Retribution (SSU Trilogy Book 3) (The Surgical Strike Unit) Read Online Free PDF

bed.
    “That was a mistake,” his voice murmured against her ear. Even though he kept his words quiet, she felt the anger pulsing underneath.
    His hand pressed on the back of her head, smushing her face into the pillow, while his knee rested on her lower back, pinning her to the mattress.
    She kicked, but that didn’t stop them from tying her feet together. Then retying her hands behind her.
    “Boss, you’d better take a look at this,” the harsh whisper whipped across Gabby’s flesh. She’d hoped they wouldn’t look at the notes, because there was no simple way to explain why she had them. Or why her name repeatedly came up.
    “This here is some serious shit.”
    Gabby’s breath stilled in her lungs. This was it. If they were part of Kaufmann’s project, or even some outside force looking to destroy all evidence connecting Kaufmann’s work to Agent Styx, then she was dead.
    The man holding her down moved off her, then flipped her onto her back. He yanked the gag back into place over her mouth, tightened it, then moved away.
    Gabby heard him cross the room, then the rustle of papers followed by a sharp inhale.
     
    “J esus H. Christ.” Rafe held the creased paper closer to Depaoli’s muted penlight so he could read the notes Dr. Montague had stashed away. No wonder she was nervous. The pages were part of the lab’s treatment plan. The poor bastard who was the subject had been given drugs, been put under hypnosis, and been infected with a virus to deliver altered genes. All with the intent of making a mind-controlled killer.
    Dr. Montague’s name was mentioned frequently in the notes. Apparently she was working on a formula to counteract the uncontrollable rages experienced by some of the subjects.
    Rafe shot a look of pure fury toward the woman on the bed. She looked so innocent. He’d started to believe her. But this…
    He turned away. With a sharp jerk of his head, he indicated that the others should join him in the tiny bathroom. Once they were all crammed inside with the door closed, he flipped on the overhead light. The room had no windows, so they were safe from detection.
    “Where’d you find these?” he asked Depaoli.
    “She’s quite ingenious, actually. The test tubes were disguised as tampons, the notes folded among the sanitary napkins.”
    Rafe skimmed the notes again. The tests described went beyond cruel into inhumane. And the list of known side effects would have made an ethical scientist stop work immediately.
    Not here, though. These notes were cold. Showing no regard for the physical comfort or mental health of the subjects.
    “What now, boss?” Willits asked.
    Rafe shook his head, barely able to think past the hard punch of fury coalescing into the need to break the woman in the other room. The woman who’d willingly participated in this program.
    But this was no time to lose control. His men were looking to him for guidance. Even though his first impulse was to throw the woman over his shoulder and take her back to camp for interrogation, he couldn’t afford to reveal his team’s presence. A missing scientist would do just that.
    So Rafe reined in his temper. A quick check of his watch showed that their time was running out. Dawn would hit in a couple of hours and they needed to finish their assault on the lab and be gone by then.
    He studied the men with him. Depaoli, Willits and O’Ryan. Of the three, Willits was currently the most dangerous. He practically vibrated with menace. His shock and disgust over the dead bodies in the truck were an asset.
    “Willits, go get Dr. Montague. Leave her bound and gagged, and hold your knife to her throat. Get her nice and scared. Then bring her in here.” Rafe walked over to the tiny bathtub with shower. He drew back the curtain, but saw that the tub was too narrow for what he had in mind. He considered the possibilities, then with a nod, pulled the curtain back into place. “When you bring her in, I want her on her knees, here.”