Free Retribution (SSU Trilogy Book 3) (The Surgical Strike Unit) by Vanessa Kier

some space. After all, he’d nearly frightened her to death, then dragged her across the country to a place where she knew no one. So he doubted he’d be welcome at her door.
    For some reason, though, that only made the urge to see her stronger. Cursing this inexplicable connection he felt to the doctor, he glanced over at Niko. “So, what brings you here, bro?”
    “Heard you found Nate,” Niko replied. “And brought back a sexy scientist.” He tilted his glass toward Rafe. “Way to go.”
    Although Rafe had never hesitated to tell Niko about a woman before, he couldn’t bring himself to discuss how he felt about Gabby. So he just shrugged it off and filled his brother in on the details of the mission.
    “We’re gonna have to go back,” Rafe said. “Rescue the other men and shut the program down.” He rubbed the back of his neck. He needed to get some sleep, then discuss this in more detail with Ryker.
    He also needed to question Gabby. Find out exactly what was being done in those lower labs. Work on getting her to trust him so she’d give him the necessary information to plan a successful return raid.
    And if his blood heated at the thought of spending more time with her, that was an unexpected bonus.
    G abby’s hands trembled as she blotted her hair with a towel. Showering had felt like a hard won luxury after believing Rafe and his men were going to kill her. That she’d been assigned this guest apartment instead of ending up in a cell for what she’d helped Kaufmann do seemed like a minor miracle.
    But she felt most grateful for the privacy. She’d never been certain if Kaufmann had video or audio surveillance installed in the cabins. When she’d asked about whether the SSU monitored the guest quarters, Ryker had given her a sympathetic look and assured her that the SSU fully respected the privacy of its guests and the only cameras were in public areas, to alert the security team of any threats.
    Maybe she was crazy, or so exhausted that she’d become gullible, but Gabby believed Ryker.
    The knowledge that no one could see her now made her weak with relief.
    Combing her damp hair back from her face, she slipped into the terry cloth robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door, then walked into the bedroom. She liked the surprisingly homey mix of mission and rustic style furniture that filled the apartment. The earth tone fabrics and black-and-white nature photos fit perfectly with the surrounding woods. Such a stark contrast to the sterile, institutional furniture of her cabin at Kaufmann’s compound. The soothing environment added to her sense of safety.
    Gabby turned on the bedside light. Maybe someday she’d stay in one place long enough to have a house of her own. A smile touched her lips. When she was thirteen, she’d seen a stone cottage tucked into the woods during a drive to the house of one of her aunt’s interior decorating clients. For weeks after, she’d dreamed about growing up and living in the cottage. Imagined how she’d decorate it. Thought about what plants she’d have in the garden. And decided that she wanted two cats and three dogs.
    But since leaving her aunt’s house to go to college, Gabby had mostly lived in quarters provided by whatever medical facility she’d been working for. There had been no quaint cottage for her and no pets to welcome her home. Her last place had been a small low-rent apartment near the veterans’ home. Ryker had said that during their pre-mission research on her and the other people in the satellite photographs, the SSU had sent a team to her old apartment. Her things were gone and the apartment had new tenants. What Kaufmann had done with her personal items and the few mementos she had of her parents and her childhood, no one knew.
    Squashing a flare of melancholy, Gabby sorted through the clothing she’d bought at the SSU’s general store. When he learned that Gabby had nothing but the one change of clothes in her go-bag, McDermott had