A Promise Kept Ch. 04

"Coach Leo Baldrige (that was his name)," Patricia Sawyer officially announced, snatching the tainted pair of gloves from his hands, "By the power vested in me by not only the N.C.A.A., but also the A.A.U., I do hereby suspend you from your position here at Texas Southern University, without pay, until an investigation can be made into the incident involving the suspected use of illegal substances to line the interior of one of your fighter's Martial Arts gloves."

"Hey, wait a minute," he snapped, "You can't to this," and then he tried a different tactic when he smiled and said, "Come on, sister; you don't wanna do this to a brother, do you?"

"I'm not your sister; and you sure as hell aren't my brother," she seethed, "So, don't try to play that "Black Thing" with me. The people that I call my brothers and sisters are all law abiding citizens, not to mention, good Christians, and they want to put an end to racial prejudice just as bad as everyone else does...black and white."

"Oh, that's right," he venomously laughed, "You were too young to have experienced the movement in the sixties...I can still remember when there was a Black Panther on every corner right here in this town."

"That's what's wrong with you now, Mister Baldrige," she told him, "The sixties are hell and gone...and so is "The Movement" so; don't you think it's time to let go of the past and move forward before your racist ass gets left behind?"

"Damn," he woefully complained, "What kind of black woman are you?"

"I'm the kind of black woman who has enough sense to let go of all that crap and look to the future...a future where all children, black and white, can grow up together...and learn the same things together, as well as learning from one another in the process...and then graduate high school, as well as college, together."

"Bullshit," he spat, "That ain't ever gonna happen and you know it."

"Yeah, no shit," Patricia sarcastically replied, glaring at the man, "Especially when there are still idiots like you that keep perpetuating the cycle. So, don't try and circumvent my decision by using any "political connections" that you might've made in your time here. Going against the N.C.A.A., as well as the A.A.U. would be political suicide for them, especially after the president made extra allocations for the athletic programs of every school in the nation."

"Fuck this shit," the man said, as two security officers escorted him away, "This shit ain't over with yet, you bitch..."

~~~~~~

After the tournament was finished, the girls from the U of H, the Lady Cougars, ended up walking away, placing first in every event; and for the girls who didn't place first, and there were only two of them; second place trophies were awarded to them. All in all though, I was very proud of every single one of my girls, and I laid down to sleep that night knowing that not only had I done my job as their Coach, but from what sweet little Taylor Johnson told me earlier that day, I'd done my job as their friend, too.

~~~~~~

That night when we got into bed, Kara cuddled her naked body against mine as she softly purred, "Congratulations, Coach. You did a wonderful thing today, sticking up for those girls like you did. I just wanted you yo know that."

"It was no big deal," I smiled, "I simply caught someone cheating, that's all."

"And in doing that, you made your way into the hearts of twelve girls who worship the very ground you walk on," she knowingly smiled, "So, what do you have to say for yourself now?"

Just the mere thought of my girls brought a big smile to my face, warming my heart from the inside, out.

"Yeah, uh, huh," Kara sweetly smiled, at the look that was etched on my face at that particular moment, "That's what I thought...tough guy," and then she began to girlishly laugh, wrapping her arms around me in the process.

"I can't help it," I softly smiled, "Those girls, believe it or not, have really made a big difference in my life."

"I can tell," she softly cooed, "And you love them as much as they love you...and don't you dare try and deny it, Michael..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Six

The next day was Sunday, and remembering that both sets of our parents wanted Kara and me to come down there for a barbecue, as well as the simple fact that I'd not seen my mother and father since before Brittany was attacked; and it was way past time that I visited them.

I loved my family to pieces, and the fact that my little sister and I were so very close growing up together made it that much more pleasurable for me to see them. Besides, Ken and Sara were just as anxious to see Kara as I was to see my family so; with that in mind, we woke at 6:00 am that morning in order to get and early start. And even though it was Saturday, the weekend traffic was just as big a pain in the ass as any other day...

~~~~~~

"Michael, honey," Mom smiled, placing her arms around my neck, hugging me, "It's so good to see you, baby. How's the new job treating you?"

"The girls on his Karate team all love their Coach to death, Ms. Deborah," Kara grinned, "You ought to see the way they act around him...it's so sweet."

"Is that right," Mom teased, smiling as she raised her right eyebrow, "You and I both know that the girls have always loved Michael to death, Kara honey."

"Oh, yes," Kara began to laugh, as my face turned bright red in embarrassment, "If anyone knows that, I sure do."

I was about to say something in my own defense until Ken and Sara Matlock pulled into my parents' driveway, Sara getting out of the car, the moment Ken put it in park.

"Hi, babies," she squealed, hugging both me and Kara, "How are my two favorite people doing?"

"We're doing well, Mom," Kara grinned, kissing her mother's cheek, "We sure have missed all of ya'll though."

"Mmm," Sara grinned, tightly hugging her daughter, "I've missed you, too, baby...I've missed you, too."

~~~~~~

While Mom, Sara, Kara and Brittany, who all four insisted that Dad, ken and I stay out of their way, were in the kitchen getting ready to place the meat on Dad's grill, Dad, Ken and I sat in the den drinking coffee and talking.

"I read the paper this morning," Ken grinned, "And I saw where your girls really kicked ass in the Karate Tournament yesterday."

"Yes, sir," I replied smiling, "I'm very proud of them. They're a great group of girls who're all extremely smart."

"And beautiful, too," Kara grinned, bringing us some coffee on a tray, "Don't let Michael forget to tell you that."

"Oh really," Dad teased," And how many of them have asked you out on a date so far?"

"Oh, no," Kara quickly interjected, "That doesn't happen because they know that I'll kick their little asses if they try anything like that."

"If I didn't know any better," Dad kept teasing, "I'd say your daughter was jealous. What do you think, Ken, old buddy?"

"Yeah," Ken grinned, subtly winking at me behind Kara's back, "I'd say that you're probably right, Nathan."

"Horse shit," Kara snorted, making us all laugh, "I'm not jealous of a bunch of little teeny-bopper college girls. Hell, they're still wet behind the ears and got their Momma's milk on their breath," which by this time, we were about to pee on ourselves from laughing so hard.

"You guys laugh at the wrong shit, you fuckers," Kara snapped, and then stomped away back to the kitchen.

"Damn, I'm never going to hear the end of this," I groaned, "I hope you guys know that."

"Relax, kid," Dad chuckled, "It'll be alright; just you wait and see."

"He's right, Mike," Ken laughed, "I know my daughter, and I promise you that she won't stay angry for too long. She's just like her mother that way."

"If you say so," I chuckled, "I still don't know."

"And I'm telling you it'll be okay, Mike," Ken grinned, "Trust me."

About that time Brittany came into the den and sat down next to me with an angry look on her face, saying, "You really hurt Kara's feelings badly, Michael. I think you should go into the kitchen and talk to her...now."

"Damn," I said, looking at Ken and Dad, "See what you guys started. Now I'm the poor bastard that's gonna have to pay for it..."

~~~~~~

"Hi, baby," I softly said, quietly coming up behind Kara and pulling her against me, "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings...We were only kidding."

All of a sudden I felt a wet surge of cold water hitting me in the face, as Kara aimed the rinsing nozzle on the sink.

"Gotcha," she giggled, "Now we're even, smart ass."

"Okay," I laughed, "You got me. In the mean time, do I have any shirts here, Mom?"

"Of course you do, baby," she giggled, "Go and look in your dresser. I put a load of tee-shirts in there not two weeks ago," and I proceeded to do just that."

~~~~~~

When I looked in the drawer of my old dresser that used to contain my tee shirts, I found it empty, making me realize that my precious, yet devilish little sister had more than likely liberated my tee-shirts to sleep in. I knew that she probably had them in her dresser drawer so; of I went into her room in search of a dry tee-shirt to put on.

~~~~~~

Sitting on the top of the stack was one of my old Navy tee-shirts that was dark blue (Navy Blue), and had SEAL Team Three embossed in gold lettering above the left breast. I was in the process of putting it on when I heard Brittany's voice say, "I kept some of your tee shirts to sleep in from the last time you were home. It was my way of being with you while you were gone. I hope you don't mind, Mikey," and then she began to sniffle as tears filled her big beautiful blue eyes.

"Come here, baby girl," I smiled, opening my arms so that I could hug her, and of course after happily squealing like only she can, Britt almost ran into my arms, holding onto me as if her life depended on it.

"I love you, big brother," she sniffled, "And I've missed you so much."

"I love you, too, baby girl," I softly replied, moving her hair away from her eyes so I could see her face, "And nothing will ever change that...not ever..."

~~~~~~

On the way home that night, Kara laid her head on my shoulder, well, as much as she could in a Corvette anyway; and quietly told me, "I'm so glad that we're together, baby. I don't think I could live without you, Michael...it would literally kill me if I had to. Little did I realize what weight her words would hold in the not too distant future?

~~~~~~

The next day at work was the day that would forever change me, and mold me into the man I am now. It started off fairly tame, and after my first class that morning, I felt good having just graded a pop quiz that my first year students had taken. I was pleased that everyone in the class had passed it; some barely so, but I promised myself to try and work with those particular kids when the time came. However, it was right after my second class of the day that what I'm about to tell you took place.

I was in my office when I the phone on my desk rang. Normally I would let the answering machine answer it; but for still unknown reasons, and because I happened to be there at the time, I answered it.

"This is Coach Walker," I smiled, "Can I help you?"

"Michael," Kara's terrified voice said, "Help me," as in the background I heard the report of automatic weapon fire, and then the line went dead.

"Shit," I said to no one, and then reached into the bottom drawer of my desk, which not only did I keep locked, but within it laid two Beretta .9mm automatic pistols, mounted in a shoulder holster with two full clips for each weapon. I also kept my old K-Bar, Marine issue, combat knife in the same drawer; and then after donning my weapons, I took off running as fast as I could to the Science Building where I knew Kara would be at that time of day.

~~~~~~

When I entered the Science building, and I'd already been notified that the police were on their way, a feeling of dread overcame me when I saw four students lying dead in the hallway. The light fixtures were hanging from the ceiling, some sparking while others simply flashed on and off, and there were bullet holes, obviously from an automatic weapon, in lines all across the walls of the first floor hallway.

The shadows of my past suddenly came alive, filling me with feelings that I prayed I'd never have to experience again once I was out of the Navy. This time, however, I suddenly realized that this particular type of scenario was something that I'd been trained to handle, and with that realization, came the fact that I was the perfect person to handle the current problem...

~~~~~~

After I'd silently made my way to the second floor, where Kara's office was, the first thing I encountered was David Burns, one of the fuckers that, with Tommy Powers, had raped and mercilessly beaten my little sister. And the wonderful thing about it was that he was facing the other way, with his back to me, and armed with an AK-47.

I crept in low, out of his immediate and peripheral line of sight, and then when he least expected it, I jumped on him from behind, dislodging his right hand away from his weapon. I'd placed my hand over his mouth to keep him quiet until I jammed the razor sharp knife into the base of his skull at the cerebral cortex, what the Chinese call "The Windgate", turning him into an instant rag doll.

I dropped his body onto the ground and seized his weapon, before slowly making my way down the hall towards Kara's office. My senses were heightened like never before, and I could literally feel everything that was happening in the building at the time. I tried to see if I could feel Kara in any way, but there was nothing, and as I rounded the corner of her office, what I saw almost made the contents of my stomach rise.

Kara's now lifeless body had been stripped naked, as remnants of semen dripped from her bruised and bloody vagina. I knew that I had to momentarily handle my grief so as not to make any noise so; after leaning down and tenderly kissing her now cold lips, I wiped the tears from my eyes, told her that I loved her, and then I took off my coat and covered her body.

~~~~~~

After leaving Kara's office, the beast that once raged inside me had now been let out of his cage and set free...woe be unto Tommy Powers when I got my hands on him. I didn't care that the police were on their way, I was on a search and destroy mission. I wasn't going to kill him, no, I was going to break every bone in his body so that he would suffer for the rest of his life; and it was up to God as to how long that would be.

All was quiet until I heard the sound of a female screaming, and two men laughing. I didn't know what to expect when I got there, but at this point I felt ready for anything. I slowly crept down the hall to the last room on the right, and after hitting the floor, I crawled into the room, staying out of immediate sight beneath the student desks in the room.

"That's it, Jimmy," I heard Tommy Powers laugh, "Fuck her, man, but be sure to leave some of that little pussy for me."

I crept closer to where Tommy stood until I was close enough, and then as I stood up, I grabbed a chair and smashed him in the face with it, knocking him out cold, grinning as he hit his head on the floor when he fell. And before he knew what was happening, Jimmy Cooper received my knife in his throat when I threw it at him, killing him the moment he stood. I took Tommy's belt off of him, as I did the same with Jimmy Cooper's, and then using them to bind Tommy into a chair.

"Can you stand?" I asked the girl who was shivering in the floor, naked. And after helping her find her clothing, half of which had been torn to shreds; I took off my outer shirt and handed it to her to cover her body with. Then I escorted her out of the building to where Ken waited outside as the police cars began pulling in.

"Where's Kara," Ken cried, "Is she okay, Mike?"

I didn't answer him; instead, I turned and quickly disappeared back into the building to deal with Tommy Powers.

~~~~~~

I stopped and grabbed a roll of duct tape, and a bucket out of the janitor's closet, stopping just long enough to fill the bucket up with water; and then I made my way back up to the classroom where I'd left Tommy Powers. As I predicted, he was still out cold when I got there, with no worries of him waking any time soon.

I replaced the belts with duct tape, even duct taping his legs to the legs of the chair to insure that he wouldn't be able to work his way loose from his bonds. And then after making sure that he was secure in the chair, I gave him a hard, resounding slap across his face, followed by a blast of water from the bucket, as he began to come to.

"WAKE UP," I yelled, slapping him again, "WAKE UP, MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Ungh," he groaned, before opening his eyes, "Where the fuck am I?"

"OPEN YOUR EYES, ASSHOLE," I yelled, slapping him hard in the face again.

As his eyes began to slowly open, and he realized where he was at, as well as what was going on, a look of fear immediately swept across his face the likes of which I'd never seen before.

"Fuck you," he laughed, "You can't do shit to me without going to jail yourself, asshole."

"You think so, do you?" I evilly cackled, "We'll see about that, motherfucker," and then I began to beat him as hard as I could, as he screamed with every bone I broke. I started with his legs, breaking both of them in several places, and then I began to work my way up his body. I broke both of his arms in several places each, and then I went to work on his face, hitting him just hard enough to break bones, but not quite hard enough to knock him out...I wanted the little son of a bitch to suffer, and believe me when I tell you, the Navy taught me very well...

~~~~~~

Because we were in the science building, I had no problem in locating a portable battery charger; after which, I placed two pieces of steel wool in each of the power clamps connected to and coming from both the positive and negative sides of the generator poles
on the charger.

I filled the bucket again in one of the laboratory sinks across the hall, and the poured the water all over Tommy to insure that he was soaked from head to toe. And then after I plugged the battery into the wall, I turned on the power and began...

I didn't ask Powers any questions, I simply put the electric clamps and steel wool to his chest, eliciting blood curdling screams from him every time I did it. However, nothing last forever, and after the fourth or fifth time electrocuting his ass, I heard Gavin Phelps' voice say, "Come on, Mike; don't you think he's had enough for now?"

I immediately withdrew my pistol, and then after sticking the muzzle against Tommy Powers' temple, I looked at Gavin and growled, "He needs to die for what he did, Gavin. Go to Kara's office and see for yourself."

"I already have, Mike," he pleaded, "Please, buddy, this piece of shit isn't worth it. If you let him go right now, there's not a judge in the world that would convict you of anything. But like I said, you have to place the gun on the ground and step back away from it...please, Mike."

I placed the gun on the floor and stepped away; and then after handing the rest of my arsenal over to Gavin, I looked at him and sadly begged, "Please tell me that he's going to get life in prison for this, Gavin."

"Life's ass," Gavin laughed, placing his arm around my shoulder, as other policemen were now pouring into the room so that the paramedics could take charge of Tommy Powers, "The district attorney has assured me that he's going to seek the death penalty for this shit...Come on, buddy, let's get you out of here..."

~~~~~~

Ken and Sara Matlock took Kara's death the hardest...after all; she was their only child so, if anyone could understand it was me. Not too long after Kara's death, Ken tendered his resignation at the U of H, after which he and Sara moved to Florida to spend the rest of their days in peace and sunshine.