My Life With a Gangster

CHAPTER 1

LEXI POV

   The rain poured down against the windows as we drove through the city. I've never been to a place so full of people and so busy, it truly seems that New York lives up to the reputation as the city that never sleeps.

   I glanced over at Kole, he's waist deep in the at home physical therapy forms the hospital gave us when I was released. I couldn't help but smile at the dedicated look in his eyes as he scanned the pages. It's been a long journey the last 2 months, more mentally than physically. I'm not worried about my body, I know as long as I keep up with training and my diet I'll recover fully. It's the nightmares and the sinking feeling in my stomach. The feeling of constantly looking over my shoulder even though I know Tommys gone. Pete still being out there makes things even worse because I'm constantly wondering if he's creeping in the shadows.

   "Are you okay baby?" Kole asked pulling me out of my thoughts as he reached over grabbing my hand, his eyes full of concern.

  The last thing I want to do is worry him even more than he already has. I put on a smile and nodded my head squeezing his hand trying to reassure him. He raised an eyebrow examining my face before deciding not to press the issue further. 

    "You're going to love our place. It's going to be a huge change of environment compared to everything we've been dealing with so far. Its out of the way and in one of the best neighborhoods in Manhattan." he said with a big smile. 

   "When are your parents coming up?" I asked. 

  "Probably in the next few days. My dad is finishing up some stuff with our old house so things can look somewhat normal until the investigation is finally closed." he said as he started shuffling through the papers in his lap again. 

   I nodded my head in agreement, it makes sense. We left so abruptly after everything happened and never went back. I'm sure there are things that need taken care of so nothing could be tied back to us. As far as everything from my old life goes, it's all dead to me. My old friends, the memories of my family, the pain, everything. 

   After an hour of driving we finally pulled into a very nice neighborhood, the houses looked like what you would see on TV. I couldn't help but stare with wide eyes as we cruised down the street. Once we hit the last stop sign and made a left it took us down a cul-de-sac where a huge house with large black double gates sat. We came to a stop at the gates and waited until we heard a buzz signaling the gates to slowly open. There was a big water fountain in the middle of a white paved drive, with rose bushes lined up around it. I noticed two armed guards standing  in front of the large black double doors of the house, just up the steps. There were two at the gates when we pulled up as well. Once the car stopped in front of the walkway the driver hopped out, opening our door for us. Kole got out first before offering his hand to help me up. I slowly  rose from the seat trying not to put too much pressure on my body. I held onto his arm while we made our way up the steps to the front doors. 

  "Good evening sir, ma'dam" they greeted in unison.

  I smiled back as they opened the front door for us to walk in. To say the site was breathtaking is an understatement. The front room of the house had double staircases in all white with white and gray marble floors. A huge chandelier hung from the center of the high ceiling, and to the left was a large dining room while to the right was an office that had Koles name on the door. I smirked to myself seeing how serious hes taking his promotion in the family business.  

  I jumped slightly when Kole placed his hand on the small of my back. I glanced at him with an apologetic look, knowing it hurts him how jumpy I've been since everything happened. He simply replied by placing a soft kiss on my temple while pulling me closer. 

  "You like it?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

  "I love it, the front room is bigger than my whole house" I joked as a small pain hit my chest. I still feel so many different emotions from the stunt she pulled faking her death and abandoning me to be killed. Kole waited a few weeks after I woke up to break the news. It was a hard pill to swallow, and I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive her. I quickly shook it off following Koles lead around the rest of the house. 

  The kitchen is like out of a magazine, gray granite counter tops with dark gray cabinets along with white accent tiles. I couldn't take my eyes off of it, until Kole spun me around before cupping my face in his hands. 

  "This is our fresh start, you will always be safe here baby. There's plenty of time to see the rest of the house, let me show you our room" he said excitedly. 

  The glimmer in his eyes reminded me of a kid on Christmas morning. He swooped me up in his arms, walking towards the elevator that was just down the hall ahead of the living room. I jokingly rolled my eyes knowing he purposely picked this place for all the extravagant amenities. I noticed 3 buttons; the first floor, the second floor and the top level. I raised an eyebrow as he hit the top. 

  "You're going to love this" he stated without giving anymore details. 

  Once the elevator opened it was a huge bedroom. Damn near the size of a small house. High ceilings with a large bed, a huge tv with accent rugs to go with the theme of the house. There was a sitting area with sofas to the immediate right down the small hallway that had a large opening to see the tv and into the bedroom.  A little further down the hall to the left was a massive walk in closet, almost the size of the bedroom and sitting room combined. It was his and hers, plus it was completely stocked full of clothes and shoes. I skimmed through my side smiling as I realized Laurena had a huge part in my wardrobe. I noticed a large full wall painting at the end of the closet, I looked back at Kole with my eyebrow raised. 

  I didn't take my eyes off him as he walked up to the center of the floral painting. He slowly grazed the painting with his hand and stopped in the middle of the sunflower, pressing down slightly. I heard a small click before the painting lowered into the floor. A large metal door with a keypad was revealed. Kole glanced over at the shocked look on my face before typing in a 6 digit code causing the door to slide open. 

  "It's a safe room. I figured it would put your mind to ease knowing its here and within reach of your most personal space. There's also another one in the library on the second floor that I'll show you later." he started while taking a closer step toward me. "I will never let anything happen to you again. This is the safest place to be, aside from me." he winked. There is a small bed, sitting chair, mini fridge and some other things you'll like." he finished. 

  All I could do was stare at him in admiration after seeing the lengths he is willing to go to make me feel safe. 

  "Thank you, I love you."