Retribution (SSU Trilogy Book 3) (The Surgical Strike Unit)

by Vanessa Kier

  “There’s still hope,” she insisted, standing up.

  Ryker shook his head and moved back to give her space. “Gabby, if Rafe and his men did somehow survive the fire, it’s likely they’re under Kaufmann’s control. Such a fire could be caused by a self-destruct mechanism similar to the one that destroyed Nevsky’s lab.” He walked around the coffee table and faced her across the short expanse of cheap wood.

  “It would be better to be dead than subject to Kaufmann’s experiments, wouldn’t you say?”

  Bile crept up the back of Gabby’s throat as Ryker described her worst nightmare—Rafe turned into a maddened beast like Nate. She bit her lip and tasted salt. Surprised to find herself crying, she reached up and dabbed at her eyes.

  “You’re right. I wouldn’t wish Kaufmann’s program on anyone. I…it’s better if he is dead. If they’re all dead.” The pain of that was too much, though. She wrapped her arms across her belly and rocked back and forth as the tears coursed down her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, Gabby. I know you cared for him. I…” Ryker cleared his throat. “He was like a son to me. He was going to be my successor when I retire. I’ll miss him very much.”

  She couldn’t deal with the grief she heard in his voice. Her own grief was more than she could bear. “Please. I need to be alone now. I…I know we’d only just met, but I love…loved him.” She hiccuped out the last word, but wanted Ryker to understand why she was falling apart the way she was. Because Rafe was special. Because he mattered.

  She sensed his hesitation before he spoke. “I’m sorry, Gabby. Come see me when you’re ready to talk.”

  Gabby nodded. Then she curled up on her side on the sofa and cried.

  Chapter 13

  One Week Later

  Kaufmann’s New Compound

  Blue Ridge Mountains

  “Mr. Teng, please step closer to me,” Dr. Kaufmann ordered.

  From his position chained to the wall, Rafe’s heart sank as he watched his teammate shuffle toward Dr. Kaufmann. Teng kept his eyes on the ground, his head bowed in total obedience.

  Fuck. Another one lost to Kaufmann. He hadn’t seen Teng in two days and had hoped he was dead. Death was better than enslavement.

  Now Teng was nothing more than Kaufmann’s puppet.

  “Tell me, Mr. Teng, what can I use to break Mr. Andros?” Kaufmann turned and ran his probing, assessing eyes over Rafe. “He’s held out remarkably well against every tool we’ve used against him. Oh, we’ve managed to chip away at his resistance, but there’s something that’s keeping him strong.”

  Hell yeah, he stayed strong. Because he had the memory of Gabby to sustain him. Whenever the pain got too bad, she was there with him, soothing him. Telling him to hang on. Keeping him silent against the drug-induced compulsion to tell Kaufmann exactly what he wanted to know.

  Gabby was the one person he loved that Kaufmann didn’t know about, so hadn’t been able to use against him. She was Rafe’s secret strength.

  Kaufmann faced Teng. “Tell me what’s stopping Mr. Andros from becoming like you.”

  Teng cut his eyes toward Rafe, his expression tormented. Begging for forgiveness.

  Rafe flinched. Teng had been part of the initial assault on Kaufmann’s compound. He knew that Rafe had been attracted to Gabby from the start. Worse, he knew exactly how much Gabby meant to him.

  Fear twisted through Rafe’s gut, leaving ice behind. No, he mouthed.

  Tears welled in Teng’s eyes. Rafe tensed against his chains. He wanted to fight. To lunge across the room and stop Teng’s mouth with his fist. But Rafe refused to let Kaufmann know how close he was to success.

  “Gabby Montague,” Teng mumbled to Kaufmann.

  “What?” The surprise in the doctor’s voice was almost comical.

  “Rafe’s in love with Dr. Gabrielle Montague.”

  “Excellent. You’re dismissed.”

  Shoulders hunched with dejection, Teng left the room.

  “Well, Mr. Andros. You surprise me. Dr. Montague doesn’t seem like your type,” Kaufmann purred evilly.

  Rafe kept his face impassive. Deep inside his soul, he hastily built shields around his memories of Gabby. Praying it would be enough to keep her with him.

  Kaufmann motioned for two of his assistants. “I believe we’ll start with some physical torture,” he told them. “One hour minimum. Then give him the next series of poisons. That ought to soften him up enough that he’ll be ready for my next session.”

  Kaufmann’s smile was pure triumph. “I will so enjoy using Dr. Montague to break you.”

  Rafe threw Kaufmann a cocky smile. “You can try. But I wouldn’t bet on it.”

  An agonizing amount of time later, Rafe blinked at another photo through the blood and sweat dripping in his eyes. The poison was still in his system, although the double-vision and abdominal cramping were no longer as agonizing. This photo was different. Instead of showing Gabby having sex with Nate and other unknown subjects while lab-coated scientists looked on, this time Gabby was fully clothed, smiling as she passed a beaker full of blue liquid to Kaufmann.

  The sex pictures Rafe had no trouble discounting. Gabby wasn’t a whore. And he knew her ethics. She’d never have sex with a patient.

  But the beaker…hell. He knew she’d worked for Kaufmann. This could be a perfectly innocent photo.

  “Do you still think she was uninvolved in developing my program?” Kaufmann asked with a tinge of mockery. “Once she realized the power to be gained from controlling other human beings, she jumped right in.”

  Kaufmann reached for a beaker. “Recognize this? It’s the same one from the photo. Only, you’ll notice the level of the liquid is much lower.” He held up a syringe.

  “We’ve found the poison she helped us develop to be most persuasive. It’s what finally broke Teng.” With his other hand Kaufmann spread the rest of the photos on the table.

  To Rafe’s exhausted mind, they were damning. Gabby filling a syringe with what looked like the same liquid. Injecting it into a terrified man. Watching and taking notes as the man writhed on the examination table.

  “Let’s see if we can’t once again duplicate Dr. Montague’s excellent results.” Dr. Kaufmann jabbed the needle into Rafe’s arm.

  Rafe’s body arched against the restraints as the poison burned through his veins. His limbs convulsed. His vision darkened. His ears rang.

  As if from a great distance, he heard Dr. Kaufmann laugh. “Oh yes, I’ll have to thank Dr. Montague when she returns. I expect her back within the next hour.”

  Rafe shook his head, then moaned at the pain that caused. No. He wouldn’t believe it. Gabby was safe at the SSU. She hadn’t created this poison. She loved him.

  The poison spread throughout his body and the world became nothing but blinding agony. Rafe writhed against his restraints, desperate to find some relief. Barely keeping his mind together.

  But Gabby was there in his head. Smiling at him. Opening her arms and offering him shelter. And she pushed back the pain long enough to keep him from blacking out. To stop him from giving in.

  “Hasn’t he broken yet?” Gabby’s voice demanded impatiently. “What’s taking so long? Give him another dose.”

  “No!” Rafe bellowed. It couldn’t be Gabby. Gabby wasn’t here.

  He struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids were too heavy to lift. Unable to see, all he could feel were soft, feminine fingers holding him down while someone stuck a second needle in Rafe’s arm.

  “Rafe, give Dr. Kaufmann what he wants and the pain will go away,” Gabby ordered. “Give Kaufmann control. Do it for me.”

  “Gabby,” Rafe groaned. God, he’d missed her so much. Spent so much time dreaming about her soft words of encouragement. Her kindness. Her strength.

  Sharp fingernails dug painfully into his wrists above the restraints. “Give in,” Gabby ordered.

  “Why are you helping him?” Rafe cried, head tossing against the table. Gabby wouldn’t betray him this
way. He had to open his eyes. Had to see what was really going on. Maybe Kaufmann was threatening her.

  But no matter how hard he tried, he could not get his eyelids to lift. The poisons were stealing his strength and he needed all his energy to protect his mind.

  “You’re weak,” Gabby whispered in his ear. “Kaufmann can make you strong. Just accept his control. So easy. Don’t you want to make me happy? Do this for me.”

  No. Gabby was wrong. Giving in to Kaufmann would make him weak, not strong. Something wasn’t right. But Gabby was his savior. If she said to do it…

  “Pledge your obedience, Mr. Andros,” Kaufmann said. “And I’ll let you see Gabby again.”

  Feeling as if his soul were tearing in two, Rafe rode out another wave of pain as his back arched high off the examination table.

  “Swear it,” Gabby urged him. “Or I’ll make you hurt even more.”

  Confused by her order, Rafe hesitated. Then a soft, warm, female form draped over his body, belly rubbing against his crotch, hands running over his chest. Fingers pinched his nipples. A tongue spiced with unknown bitterness thrust into his mouth, leaving the sensitive tissues burning.

  “Stop,” he heard himself moan as he yanked his head away. He choked on whatever she’d fed him with her tongue. The substance mixed with the poison already in his system to bring on an unbearable mixture of pleasure and pain. Mixing him up until there was nothing more he wanted to do than to please her.

  “Give Kaufmann your pledge,” Gabby whispered as she trailed kisses across his cheeks, leaving behind that powerful burning sensation.

  He burned everywhere.

  It didn’t matter what he said. He wouldn’t be alive much longer.

  “Yes,” he croaked.

  “Say it, Mr. Andros,” Kaufmann demanded. “Tell me you will obey me in all things.”

  “I will…obey you…in all things.” As soon as he said the words, something broke inside Rafe. The defenses he’d held onto so fiercely crumbled.

  “Excellent.”

  Gabby slid away from his body, but the arousal didn’t go away. Headphones were slapped to his ears. Chimes and gentle ocean waves calmed him.

  Then Dr. Kaufmann began to speak. And what was left of Rafe’s soul crept into a deep hole and hid.

  “Tell me who this is,” Dr. Kaufmann ordered, pointing to the woman in the picture.

  “Dr. Gab-ri-elle Mon-ta-gue,” Rafe replied. Forming words was too difficult. It was easier to say nothing. Fighting was better.

  “Is she your friend?”

  “No.” Rafe shook his head. “Bad woman.”

  “That’s right. She’s your enemy. What will you do if you meet her?”

  “Kill.”

  “Excellent.” Dr. Kaufmann waved his hand. Two assistants brought in a terrified, struggling woman who looked very much like the one in the photo. The assistants had their hands clamped tightly to her arms as they dragged her closer to Rafe.

  Rafe glanced back and forth from the woman to the photo. “Not same woman,” he said, struggling to put the words together. “Who this?”

  Dr. Kaufmann smiled. “This is the woman who helped break you. She pretended to be Dr. Montague. She’s just as bad.”

  The part of Rafe that was under Kaufmann’s command nodded. But the stubborn piece of him that refused to succumb gave an internal howl of fury, knowing he’d been tricked.

  The assistants shoved the woman to her knees in front of Rafe.

  “Show me what you’ll do to Dr. Montague once you find her,” Kaufmann ordered.

  Rafe shook his head. He didn’t want to obey Dr. Kaufmann. Hurting women was wrong. But the pressure in his head kept increasing until his body trembled.

  “Kill her,” Kaufmann ordered again.

  Against his will, Rafe’s hands rose. He fought, but the pain in his head grew so sharp, the edges of his vision started to turn black. Screaming inside, Rafe watched his fingers close around the woman’s jaw. He twisted sharply, breaking the woman’s neck, and felt the pain in his head vanish like fog.

  “Excellent job,” Dr. Kaufmann said with approval. He waved toward his assistants, indicating they should remove the body. “I’m very pleased with you.”

  Rafe’s shoulders went back with pride. Why had he fought? It was his job to obey. To seek this man’s approval.

  “In fact, you’ve performed so well that I’m assigning you to a very special project. See this woman?” Kaufmann held up another photo. “Her name is Susana Dias. She has something very important that I need. I want you to retrieve it for me. This man might be in your way.”

  The man in the photo looked familiar, but it took Rafe a long moment to pull up a name. Kai.

  “You will kill him and the woman if they get in the way. All I want is the microchip in the woman’s abdomen.” Kaufmann went on to outline Rafe’s mission.

  The sane part of Rafe didn’t listen. It refused to accept the need to kill again.

  Something had to be done. He could not be allowed to succeed in this mission. Not this time. Kai was too important. His friend.

  But the rest of Rafe didn’t care. It just wanted to obey Dr. Kaufmann so the pain wouldn’t return.

  Six Weeks Later

  Sunday, Morning

  “Niko.” Rafe clutched the phone to his ear like it was his only link to sanity. He could feel the madness pushing in on him again. The chaos that took over his mind gave the Voice in the white coat the power to control him. But this was important. He had to warn Niko. So he focused hard, making sweat pop out on his brow.

  “Rafe. What’s wrong? Where are you?” Niko’s worried voice burrowed into Rafe, calming the jagged noise of pain and rage.

  “God, we’ve been searching frantically for you.”

  Rafe gave a harsh laugh. “In trouble, bro. Ouch… Shit…” A headache sliced through his skull, the pain nearly dropping him to his knees. It meant the chaos was coming back. He didn’t have much time.

  “Rafe!”

  “Ah…sorry…headaches…” He gasped at another bolt of pain.

  “Stay with me, Rafe. What happened?”

  Rafe took several shuddering breaths, forcing his way through the pain by using what meager self-control he still had. “Security…waiting for us… others dead… Gave me…drugs.”

  “Jesus Christ!”

  “New…treatment…accelerated results…aagh!”

  “Rafe, where are you?”

  Rafe laughed. “New York City. Heading…to Brazil… They…ordered me…find Kai…kill him… Kill anyone…tries to…stop me…” The Voice insisted Kai had to die at Rafe’s hand. Like Willits. Like Depaoli. But this time it wasn’t the same. Rafe wasn’t in the killing room, with the Voice speaking in his ear as he circled one of his teammates in the fighting sand. Here he was free to listen to the part of him deep inside that said killing this man was wrong. Kai was tied to Jenna, Niko’s wife. Hurting Kai would hurt Jenna and that would hurt Niko.

  He wouldn’t hurt his brother. “Ordered…get chip…get Susana Dias.”

  “Rafe, what has the drug done to you?”

  “Body,” Rafe panted. “Small changes…mind…shit, I’m losing it again…mind only sometimes my own…headaches when can think inde-pend-dent-ly…otherwise, only think of mission…shit…I’m losing control again…will try to…slow myself…down… Please, Niko, you gotta…stop me…do whatever you have to do…don’t let me succeed… They tell me…hate you…hate everyone…can’t do it…can’t kill you all…”

  “Rafe!”

  Rafe tried to hold on to his brother’s voice. There was something important he needed to tell Niko. But the madness swept in and took over his mind.

  Chapter 14

  Nine Days Later

  SSU Laboratories

  Georgia

  They brought Rafe back in a straightjacket.

  Gabby had orders to stay inside so Rafe couldn’t see her, but that didn’t stop her from looking out the window of the sprawling planta
tion house that had been converted first into a CDC lab, and then the SSU’s newest research facility. Only a few feet separated the back of the van and the rear door of the building, but even so, the two men in fatigues carrying Rafe could barely control him.

  A couple stepped out of the sedan that had followed the van into the parking lot. The man lunged forward as if he wanted to help Rafe, but the woman put a restraining hand on his arm.

  Rafe’s brother, Niko, and his wife, Jenna. Gabby hadn’t met them, but the man’s resemblance to Rafe was too strong for him to be anyone else. Watching the way Jenna comforted Niko, a lick of jealousy flared to life. Gabby wanted that kind of closeness with Rafe. Yet the joy of knowing he was alive was tempered by the knowledge that he’d been subjected to Kaufmann’s drugs. If she couldn’t find a way to reverse the damage done to Rafe, she had only weeks left before she lost him to the same bloody death that had claimed Nate and the others.

  She closed her eyes against a sharp wave of grief and fear. Her fingers snuck into her lab coat’s pocket and stroked the worn fur of her valentine teddy bear. From the description Niko had given Ryker, Rafe sounded like he was just entering Level 3. Gabby crossed her arms tightly over her chest. Even when they’d thought Rafe and his team dead, Ryker had asked her to continue working on a way to counteract the effects of Kaufmann’s program. He’d assumed that Kaufmann had relocated his lab and that there would be other men to rehabilitate once the SSU located the facility.

  That’s how Gabby had ended up here in Georgia, in this beautiful Victorian mansion with a team of scientists at her disposal. They’d made progress. She thought the drugs they’d come up with would halt the progression from Level 3 to Level 4, but since they’d lacked subjects to test the drugs on, she wasn’t certain.

  She believed that the only way to completely reverse the damage done was to directly counteract the drugs Dr. Nevsky had created. Those were the elements so unfamiliar that her team, like Kaufmann’s, had had little success in replicating them, let alone creating counteragents.