Duke’s fists flew at my head. I ducked and covered my face, trying to punch him in the stomach or the chest. Trying to avoid the blows.
But he was an expert fighter. He hit me again and again, his hands pummeling my face and shoulders.
“Joe!” I yelled as loud as I could. “Get out here! Joe!”
The window swung open. Was it my brother coming to help?
No. It was Huang. He peered out at Duke and me. “What’s going on?” he snapped.
“This jerk has been snooping around,” Duke told him. “He was listening under your window.”
I was too exhausted from fighting to even try to get away. I just concentrated on catching my breath so I’d be strong enough to defend myself.
“I’ll be right there,” Huang said grimly. He turned and ran for his office door. He yanked it open—
—and Joe’s fist smashed into his face.
I grinned. My brother was right on the other side of Huang’s door. He didn’t wait for Huang to recover. He punched him again.
“You better hope the cops get here soon, Huang,” Joe snapped. “Marty just collapsed.”
“It’s from steroids,” I yelled. “Right, Huang? You give kids steroids so they get big and muscular like Marty. But they’re unhealthy. They ruin your liver and weaken your heart. That’s why John Mangione collapsed when he was jogging. That’s why Marty just collapsed now. You’re lucky you haven’t killed anyone yet.”
“That’s enough out of you,” Duke growled. He leaped into the air and aimed a kick at my head. I jumped to the side just in time.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Huang jump at Joe, fists flying.
Before Duke could attack again, I grabbed the windowsill and heaved myself up. I swung over and landed inside Huang’s office. The sensei was an expert fighter, but together Joe and I should be able to take him.
Somebody kicked me in the side.
I staggered into Huang’s office chair and turned to see Finn in a fighting stance. “I should never have let you two into the school,” he muttered.
My whole body went cold. I’d forgotten Finn was in here. He was the one who’d taught Huang and Duke how to fight—he was probably better than both of them!
While I was staring at Finn, Duke leaped over the windowsill like I had. He charged me, karate chops coming fast and furious.
Forget about trying to fight these guys with karate! There was no way I could beat them like that. I grabbed the back of the office chair and spun it around, then shoved with all my strength, pushing it into Duke’s stomach. The back of the chair caught him right under his rib cage and he fell back with an “Oof!”
Finn jumped over the desk and hit me with a one-two chop. I stumbled backward, pain buzzing through my abdomen. Over his shoulder, I saw Joe get up and grab the door frame. He swung himself through the air and kicked Huang in the head with both feet. The sensei staggered backward but didn’t fall.
By the time my brother landed back on the floor, Huang was going for him again.
Finn dropped into a fighting stance and started to swing at me.
“Dad!” Liz shrieked from the doorway.
Everybody stopped fighting and turned to look at her.
She was staring at the mayhem with a shocked expression on her face. “What are you doing?” she cried. “You can’t fight with kids. You’re a black belt. You could kill them!”
“That’s the idea, girlie,” Duke growled. He jumped at me, arm out for my throat. He’d crushed the PI’s windpipe. He could do the same to me.
I ducked under his arm and slammed my head into his stomach, driving him back against a filing cabinet.
“You’re a filthy murderer,” I yelled at him. “You’re going away for life.”
“Not if you aren’t around to testify,” he sneered. He shot one finger out and drilled it into a point just below my shoulder blade. My muscles went slack, and I stumbled backward.
Liz ran into the office, screaming. She leaped up and kicked Duke in the side, then spun around and hit him with a one-two chop.
Part of my brain realized that she knew a lot more karate than she’d let on. The other part of my brain was just trying to force my body to start working again. Duke must have hit some kind of pressure point and incapacitated me.
“Hy-yah!” Huang yelled, kicking at Joe. My brother went down.
Duke shot his arm up and blocked Liz’s blows with one hand. His other hand chopped her in the neck. Her head snapped to the side.
“No!” Finn bellowed. He flew across the room and yanked his daughter out of the way.
“She’s a liability,” Duke snarled. “We have to get rid of her.”
“She’s my daughter, you Neanderthal,” Finn said, his voice calm and cold. “Touch her again and I’ll kill you.”
“You’re in too deep, Campbell,” Huang said from the other side of the office. I couldn’t see Joe. He hadn’t gotten up again. Was he unconscious? Worse? “These kids can send us to jail. We’ve got to get rid of them.”
Liz gasped. “Daddy?”
“No,” Finn said. “I’ve let you drag me into enough trouble, Huang. This ends. Now.”
“Yes it does,” said a new voice.
My father stood in the office doorway, two cops behind him.
Duke spun toward the open window, but another police officer stood outside, blocking it.
“Interesting pills you’ve been giving to the kids at your school, Huang,” Dad said. “The lab tests show they’re illegal steroids. That makes you a drug dealer. Giving drugs to minors. You’re going away for a long, long time.”
Dad leaned down and helped Joe to his feet. My brother looked pretty beaten up, but he was alive. Relief rushed through my body. We’d made it!