The mob leader's best friend is a nerd

Chapter 4

Valerio's POV

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I didn't even register the pain from the shot in my shoulder. All I could think about is Aria and how I got her involved into the fucked up world I'm in. I never wanted her exposed to it. Never meant for her to know about the other side of me.

"ARIA RUN!" I roar too her, but she don't budge. Her eyes are glued too my shoulder and her face is even paler than I though was possible. She's worse than corpses. 

"ARIA SNAP OUT OF IT!" I look around us, looking for a soon-to-be-dead-man. People are running in frantic panic from us and screams covers the busy street.

I feel my hand drenched in blood and that snaps Aria out of it. She opens her mouth to scream, but the rapid sounds of gunfire covers it. I grab her arm and dash across the street too a park. I hear shouts and bullets being fired behind me, but I keep my eyes in front of me. If I was alone I would confront them and win easily, but Aria is here and I can't risk her being hurt.

Faster....faster...

"VALERIO!" Aria screams and I feel something break inside of me at the sound of her voice. Fear. Fear for me and what I do. I never wanted her to know. I never wanted her to be in this situation, to be in my shoes. 

"ARIA RUN FASTER!" I shout over the fires. 

We run in too the woods. As we get deeper I hear their shouts further and further away. Satisfied with the distance I find a cluster of bushes and pull us into it. I lay over her to cover her small body, but keep from crushing her body by supporting my body on my elbows. I can feel her trembling under me and I hear her quiet sobs. I want to comfort her and hug her, but I priorities her survival first. 

"Be quiet and don't move" I whisper too her ear. She just nod and try calming herself. Soon her sobs are gone and she quit trembling, still she is stiff and her shoulders are clenched together. 

I dig into my jacket pocket and pull out my phone. There's already a message from Papi.

DRAGO: Dove sei?

Me: In the park by the mall. Maybe 5 people, only heard 2 people with guns.

DRAGO: OKAY.  ARE YOU HURT?

Me: A clean hit in my shoulder, but Aria is here.

DRAGO: Shit. We're close. Hold on

Me: Hurry

I turn off the phone completely and return it into the pocket. Aria is doing so good with being quiet. Is it weird for me to be proud of her?
Yes, because she should never be doing it at all under these circumstances. 

A stray bullet got fired making Aria jump a little, but she doesn't scream. Her tears are falling like a river and she's biting her lips so hard I think they're bleeding. 

"Dad's on his way. Hold on" I whisper making her nod her head.

"Why didn't we run too the car?" 

I was actually surprised she asked that question out of all questions. No demands of what's going on or what I am. Maybe it's panic.

"The first thing they did was probably destroying it. If not they would installed trackers" 

"How would you know that?" She whisper hiss, but immediately shuts her mouth when we hear slow footsteps coming closer. I press her further onto the ground and focus on listening.

They have split into two groups since two are here. I guess the leader and his third best are here, and his second best could command the other group. I hear a person on our left, 4 meter away. The other one is in front of us, 8 meters away.