CHAPTER 19

**AVA**
I run to him, feeling the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. Pietro grabs the gun from the unconscious man and hands me another one, now holding two guns.
"We need to move quickly.", he says, leading me down the corridor. Running through the hallway, I feel my heart racing, each beat echoing in my chest. Pietro is beside me; his presence is firm and protective. Suddenly, I see an armed man appear at the end of the corridor. My eyes widen in surprise.
"Take cover, Ava!", Pietro yells. Without thinking, I push a door next to me open, entering an apartment. I close my eyes, shielding my body, as I hear the deafening sounds of gunfire. When I open my eyes, I see Pietro still in the corridor, fighting bravely.
I lift my gun, stepping out of my hiding spot, and shoot at the man threatening Pietro. He screams and fires back at me, but I manage to duck in time. I lock eyes with Pietro across the hall, our gazes meeting in silent understanding. We shoot together, synchronized, at the men. My heart skips a beat when I realize my pistol is out of ammo.
Pietro, noticing my situation, throws more ammunition my way. Before I can reload, another man appears in front of me. He tries to shoot, but I grab his arm, forcing him to miss, and the bullet hits the floor. I see Pietro fighting another adversary; his strength and skill are impressive. Anger surges through me. I kick the man hard, but he reacts quickly, throwing me against a glass table. The impact is brutal. I feel the glass shatter under my body, a sharp pain piercing through me. I groan but struggle to get up as the man approaches, determined to attack again.
I run to the kitchen, grabbing a knife. The man does the same, and we face off, blade against blade. He tries to slash at me, but I dodge, grabbing his arm and twisting it forcefully. He falls, screaming in pain. I seize the opportunity to grab my fallen gun, but I feel his hands gripping me tightly. I scream as he wraps his arms around my neck, still holding the knife. He tries to strangle me, and I fight desperately, holding his arm and trying to breathe. The world starts to blur, but suddenly, a shot ring out. The man collapses to the ground, a bullet in his head.
I turn and see Pietro standing near the door, his gun still in his hand, his eyes fixed on me.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?", he asks, his voice filled with admiration and concern. I shrug, trying to appear calmer than I am.
"Long story, but CEOs don't usually fight like that either.", I pick up my gun, looking at the man's body on the floor. My eyes shift to my leg, where a shard of glass is embedded. I groan, pulling out the glass, feeling the sharp pain. Pietro tears a piece of fabric and ties it around my leg, trying to stop the bleeding.
"You'll be okay. We just need to get to the car. Let's go.", he helps me up, and I nod, determined to continue. We run down the corridor, carefully descending the stairs.
The sound of footsteps follows us, and adrenaline courses through my veins. I hear a shot almost hitting us. I look back and see more men chasing us.
"Ava, faster!", Pietro shouts, pulling me harder. I try to speed up, but the pain in my leg makes every step a struggle.
We reach the garage. Pietro spots the car and runs towards it, still protecting me. The men behind us keep shooting, and I feel the panic rising. I run beside Pietro, my heart pounding frantically in my chest. I turn my head, raise my gun, and shoot at the men chasing us. I hit one of them, but there are too many.
"Ava!", I hear Pietro shout my name as the enemies start using more powerful weapons. Without thinking, I separate from him, running to the other side and hiding behind a pillar.
I look at my leg and see it's still bleeding and hurting badly. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to control the pain, before looking across and seeing Pietro behind the car, taking cover and shooting. Suddenly, I hear a voice shouting:
"There's no point trying to escape us, Pietro Manzzoni. You will die today. This is for what you did to my family.", I frown, turning my head and seeing a man with a big beard shooting at Pietro.
The gunfire gets louder, and I remember the sound of the shots that killed my family.
I look at my hand and see that it's trembling as I hold the gun.
"I'm not that little girl anymore; I'm not that little girl...", I whisper with tears in my eyes before raising my head. Pietro is near the car, but running to him would be suicidal. I'd die before I reached him. I hear the men running and screaming, falling to the ground, when a hand grabs my arm. I lift the gun and shoot the red-haired man, who falls dead. My eyes widen when another man grabs my arm tightly. I try to shoot, but he stops me. I use my leg to kick him hard between the legs, seizing the chance to grab the knife from his belt.
I stand up, holding the knife, and face the man angrily.
"You're a very brave girl. I'll enjoy playing with you once we kill your boyfriend.", he advances, and I dodge, slashing his skin. The man screams in pain, but before I can escape, he pushes me hard against the pillar. I groan as my head hits, feeling the pain spread.
The man smiles, but before he can do anything else, I raise my hand and stab him. I twist my body and kick him hard, delivering a blow that knocks him to the ground.
I grab the gun and aim at the man, shooting him. I turn my head and see that Pietro has already killed the other four men, except for the leader, the man with the big beard. He's fighting Pietro without weapons but seems strong and furious. I run towards them as the man tries to kill Pietro. I raise my gun, but the man dodges the shots and grabs my arm, making me scream. Before he can do anything else, Pietro grabs him.
"You destroyed my family, you son of a bitch! My wife is dead because of you!", the man shouts at Pietro, leaving me confused. I watch Pietro look at the man angrily before shoving him hard against the car.
"You killed her when you decided to kill me first!", Pietro retorts intensely. The man looks at me, his eyes full of tears, and for a moment, I try to imagine if my father looked at his killers that way before he died.
"Pietro, everyone is dead. We can wait for the police to arrive.", I say, touching his shoulder, but he shakes his head.
"If someone tries to kill you, you kill them first, Ava.", he says, pressing the gun against the man's neck.
"Pietro...", I whisper, trying to make him reconsider, but it's too late.