Chapter 3

"He was covered in blood Jay…I swear." I told my friends as we descended the steps in school that next day. We were heading to lunch when I decided to tell them about my encounter with John.

"Maybe you were dreaming Kat. I mean I've had weird dreams like that before." Alyssa said.

I sighed, "No, it was real. He wasn't even home when I got up this morning."

"Well what do you think he's been up to? Do you think he's really into rap battles?" Jaylynn asked as we entered the cafeteria.

I sat my stuff down at our usual table and shrugged, "I don't know anymore…he acted like it wasn't anything to worry about."

"Maybe it's not," Alyssa said as she put her stuff down across from mine. "Honestly Katrina do you really think John would put you in any type of danger?"

"It's not me I'm worried about, it's him…I don't want to see my uncle get hurt." I said before we headed to the lunch line.

"John can take care of himself Kat, don't you worry everything will be just fine." Jaylynn said.

I wanted to believe her, I really did but my uncle's behavior just wouldn't allow me to believe that. When I went home later that day John was in his studio taking to Kurt and this other guy named Paul Wright who they referred to as The Big Show. I guess he was another good friend of John's who continued to aid him in his rap battles.

I was going to keep walking to my room but their conversation caught my ears.

"So did Orlando or his buddies come after you yet?" Paul asked.

John laughed, "After that right hook you gave him last night I doubt he'll be able to speak to his buddies."

Paul laughed, "Well It wasn't just my right hook that did the trick, Kurt you really put the slam on his homeboy!"

"Yeah and when John stomped his face in….wow! I bet he won't bother us anymore!"

I dropped my books and went back to the studio causing their laughter to cease. I looked into my uncle's eyes as he got up and approached me.

"Uh guys I'll be right back…" he told them as he took my hand and walked me down to my bedroom. Upon getting there, I sat down on my bed while he shut my door.

I folded my arms and looked at him quietly, "So…are you going to tell me what's going on?"

He sighed and started pacing back and forth in front of me. "Listen Kat…last night…I went to a rap battle that turned out bad."

I chuckled, "Yeah obviously…what happened?"

He put his hands on his hips and stopped pacing. "I beat the guy, Orlando in the battle and he and his boys decided they wanted to do battle in another way….I had to defend myself Kat."

I dropped my gaze from his and squeezed my body, "Are you telling me that you guys fought this guy?"

"We didn't jump him…he and his pals tried to jump us. I won 10,000 bucks off of him and he wanted it back."

"So you guys fought…and from the looks of it you won…" I said.

He nodded, "Hell yea I did."

"Why was there so much blood John. I've seen some pretty decent fights and not once has anyone been that bloody unless it's a UFC fight." I said.

He sighed and got down on his knees in front of me. He took my hands into his own and looked into my eyes. "Katrina…I don't want you to worry about me ok? These rasp battles have never been this bad and I promise that it won't get to that point ever again. I never meant to scare you like that."

I gazed at him with a blank face, "I really hope you're serious about that John. I would hate to see you get yourself into something you can't fix."

"I know sweetie…" he said. "Look, don't you worry your pretty self about me. Just worry about getting through high school so you can go off to college someday."

I folded my arms, "Will you still being doing the same thing to help me pay for college?"

"yes…come on Kat. Everything is going to be ok. I promise." He said.

I nodded and watched him as he got up to leave my room. "Hey…are you still coming to my game on Friday?"

He sighed and looked over his shoulder at me. "Actually…I can't. We have another rap battle at 7:30 that day."

I rolled my eyes, "Nothing ever changes."

"Kat I have Paul and Kurt going in my place so they can tape it for me. I wanted to be there I swear." He said.

I curled up on my bed with a sigh, "it's fine John. Just promise me you'll at least be at the competition next week."

"I promise." He said before coming over to the bed and kissing my forehead. "I love you. You know that right?"

I nodded, "Yeah I know and I love you."

He smiled and left me in peace for my normal afternoon nap. I didn't bother to bring the subject up again for the rest of the week although part of me didn't fully believe his story.

Friday Night

"Alright girls, make sure you go out there and smile big ok? I want to see confidence on your faces and I want to hear those voices ok?" our coach said.

It was time for us to perform our routine during halftime and although John wasn't there I was really nervous. Alyssa rubbed my shoulders while Jaylynn stretched out her legs. "Don't worry Kat we'll be fine out there."

I nodded, "I know Alyssa but I'm still really nervous about this. I don't know why…I just am."

"Come on girl we've run through this routine one million times…just relax and let the spirit run through you. You'll be fine." Jaylynn said just before it was time for us to run out onto the field.

As we did our routine, I kept my eyes on our coach who was smiling brightly at all of us from the sideline. We ended up nailing the routine sending the crowd into a frenzy. When we were done, Jaylynn Alyssa and I headed to the concession stand to get some drinks. We still had an entire half to cheer through and I didn't want to get sleepy.

When the game was over, I hugged my friends' good-bye and then headed to the parking lot to find Kurt and Paul. They were waiting for me by Kurt's black SUV. I frowned as I thought about how John missed out on my performance.

"Hey kiddo." Paul said. "You did a nice job out there."

"You sure did," Kurt said. "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded, "Yes please. I'm really tired."

"Ok hop on in." Paul said as he opened the back door.

I wasted no time getting in the truck. All I wanted to do was go home and go to sleep so I could have a great weekend at home. As we drove towards my house we ended up coming to an intersection where a tall man with long brown hair and a black ski mask directed us to turn right instead of left. He was dressed in a police uniform so we didn't think anything of it.

"I wonder what the detour was all about." Kurt said.

Paul shrugged, "I'm not sure…why don't we ask the other officers up here."

I looked out the windshield and saw two more men standing at the end of the street. For some reason I could tell that these men couldn't be trusted. One was about John's height with short black hair and Carmel colored skin. He wore sunglasses over his eyes and a hard look on his face. The other guy was bald with a well-trimmed goatee and blue eyes that seemed to pierce my soul as he stepped up to Kurt's window.

"Is there something we can help you with officers?" Paul asked the Carmel colored guy.

He shrugged, "Well it looks like you're carrying precious cargo…and I'm going to have to confiscate it."

Suddenly both guys threw one single punch at Kurt and Paul, knocking them out cold. I screamed as they came to the backdoors and opened them. I tried to climb over my seat to get into the trunk as the Carmel guy grabbed my legs. I started screaming and kicking as he pulled me back towards him.

"Wow you've got some claws don't ya?" He said as he pulled me out of the truck. I struggled against him before throwing a punch that landed on his face. He let me go and I tried to run again but the other guy stepped from behind the truck to stop me.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be sweetness." He said before coming at me.

I stepped out of the way, making him collide with his partner. "Help! Someone please help me!"

"Stop her you fools!" the bald guy yelled as I took off up the road. I heard a motorcycle rev up it's engine but I didn't let it stop me from running. I kept going even as the sound of the engine got closer and closer to me. Suddenly I felt someone grab the back of my head, left me from the ground, and laid me across their lap. I started hitting his thigh as he turned the motorcycle around and drove me towards the other end of town…very same place that John once told me to stay away from. There was no use screaming anymore since I knew no one would hear me. I was as good as dead from that point on. But what did these guys want with me? Better yet…why was I their target?