Roj stepped back away from the car, and said quietly, “Look I said no thanks, and that’s what I mean, climb back in and buggar off.”

“Hey d’ja hear that boys? We got a fancy dude here, thinks he’s too good to ride with us!”

Roj stepped back once again, “Look I don’t want any trouble, why don’t you just climb back in there and take off.”

“Billy,  get out here, this is one white boy that needs a lesson. You to Bobby he’s one of yours.”

The back door of the car was flung open violently and  the man in the back seat got out and as he stood up Roj could see that he was well over six feet tall and weighed a good two hundred pounds. At the same time the white driver came around the back corner of the car, he was equally as big as his front seat passenger.

Roj realized that he was in a bit of a situation but from the experience of a few past skirmishes and from some of the teaching of his grandfather, knew that further talking was useless and his best defense now would be to make the first move.

He backpeddled several quick steps shrugging off his pack as he did so. Billy, the  one from the back seat immediately moved out ahead of the other two, a confidant grin on his swarthy face. His size and the beer he had drunk obviously giving him a moral boost. “I got him, I’ll soften him up and you guys ---!”

He never got to finish his sentence. Roj crouched then slid forward under  the reaching arms and with lightning speed jabbed  his half clenched fist between Billy’s arms and straight into his unprotected throat.

Billy gasping and choking stumbled backwards, Roj followed and raising one knee he drove his foot straight out into Billy’s groin. He whirled and lashed out with his foot again kicked the one who had given all the orders a powerful kick to the kneecap, he followed up with a full arm backswing and a fist to the face.

Without pause he swung around again to face Bobby the driver.  Bobby had pulled out a large hunting knife from a case on his hip and had just extended it when Roj turned. Instead of stepping