the wall, turned away from us, and continued walking. I took off and caught up to her, walking alongside her as she sped along the sidewalk.
She side-eyed me, the expression on her face one of open hostility. I had no doubt that if I gave her the chance, she'd throw a couple of punches at me.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“I want to help.”
She laughed, but it wasn't a pleasant sound. It was a harsh and brittle noise. It was a mocking, angry laugh. “You? Want to help me?” she sneered. “And I'm supposed to believe it, because – you helped me sneak away to the bathroom once?”
“No, because I'm not a dick like Greg.”
“Hey, man,” Greg said from behind me.
I didn't even realize he was following us. I looked over my shoulder and looked at him.
“Why don't you go back to the club, Greg?”