Chapter Thirteen
Coach Namir
“Yeah, y'all enjoy the weekend and get ready!” I shouted.
“See ya coach!”
“Peace!”
The moment I unlocked the door to my office; I felt the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand up. The building was dark with most of the lights turned off but after saying goodbye to a few staff members, I quickly shoved the door open and closed it behind me.
Bellamy Holmes sat at my desk with his feet propped up wearing a black suit, black shirt that was unbuttoned at the top and menacing red eyes that seemed to glow like neon lights these days.
The velvet black durag was tied in a small bow knot on the corner of his head and the small silver hooped earrings in each ear to add to the usual endless suit collection he seemed to have.
“The fuck are you doing here?” I asked, dropping my bags down as he went through my things.
“I came to pick you up,” he said simply.
“The grandmother is visiting a friend of hers at a home and the mother is out for the night. The father has granted us full access to the house on the condition we don’t say anything about who he really is.
Of course he can’t speak to us when we talk to him but I’m sure he understands the severity of the situation. ”
My chest tightened, realizing what this means.
I started to pull out my phone with the natural instinct to call Souxie, but I couldn’t risk another student getting hurt or missing.
She would just have to understand in the long run.
There was a small knock on my office door when I turned around to see Solomon King walking in with a duffle bag over his shoulder.
Quan slipped in between our feet on all fours while Bellamy stood up.
“Are you done playing teacher so you can officially meet your mother-in-law?”
I looked at Quan who gave me a small nod of encouragement.
“If we’re going to do this shit, we need to do it now,” he said. “I’m not sure how far I’m allowed to move freely above ground, but I will do my best.”
“No, you stay here and watch the girls,” I said as I began packing a new bag. “Do we have shovels? Where is Seth?”
“Mrs. Holmes has everything in the car. She’s waiting on us along with Seth,” Bellamy said calmly. “We are waiting on you.”
“I’m ready,” I said with a determined tone. I began locking everything down as Bellamy slipped out the way he came in, undetected. Solomon and I went our separate ways. Quan was the only one who lingered before taking off in the opposite direction towards Legacy Park to see Souxie.
I took one last look at Drew Collins just in case we weren’t able to pull this off in time.
Whether I kept a job here or not wasn’t the issue anymore nor a priority.
I was stepping over flyers condemning the First Family and mock up photos of Maggie with fangs growing out of her mouth that played in a loop.
All of it was scattered around the Grounds almost daily and I sat and played the good teacher role, not saying a word.
I didn’t say shit when I knew other teachers were talking shit and I never let it be shown that it bothered me.
Not them talking but the fact that I don’t know where she is, and we didn’t end on the best of terms.
The last thing I want to do now is involve her friends when she’s been asking me from day one to help her when I could have just…
did it. Somehow I could have done this when she was here.
I could have done something, but it seemed like a slap in the face now that she’s gone if I were to be with her friends and seek out her family.
I had to do this on my own.
“Coach Namir!”
I turned around to see the dean walking with her security and assistance, holding a clipboard against her chest as we met halfway on the path. She looked up at me with a smile before gently patting down her short, tapered pixie cut from the back of her neck.
“How are you?” She greeted me cheerfully. “You must be on such an adrenaline rush right now as the games begin, yes? The school board of Alumni and Underground is so excited that you’re the face of the games this year.”
“Yeah,” I said with a straight smile, adjusting the strap of my bag against my chest. “It’s going to be a good one.”
“I’m sure…Have you officially met…” She turned around, reaching for the arm of none other than Xavier Martin himself.
Just by the way she touched him with her fingers wrapping around his wrist, I knew they slept together.
“Xavier Martin? Southern Five descendant? I fear you two may have gotten off on the wrong foot considering the circumstances. I’ve been telling him what a model coach and teacher you are.
You’re very popular amongst the students and know that work comes before anything personal. I admire that about you the most.”
Xavier stood upright with his chest poked out and a politician's smile.
“Oh, I have to take this call,” she suddenly said as she walked off with the phone against her ear. “Dr. Joy Vaughn speaking…”
Xavier looked at me as his smile suddenly started to waiver a bit before clearing his throat.
“I just want to say, it’s nothing personal against you,” he admitted.
“In fact, I had a few of your classes on my request list and was looking forward to the late night warm ups and training sessions you do for some of the older athletes and students here. I know Dr. Vaughn can be a little anxious with all of this, but I did want to…formally apologize to you in the beginning for approaching your woman the way that I did. Like I said, no hard feelings. Man to man…It was uncalled for. So my apologies.”
Xavier stuck his hand out for me to shake as I stared at it and him.
Ignoring the band playing in the background and people playing music, just outside celebrating being a Drew Collins student all around us, I peeped at his followers all watching to see what my move would be.
So I reached to grab his hand for a firm shake and brought him in close.
“The moment you step foot outside of these Grounds, you will be killed,” I said through my teeth as I held my smile.
“You spent all this time warning everyone about the First Family but forgot who and what the fuck I am.” I gave his hand another jolting grip, feeling the bones pop and crack before letting go.
“Naaaamiiiir! There you are! You’re supposed to take me out tonight, coach!”
I knew the voice without having to turn around, but she managed to draw the attention of the students like a moth to a flame. Professor Birdie Jones with her wild curly hair and lanky figure came walking up with her arm linking with mine, instantly turning this from tension to romantic gossip.
“Ooooo Professor Jones and Coach Namir?!” Someone shouted with a laugh.
“It’s not like that! Y'all stop it! We’re professional and friends first of all!”
Not to mention she was damn near married to Maggie’s brother. Everyone began talking as we walked, leaving Xavier with his thoughts and broken hand until we started for the iron gates of Cedar Park.
“Bye now! Enjoy your weekend free of homework for crying out loud!” Birdie laughed as she clung to me while waving back at her students.
“If Bellamy sees you holding on to me like this, he’s going to threaten me,” I warned her.
“Well if you two would have hurried the hell up like I said,” she muttered through her clenched smile.
“I have a sleeping child in the back seat of the car. If we’re going to do this, we need to move now.
You picking a fight with that man is not needed.
God,” she groaned. “Traffic is probably insane in Atlanta right now.”
After finding a secluded meeting point, everyone was piled into the SUV with her son sitting in the car seat between us.
Solomon and I on one side and Seth on the other.
The shovels rattled and clunk together in the trunk with each pothole or bump in the road.
Bellamy was having a private moment with his woman, one of the rare times I’d see him this… quiet.
“Do you remember what we talked about?” Birdie whispered as she focused on the road. “She will recognize you as your son–––”
“I know she will. I am her first born.”
“Don’t go in there demanding a relationship. Don’t go in being standoffish or cold–––”
“So not be me…”
“Be yourself and represent your sister as well…Just…Let me do the talking,” she blew off. “I will cue you in.”
I glanced at Solomon who had his head back, eyes closed with his arms crossed over his chest, guarded.
A man that sits like that always has secrets, but Bellamy kept a watchful eye on him…
Bellamy claimed Solomon was speaking privately with Dr. Holmes.
I’m sure it was nothing that would go against me but something that benefited him and his people in the long run. I just didn’t know what it could be.
“Nah I’ll be done with work in a few hours,” Seth said with the phone against his ear.
His tongue slyly slipped out and draped down the side of his face like a rug rolling out as he glanced out the window in mid shift.
“Baby, I’m a grown man…I’m not sending no dick pics through the phone.
I’m too old for that. Something this great, you need to see what it can do in person. ”
Solomon’s eyes peeked open in disgust towards my brother before looking at me. I shook my head.
“I’m saying though,” Seth continued, voice getting lower. “You want me to do all this talking and I’m trying to show you something baby…stop playing and come see me so I can put your body through it.”
I could hear the girl giggle on the other end as Solomon leaned in towards me.
“She’s probably hit in the face,” he muttered as I grunted with a laugh.
“Yo mama,” Seth tossed back before turning towards the door. “Now what were you saying, baby?”
“My mama what?”
“Can get this dick too, fuck you mean?” Seth retorted as Bellamy laughed. I had to reach over the car seat to stop the two from going at it before snarling at my older brother, but it was Birdie who set the car straight.
“If y'all wake my child up, I’m pulling this shit over and leaving y'all on the side of the road to figure it out. I’m not playing,” she threatened. Bellamy turned around to glare at us in the back seat.
“Wake my son up and I’ma wake y'all up,” he threatened. I sucked my teeth, ready to go in on this fake-believe step daddy role he wanted to portray but ultimately decided to chill.
The ride became quiet with the exception of Seth speaking about folding a woman into a pretzel before he too finally got off the phone.
Birdie was taking back roads through Middle Georgia and making her way up to Atlanta as the ride seemed to stretch into eternity.
I started going through my messages, rereading everything Maggie has ever told me about her mother.
I wanted to prepare my declaration to her daughter and prepare for the backlash of possibly losing her, but when Maggie does come back…
and I know she will…I wanted her to know I handled it.
She will know that I’m the right mate for her.
I can protect her as well as the ones closest to her and that I was husband and father material.
This would be my statement and gift to her in exchange for her hand and loyalty.
I know this isn’t exactly how a human female mind works, but it was the only way I knew how to express myself.
“You think,” Bellamy started as he leaned back in thought. His hand touched the window with his black nail tapping the glass. “You think they know Maggie owns Drew Collins?”
Birdie almost slammed on brakes while I sat up. Seth scratched at his head while Solomon kept his eyes closed but I could see his brows furrow.
“What did you say?” I asked. Birdie kept glancing at him then back at the road only to look back at him once more.
“Maggie is next in line to take Marvin’s place. I signed over my rights to her the moment I met her. I didn’t want this damn school and don’t give a fuck about it. I knew what it was originally for anyway. Just a hunting and breeding ground for them.”
“Does she know?” Seth asked.
“No,” I said. “She would have told me that.”
“You think so?” Bellamy snorted. “She doesn’t even know.
Marvin and his siblings split the ownership of Drew Collins estate.
Those who own the schools have the most control over the Underground.
As we know, this is how the economy works down there.
His share was given to me years ago. He just remained the face of it.
I gave all my shares to her because I don’t give a damn about the place one way or another.
Wilhelmina is gone; the others are dead.
Milly, Wesley, all gone…I’m sure they know this which is why they are searching for others in the Underground and searching for my dear sister.
Once she’s removed, they believe it's open for the taking. Think of it as taking over the largest bank in the world. It’s the quickest way to power and control. ”
Solomon’s eyes open for the first time.