Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

OMARI

Our first date was two weeks ago and we've been out once more since then. The other few times, we've taken Little Raf out, mainly ordering him vegetables and French fries he can gnaw on. His front four teeth have come in and he's been trying to bite everything in sight. His teething phase was a bit of a hurdle, but Little Raf is such a good baby that after one night of giving us hell, we didn't have much trouble from him.

Life for me has been going well. Though Big Raf hasn't said it, I know he loves me. He treats me better than anyone I've ever been with. It's so easy to love him, especially when I see him with Little Raf. Their bond is getting stronger by the day, Big Raf isn't shy about showing his affection for his nephew. I have to complain sometimes to get some baby time since Big Raf hogs him. But I don't mind. It's so endearing.

A few months ago, Big Raf wouldn't even hold Little Raf, and now, he can't seem to stop. It's an amazing transformation that I'm glad I got to witness. He's so good with him. He smiles so much when he's playing with the baby. He doesn't even get upset when Little Raf cries and won't calm down. He just walks around with him and tries to get him to quiet. He's not the baby whisperer, so he's not always successful like I am. But I love that he tries.

Sometime in the early hours of the morning, my phone rings, jolting me from sleep. It scares me since the only person that would be calling me at this time is Hazel.

I scramble out of bed, Raf behind me sleepily saying, "Dios, baby. What's up?"

I shrug, pulling my phone off the charger and looking at the caller ID. My eyebrows scrunch when I see Kit's name on my screen.

Since he kicked me out when I saw the bruises on his face, he hasn't answered my calls or texts. It's like he didn't want the help.

Is that why he's calling now? Has he wised up to Brock's bullshit and wants a way out?

With shaky hands, I slide my thumb across the screen before the call rolls over to voicemail. "Kit?"

Hard sobs greet me and my heart clenches at the sound. "Omari. Is that you?"

"Yes, I'm here. Calm down, sweetie. Calm down and tell me what's wrong."

He cries for a while more and I sit there, a lump in my throat as I listen to the heart wrenching sobs. Raf wraps an arm around me, holding me as I grip the phone tightly in my hand.

Finally, after several minutes, Kit clears his throat and says, "I need help. You said … you said if I wanted help to call you. Please. Can you get me out of here?"

"Of course. Where are you?" I stand and look around for my pants and shirt, almost falling as I stuff a foot into the leg of a pair of jeans that turn out to be Raf's.

Raf grabs my shoulders and hauls me back against him. Even though I try to stand again, he holds me tight, not letting me move. I sag into him, listening to Kit cry on the other end of the phone.

When Raf doesn't let me go, I drop my head and ask, "Where are you, sweetie?" Raf motions for me to put the phone on speaker, so I do. Kit's cries reverberate through the room, making my heart hurt more.

"I'm … I'm at home," he says with a sniffle. "Brock, he … he left. I think I passed out after he threw me across the room. When I woke up, he was gone."

Raf speaks up, his accented voice soothing and soft. "Kit? I'm Rafael Orozco. President of Devil's Mayhem MC." Kit cries more and I soothe him as best I can over the phone. Raf keeps talking. "Lock yourself in your bathroom with the biggest knife you have. I'll be sending an emissary for you. His name is Donovan. White guy, blond hair, stocky build. He'll take care of you. He'll take you to the clubhouse so?—"

"No!" Kit's loud exclamation startles me. "I want Omari. Please. I don't … I just want Omari." Kit weeps, babbling my name and apologizing.

I look at Raf, pleading with my eyes. He's here, his brothers will be here, we'll be safe. He stares at me for a long moment, his eyes hard and his jaw clenched, then nods. I kiss him quickly and desperately. "I love you," I whisper, then go back to my phone call. "Kit, go to the bathroom, sweetie. Take a knife with you. Someone will be there shortly."

"Thank you." He sniffles and I can hear him moving around. I don't let out the breath I'm holding until I hear the soft click of the door behind him.

"Good," Raf says, still soothing. "I'll have someone to you in fifteen minutes. Hold tight."

Kit hangs up and I drop my head, crying softly. Raf pulls me into his arms, hugging me tightly, but pulls out his phone and barks some orders into it. When he hangs up, he drags me onto his lap. "It's okay, beautiful. I'm having the prospect get him now. He'll have him here with you soon."

"I should have done more. I should have dragged him away from that situation kicking and screaming." I sob into his chest. "I wish he hadn't gotten hurt."

It takes everything not to grab the keys to Raf's SUV and rush out the door, getting Kit myself. But if Brock does come back, I'm not sure I would be able to fight him off and Kit is too hurt to help. Raf made the right call, having someone to retrieve Kit, but I wish I could have gone with him.

Since I have nothing to do, I go to Little Raf's nursery to make sure he's still asleep. Kit's sobbing was loud on while he was on speaker and it echoed in our room. I want to make sure the baby didn't hear any of it.

When I check on Little Raf, he's still out like a light, his arm over his eyes in a dramatic fashion. I smile through tears of worry for Kit and duck out of his room before my presence wakes him.

Ten minutes of me pacing and biting my nails later, headlights illuminate the living room. I rush to the front door, throwing it open just as a man of average height with really blond hair rounds the hood of the car and opens the passenger side door. He helps a slight Kit from the seat and my legs buckle as I take in his appearance.

His left eye is black and swollen shut, the tanned skin around his eyes looking shiny and painful. His lips are two sizes too big, swollen like balloons, dried blood on them and his chin. There are several knots on his forehead the size of eggs and there's a missing patch in his wavy hair. His small frame trembles as he makes his way over to me, as if he's in too much pain to keep still.

"Oh, Kit," I wail, rushing over to him. I hug him gently, not sure where he's hurt. Even then, he flinches and sobs when I wrap my arm around him. "God, sweetie. What did he do?"

"You were right," he says with tears leaking from his eyes. "He's a monster. I should have?—"

"No. We're not doing that. He made you fall in love with a lie and he exploited your good heart. All this is on Brock. Come on, sweetie," I say, wrapping an arm around him to help him inside. "Let's get you inside so you can lie down."

The blond haired man trails behind us, keeping a safe distance after he takes a bag from the backseat.

I lead Kit over to the couch and sit him down, kneeling in front of him. "Where are you hurting?" I ask, though it's a stupid question. He has to hurt everywhere.

He sniffles and tries to smile, but blood seeps from the corner of his mouth. Raf appears behind me almost from thin air with a cloth. Kit looks up at him and jumps hard, shrinking back into the couch.

"It's okay," I mutter, sitting beside him. "He's my boyfriend. He won't hurt you, I promise." Kit trembles and I sit beside him, wrapping my arms around him. "I got you. I won't let anyone else hurt you."

From the corner of my eye, I see Raf whispering to the prospect, who has his head down. He keeps glancing at Kit with a worried expression, nodding as Raf speaks.

"You did good tonight, prospect," Raf says loud enough for us to hear. "Go home and get some rest, Don. Come to the clubhouse day after tomorrow."

He nods, gives Kit one more lingering look, then leaves.

Raf takes a step closer but stops when I shake my head. "I have a nurse coming by," he says after taking a step back. "He'll be here in a few minutes to check you out. I have a feeling you don't want to go to a hospital."

"No," Kit says quietly. "They'll try to admit me and he'll find me there. He can't … I can't let him find me. "

Raf nods and looks at me. "I'll be in the room until the nurse arrives."

"Thank you, baby." He dips his head and goes into our room but doesn't shut the door.

Kit leans his head on my shoulder, silent tears leaking from his eyes. "I'm sorry, Omari. I shouldn't have said that about your weight. I knew as soon as it left my mouth I was out of line." I don't tell him it's okay because it's not. He knows what he said was wrong. I won't give him false platitudes. That's a conversation we can have when he isn't in pain and danger. "But like you said, he had my head all fucked up."

"What happened? What changed?"

Kit wraps his arms around me, nestling closer. "I saw the messages he was sending you." I gasp. I blocked Brock weeks ago. I didn't think he'd keep the messages that I ignored. "I didn't know he was trying to blackmail you for the money you owed him. He told me you were making excuses to not pay him and then you offered yourself to him." He looks up at me with watery eyes, some tears leaking down his cheeks. "I confronted him for lying, showing him the screenshots I had. He got pissed that I went through his phone and attacked me. I shouldn't have … I shouldn't have touched it. But I was … I don't know. I just …"

When he doesn't say anything else for many long moments, I comfort him, patting his back. He flinches and I know he's hurting there too. "Do you want to stay here? Or get out of town?"

"I have to go, Omari. If I stay here, I know he'll find a way to get me back. I need distance between us so I can get stronger and be able to tell him no."

"Okay. I'll get you out of town. I have some money saved up. I can get you a plane ticket. A bus ticket if you don't want to fly. "

He lifts his head, meeting my eyes with his one good and one swollen eye. The knots on his head look so painful. My eyes water just looking at how badly Brock beat him. "Look at my face," he says, dragging a shaky hand up to his injuries. "I can't get on a bus or plane like this."

A knock at the door startles us both and Kit shrinks into me, tucking his head into my shoulder. Raf comes out of the room and answers the door, letting in a short Hispanic man with his hair cut close to his scalp and startling green eyes.

"Rafael. I would say it's a pleasure if it weren't three in the morning. Why the house call?"

He motions to the couch and the nurse looks at me, then at Kit. He has amazing bedside manner because he barely flinches. "You got ice?" he asks Raf over his shoulder.

"A few ice packs and a first aid kit."

"Just bring me ice. I got everything I need right here," he says, lifting his bag, but not taking his eyes off Kit. "I'm Hector Ruiz," he says softly. "I'm an emergency room nurse at Mellbind General. I'm here to help. Can I come examine you, please?"

Kit looks at me and I nod. If Raf trusts him, I do too. Trust isn't easy to come by with my man, so I know this Hector Ruiz is good people.

Dragging in a shuddering breath, Kit says, "Okay."

Nurse Ruiz walks over, a slight limp in his step. I wonder at it, but it's not my business nor what's important right now. I slide over so I can give them both some space.

The handsome nurse opens the bag and pulls out a blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope. He makes quick work of checking Kit's blood pressure and temperature. He has him sit up and listens to his breathing too, making him take several deep breaths. Kit winces with every one.

Then Hector raises his shirt and I hiss. There are bruises all over Kit's torso, foot sized bruises that are turning colors almost before my eyes "Oh Kit," I whisper, covering my mouth with my hand. "How bad are you hurting?"

"Not too bad," he says huskily as Hector presses on his abdomen. He winces, tears flowing from his eyes, but he doesn't otherwise move.

"Abdomen feels good, not rigid." When Kit looks confused, Hector says, "A rigid abdomen could mean internal bleeding." He goes back to his exam. "Ribs don't feel broken, but I can't tell for sure without X-ray equipment." He lowers Kit's shirt. He pulls a flashlight from somewhere and shines it in Kit's eyes. "Might have a concussion. How do you feel?"

"I hurt everywhere. Head hurts where he kicked me." Kit touches the contusions on his forehead. "I'm sore everywhere. I wanna sleep."

Hector nods. "That's understandable. If he kicked you in the head—" I hiss at those words, my heart hurting as I think about Brock hurting kit like that—"you should be checked out for a concussion. I'm gonna give you some meds to help with the pain. They're from my personal stash. Take them as needed for the next few days. I'll give you some now and you can rest. Take ibuprofen when you run out of pain meds. Got it?"

Kit nods, leaning back into me. "Thank you."

"All good. Here's my card," Hector says, handing it to Kit. "Call if you have any questions."

He stands and claps Raf on the back before he leaves. Raf hands me some ice packs and a towel before he grabs a bottle of water for me. I help Kit take the meds and he lies on my lap. I hold the ice pack to his forehead and hum to him as he cries softly. Raf sits on the recliner, watching us with those beautiful hawklike eyes. His eyes flick over Kit, a hard set to his jaw.

"Can you get me out of here today?" Kit asks. "You know my sister moved to Georgia. She's in Savannah. I never told Brock where she lives. He won't be able to find me there."

I look up at Raf and he dips his chin, then leans forward. "I know you're having a hard time right now," he says to Kit, "trusting people and all. But my brothers would never hurt you. They don't believe in beating on people for the fuck of it. I can call my enforcer and his boyfriend and they can take you to Savannah. Is that agreeable?"

"I know them," I tell Kit. "Zeke and Shane are great people. Shane is a lawyer, so he can help you with any legal questions you have. Zeke is a teddy bear, but he's fierce as fuck. He'll protect you."

Kit lets out a shaky breath. "Yeah, okay. Thank you, Rafael. That means a lot. Omari, I can't believe you're helping me after what I did to you. I'm so sorry. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you. If you … if you want us to be friends again."

I sigh, wiping my eyes. "I love you, Kit. You've been my best friend since we were kids. That's why what you did really hurt me." He drops his eyes. I'm not saying this to hurt him, but I want to be honest with him. "But I think in time, we can get back to where we were."

He sobs again, hugging me tightly. "I'm so fucking sorry, Omari. You've always been there for me. Always helped me when I needed it and I couldn't even believe you when you told me the truth. I don't fucking deserve you."

I wrap my arms around me, patting his back gently. "We'll work things out, Kit. But right now, you have to work on yourself. Get better. Then call me, okay?"

He nods and lies back on my lap. "Okay."

I put the ice packs back to his forehead and look at Raf. "Can you ask Shane and Zeke please? The further away from Brock he is, the better."

Raf nods and makes the call .

Twenty minutes later, a cheerful Zeke and a subdued Shane step inside. "All ready to go?" Zeke asks Kit.

He rises from my lap, his eyes roaming my face. "I won't forget this," he murmurs, hugging me tightly.

"Take care of yourself. Let me know when you get there."

He kisses me gently on the cheek, then gets to his feet gingerly. "I'm ready."

Shane steps forward, holding his hand out. "I'm Shane. Nice to meet you."

Kit looks at me and I nod. Pulling in a deep breath, Kit steps forward and shakes his hand. "Kit. Thank you for this."

"Thank me," Zeke says in a chipper tone. "I'm the one driving. Shane will be snoring in the passenger seat."

I laugh tiredly, walking over to give Shane and Zeke a hug. "Thank you, Enforcer."

"Anything for you, First Gentleman," Zeke quips and I laugh again.

After I give Shane a quick hug, I walk over to Kit, pulling him into my arms. "Be careful. Get better, but do not come back here until you can say no to that abusive piece of shit."

"I won't." Kit holds me at arm's length, smiling sadly. "Thank you. I really hope we can be friends again." He kisses my cheek, then limps over to Shane.

Shane carefully puts an arm around Kit's shoulder and leads him out of the house. Zeke claps hands with Raf and they give each other a one-armed hug. "I'll let you know when we get him out of town, Prez. Thanks for calling us."

"Thanks for coming, Enforcer. See you soon, brother."

Once they leave, Raf leads me to the bedroom, helping me undress and pulling me into bed. He lays on his back and drags me to his side, where I lie on his chest. My fingers dance across his torso, steering clear of the scar on his side. He wouldn't tell me where it came from and I don't want to ask again and upset him .

I'm so fucking tired. I just feel wrung out. Exhausted. Seeing Kit like that was hard. Regardless of how we ended things, it hurt seeing how bruised and battered he was. There was no way that was the first time Brock hit him. It just happened to be the worst.

"Are you okay?" Raf asks me in a hard voice.

"No. I just … that was really fucking hard." I cry softly as I wrap my arms around him. "I hate that he did that to him. I fucking hate it."

"Me too."

It's the way in which he said those two words that has me wiping my eyes and looking at him questioningly. "Raf? Is … did something happen?"

He takes my hand and places it at his side with the scar. He runs it back and forth over the scar that I wondered about the first time I saw him shirtless. "I despise abusive men." He sits up against the headboard and pulls me up to lie against his chest. I try to move my hand, but he places it back on that jagged scar, holding it firm. "My papa. He was abusive. When I was a kid, he used to beat my mother often. Me and my sister, Maria, would have to clean her up and make sure she was okay. It took her years to leave him. But she managed it."

I listen intently, sliding closer to him as I rub his scar.

"Right after I turned five, Mama met Elena's father. They got married after she found out she was pregnant with Elena and we were supposed to be a happy family. But my papa kept popping up. Cuba is a large island, but he always seemed to find her somehow. After a while, Elena's papa got tired of the threats, the disrespect, the bullshit. So, he took off. We tried to hide, bouncing around different family member's houses, but he found us. I was fifteen then. Me and Elena were with Mama when he came over to the house my abuela left my mama. He broke in, drunk and angry. I woke up to him chasing her around the house, throwing things and yelling, cursing her for having the audacity to leave him. I went to comfort Elena since she was only ten, but I resolved to help Mama. I was a man by then."

My stomach drops because I have a feeling I know where this is headed. My heart thumps hard, banging against my rib cage. God, please don't let him tell me what I think he is.

He swallows roughly, his voice hollow as he's drawn back into his past. "After I told Elena to hide, I went to confront my papa. But I was too late. I didn't know it at the time, but he'd already killed my mama. Beat her to death while I was trying to work up the courage to defend her. When I walked into the living room, I saw my mama on the floor and lost it. Me and my papa got into a fight. He uh …" Raf swallows and I snuggle closer, not wanting him to feel vulnerable if I'm looking at him talk about one of the darkest moments in his life. "He got me on my back and he got a few good hits in. He reached for a shard of glass from a vase and stabbed me in the side." I hiss in sympathetic pain. He was only fifteen. It had to be brutal if it left this scar behind.

"I managed to flip him and get the upper hand. I grabbed a shard myself and stabbed him in the neck until Elena got my attention. I killed my papa. But I couldn't save Mama. I was in a coma for a week after I was stabbed, Papa having nicked something in there to make me lose a lot of blood. Doctors weren't sure I would wake up. When I finally regained consciousness, Elena was gone. I didn't see or hear from her again. Not until she screamed at me to leave her alone when I finally tracked her down."

"Fuck Raf, I'm so sorry," I say, my voice thick with tears. "I didn't know. I'm … baby, I'm sorry." I kiss him gently and he returns it, his kiss tasting of sadness.

He rubs his hand over my face. "I failed her, Omari. I failed Elena. I failed them both. I'm a fuck up, baby. "

"Hush, now," I whisper. "You're not. Your father killed your mother. You avenged her. You're not a failure. If anything, you were so brave when you stood up to him. You were a child. He was an abusive grown man."

"But I?—"

I kiss him once more to quiet him. "No buts, Raf. You are strong. You're not a failure. When you got old enough, you tried to get your sister and take care of her. There might be a story behind that, but it's not on you. Is that why you are … the way you are?"

His voice is barely a whisper when he says, "I'm a failure, precioso. I couldn't protect my mother. I wasn't able to protect Elena. I wasn't able to protect you. I wasn't able to stop Pete from hurting. I'm not enough. I'm not enough for you. How could you love someone like me?"

I smile sadly at him. "Very easily." I run a thumb over his cheek. "Even when you didn't like me, you made sure I was taken care of." Even though the name puts a bad taste in my mouth, I say, "You gave me money to pay Brock off, even when most people would have told me to fuck off. You comforted me when I felt like shit about Little Raf's allergic reaction. You made me feel better when I was down about my weight. You've been good to me, Raf. What's there not to love?"

"What if I can't protect you?" His voice sounds so sad.

"I don't need protection. I just need you to be my man. To be the rock for me that you have been. I don't need more than that. If you're not ready to love me, I can love you enough for both of us."

"I don't deserve you, Omari."

"That's where you're wrong," I whisper, laying my head on my chest. "You've been through enough in your life. You deserve happiness. "

"You make me incredibly happy, baby. I've never been so happy."

I smile, nuzzling into his chest. My eyes droop, exhausted from the night's activities. "Good. Now let's sleep. We have a baby to take care of in the morning."

Raf lies us down and arranges me against his side. He grasps me by the chin and kisses me gently, putting all his love and pain behind it. "Thank you. For loving me."

"One of the easiest things I've ever done."

With that, I close my eyes and fall asleep with the love of my life.