Page 69 of (UN)Bounded

“Who’s going to be brave enough to come and get Isabella? Remember, the perimeter is a minefield, so make sure you know where to step,” Max says in a chirpy tone; he’s enjoying this too much, and I hate him more for it.

I plead with Gabo not to come. I hope he can see it in my eyes because it’s the only way I have to communicate with him.

When no one moves, I feel Max getting impatient behind me. “Come on. No one? Okay, I’ll go first,” he says as he descends the porch stairs and starts skipping around the cabin’s front yard. “See, it’s easy. You just have to know where to step.”

I roll my eyes because, honestly, this man is an idiot. Such childish behavior.

“You’re skipping around so carefree because there are no mines. You’re bluffing,” Gabo says in a strong voice.

I really want to believe his words, but how is he so sure?

“It’s your word against mine, Gabriel. Why don’t you come and try for yourself?” Max challenges him. I scream with all my might for Gabo not to accept, but all that comes out is a muffled sound. The moment I see Gabo start walking toward me, my heart skips a beat. I have acute chest pain—this must be what it feels like to have a heart attack. When nothing happens, and Gabo continues walking, I start breathing a little easier. Maybe this idiot was bluffing after all.

Gabo keeps closing the distance between us. When he’s ten feet away, Max steps closer to me, his gun pointed at my head with intent, and Gabo rushes toward me. I try to get up to meet him halfway, but there’s a deafening gunshot before I can reach him, and I fall back to the ground. A strong body lifts me, and I inhale his scent—a mix of whisky, tobacco, and sandalwood.

Gabo got me.

When I’m sitting upright, I touch him from head to toe, making sure he’s unharmed. When he catches on to what I’m doing, he hugs me hard.

“I’m fine, I’m okay. You’re the one I’m worried about.” He slowly lets me go and very gently starts checking my body, making sure I’m fine.

I look around, trying to see what happened to Max, but chaos has broken out all over. Luca, Gio, and Vicente rush toward Gabo and me. Luca has a gun in his hand—this is ludicrous.

Since when does my brother know how to use a weapon? Did he kill Max? Oh no, I hope we’re not in trouble.

“It’s over, principessa. I got you. My team disarmed the minefield. As soon as they gave us the all-clear, nothing was stopping me from getting to you,” Gabo says as he peppers kisses all around my head, my face, and my neck. He removes the tape from my mouth as gently as he can, grimacing as he sees the blood from the cut in my lip. I notice how badly he’s trembling when he removes his radio earpiece. He cups my face in his hands, his expression a mixture of relief and sorrow. Seeing this strong man almost at his breaking point makes me cry harder. I can’t believe this nightmare is over. Everything is still a jumble of thoughts and memories in my head.

“Isa, thank fuck you’re okay,” Luca says as he falls to the ground next to us. When I see him and Gio, I try to hug them, but I’m still handcuffed. Gabo shouts for someone to help me, and a man wearing all black military gear materializes immediately next to me and removes the chains in no time. Once free, I hug my brothers, and the three of us start crying uncontrollably.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through this, Isa. Please forgive me. You know I love you and care about you deeply,” Luca says, sobbing as Gio tries to comfort him, but it’s in vain; he’s in shock.

“There’s nothing you have to apologize for, brother dearest,” I murmur. The nickname earns me a small chuckle from him, so I continue. “You just fought hard for what you wanted, and you got her. It’s not your fault this idiot is a mess and tried to ruin everyone’s lives.” Luca nods, absorbing my words as he continues to let his tears run free.

I feel a strong hand on the small of my back. After my initial shock, I look back. When I realize it’s Gabo, I relax and turn around to hug him. He cradles my face with his hands, and I feel at home again. “I love you, G. I love you so much.”

My tears mix with Gabo’s, and all the stress from this harrowing situation starts to melt away.

“I love you, too. Always,” he says against my lips. We kiss slowly and gently, careful around the swollen cut. We kiss like we have all the time in the world. Because we do.

I hear someone clearing his throat near us, and I remember my brother and Vicente are here, too. Reluctantly, I end the kiss, and after giving Gabo a cheeky grin, I hug my brothers again.

“What are you guys doing here? I thought Karina could give birth any day now?” I ask them, even though I know full well he’ll go to the end of the world for me.

“Well, your Gabo here texted all panicked that something was wrong. I knew I needed to come and support any way I could. Besides, I needed to keep Luca in check. The man was losing his mind,” Gio says, and Luca winces as he wipes the tears from his face.

“Yeah, the moment this boludo texted us, I knew I had to come. I brought Karina with me just in case. We even brought her doctor in case of an emergency.”

I know the situation isn’t funny, but this is my brother in all his glory—extra until the end of time.

I see Vicente approaching us with Rocco and Aldo, and I sigh in relief to see them alive and well. I hug them, but they remain immobile, likely looking to Gabo for approval. I don’t care if we're breaking protocol. I thought they were dead.

“I’m so glad to see you guys. I promise I’ll never ever complain about having you as my security team again.” They both chuckle, but I can tell they’re still shaken by the situation.

“We’re so sorry, Miss Bianchi. We failed you, but we’re really thankful you’re safe and sound,” Rocco says, and Aldo nods.

“Okay, that’s enough. Bella, come with me,” Gabo says, and I warily chuckle at his possessiveness but go to him anyway. I’m still shaking from all the adrenaline.

We walk toward the spot where a military team has detained Max. He’s been shot in the shoulder, and several people are helping him out. This team seems to be the real deal.

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