Page 72 of The Prez
Omari looks a little frazzled, but he never lost his cool while Little Raf was fussy. I’m always in awe of him when he’s with the baby. When Little Raf is feeling off and won’t calm down, Omari stays composed and calm, never appearing frustrated or exhausted with taking care of him. He’s fucking amazing.
I really wish I could get my shit together and tell him how I feel about him, but I can’t get those three little words past my lips. No matter how much I feel like I show it, I see the hope diminish from his eyes every time he tells me and I don’t respond in kind. It’s not that I don’t want to—the words get clogged in my throat and no matter how hard I try to push them out, they stay firm.
When the pilot opens the door for us, we step out into the hot, but breezy weather of Cuba.
Finn is waiting beside a nice black car, different from one of the classic cars he usually drives when I come visit. My brother-in-law and cousin own a garage that caters to keeping the classic American cars up and running with their original parts. Since Finn moved here, they’ve been able to get more of the older cars on the road and more Cubans happy they can drive their vintage rides around the island.
He pushes off the car and skips over to us, throwing his arms around my neck. I hug him back, smiling as I pat his back. “Buenos días, Finn.”
Finn responds in kind, his Spanish sounding miles better than it did when he first moved here. “You must be Omari,” Finn says, turning to my man. Finn holds his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you.” Omari shakes his hand with a small smile. “And this must be Baby Rafael.” Finn holds his hands over his chest. “Oh my God, he looks just like you, Prez.”
Omari laughs softly. “You call him Prez too?”
Finn blushes. “Well, yeah. That’s how I met him. Did … did Prez tell you how we met?”
Omari looks at me, then shakes his head. “No, but I saw the news reports when everything went down.”
Threading his arm in Omari’s free one, Finn leads him and Little Raf to the car. “That wasn’t the best time in my life, but it wasn’t the worst. Rax kidnapped me, but I fell in love with him. On the first leg of his escape, he took me to Mellbind where I met Prez and the crew. I didn’t know his name was Rafael for months.” Omari chuckles as he glances over at me. I wink at him, making him grin and shake his head. Finn gestures towards the car. “I had to get a car seat for the baby. I don’t know much about babies, but I hope this one is okay.”
Omari nods. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Once all of our bags are arranged in the trunk and wesettle inside, Finn slides in the front seat and points us in the direction of his and Rax’s home. “Rax is with Diego,” Finn says as he looks at me in the rearview mirror. “Something about getting stuff ready for you. He told me to let you know he’ll be back right after we get there.”
When Rax needed somewhere to disappear to after he escaped prison, I set him up here. Cuba doesn’t have extradition to the US, as they have a very contentious relationship. Right around that time, my cousin Diego said he wanted to tap into the drug market in the states. Since Rax would need a way to make money, I made him my point man, someone else I trust on the island to look out for the coke that we transport back to the US.
As I stare out the window, a small smile blooms over my face as I take in my surroundings. The colonial style buildings, painted in bold colors, make me feel more at home than anything in Tennessee ever could. I miss it here, but I have too many bad memories to ever come back for good. I lost my family, my childhood, and almost lost my life on this island. I don’t think I could come back long-term knowing those things happened.
We pull up to Finn and Rax’s place and Omari gasps. “Your house is beautiful.”
“It really is,” Finn says, a smile in his voice. “I saw it and fell in love before I even knew I was coming.”
Omari gets Little Raf out of his car seat and follows Finn into the house. They go into the kitchen so Omari can get a spoon to feed Little Raf. I settle on the couch and listen to Omari and Finn talking, a few snatches of laughter drifting from the kitchen.
When they don’t return after a few minutes, I figure they’re getting to know each other. I leave them to it. Omari doesn’t need me hovering and I’m sure it’s nice for him to talk to an adult that’s not a member of the MC.
A few minutes late, Rax walks inside, looking as rugged as he always does, his long brown hair pulled into a ponytail and his beard and goatee longer. “Prez. Good to see you, brother.”
I rise from the couch, walk over to him, and embrace him roughly. “Good to see you too, hermano.” I hold him at arm’s length. “You’ve been hitting the gym hard.”
Rax was always in shape, but it seems to have gained a few pounds of muscle since I saw him last.
He ducks his head, nodding sadly. “Ever since Christian died, I’ve spent time in the gym. Too much going on up here.” He taps the side of his head and I nod in agreement. “It drives Finn crazy, but it gives his mouth and ass a rest.”
I bark a laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure he appreciates that. How are you holding up?”
“Better. I’m glad you’re here. It’s hard not being with everyone, but at least I have someone to talk to about him right now.”
We have a seat on the couch and shoot the shit, talking about Christian and the other brothers in Devil’s Mayhem. Finn and Omari drift back into the living room, Finn holding Little Raf with a happy, dopey look on his face.
Rax gives him one look and says, “Don’t even think about it.”
Finn laughs, sitting beside Rax and setting the baby on Rax’s knee. “I’m not, I promise. No kids for me. But look at him, Rax. He’s like a miniature Prez.”
Rax cracks a smile and picks up Little Raf with one hand, holding the baby up in the air. Little Raf giggles high and sweet, reaching for Rax’s hair. Rax nods. “He does look like you, Prez. He’s a handsome little devil.”
I smile, holding my hands out for my nephew. “Thank you. We’re going to see my sister in a few. She wants to meet him.”
“Oh, Maria?” Finn asks and I nod. “Yeah, she and Luis were here a few weeks ago. That’s how she found out about Elena. I’m sorry to hear about her passing, by the way.”