Page 55 of Cole

"Kept at four degrees Celsius since collection. I'm planning to flash-freeze them once we get somewhere with proper equipment." Janice paused. "The cabin doesn't exactly have laboratory-grade freezers."

"That should be fine for short-term storage," her mother assured her. "Just keep them frozen within twenty-four hours and shipped on dry ice. We can run ICP-MS for the heavy metal panel. That'll give us concentrations of lead, arsenic, cadmium, copper, mercury, everything you'd expect from mining runoff."

“I’ll get hold of my people,” Cole said. “We can get them here, and then chopper the samples to you. That’ll be fastest and safest.”

Janice looked up at him in awe. Gratitude filled her voice as she whispered, “Thank you.”

He shook his head, and she knew he didn’t need thanks. But she offered it freely. Turning back to the laptop screen, she spoke quietly.

"The kidney sections are worse," Janice said quietly. "These animals' organs were failing, Mom. They were dying slowly, painfully, as the toxins accumulated faster than their bodies could clear them."

She heard Cole shift behind her and felt his hand come to rest on her shoulder, with a gentle touch that grounded her.

"The contamination is affecting the entire food chain, from aquatic invertebrates up through apex predators."

"This is exactly what we need," her father said, his voice rough with suppressed anger. "Tissue pathology combined with quantitative heavy metal analysis. It tells a complete story of what the animals were exposed to and exactly how it killed them."

"The biological evidence is more damning than water samples alone," her mother added. "Water chemistry can be argued away—natural variation, sampling error, historical contamination. But sick and dying animals with documented organ failure? That's proof that the contamination is actively killing wildlife right now. That's what makes federal prosecutors pay attention."

Janice had carefully sealed each sample container, labeling them with meticulous precision. She wanted documentation that would hold up in court.

"I'll prepare everything for shipping when Cole’s team gets here," she said.

"We'll be ready on this end," her mother promised. "The lab can prioritize your samples. I'll have preliminary results within forty-eight hours of receipt and the full toxicology panel within a week."

"Stay off university channels completely," her father added, his expression serious. "Don't contact your supervisor, don't file any reports through their system. As far as the university knows, you're still stuck in that cabin waiting out the storm. The less they know about what you're doing, the less information can get back to Penson."

"I understand." Janice paused, gratitude swelling in her chest. "Dad, Mom... thank you. I know this puts you in a difficult position⁠—"

"Nonsense." Her mother interrupted. "This is exactly where we should be. Standing with our daughter, protecting animals, doing what's right." She paused, her eyes softening as they flickered to Cole, still standing supportively behind Janice. "Besides, it looks like you've found someone who understands what that means too."

Janice felt heat rise in her cheeks. "Mom⁠—"

Karen Lynch's smile held knowing warmth as her father said, “Cole, take care of our girl."

"Yes, sir," Cole replied without hesitation. "You have my word."

After the call ended, Janice stood motionless for a moment, staring at the darkened laptop screen. The weight of everything pressed down on her… the evidence spread across the counter, the danger still lurking outside, the uncertain path ahead.

Then Cole's arms wrapped around her from behind, pulling her back against his chest. "Your parents are good people," he said quietly, his breath warm against her hair.

"They are." She leaned into his embrace, drawing strength from his solid presence. "They've always supported me, even when my choices didn't make sense to anyone else."

"Seems like they approve of your current roommate, too."

Janice turned in his arms, tilting her face up to meet his eyes. "I think they do too." She reached up, tracing the line of his jaw with her fingertips.

The cabin suddenly felt smaller, warmer. The samples waited on the counter, the evidence that would bring down an empire of corruption. But for this moment, none of that mattered.

What mattered was Cole's arms around her, his heart beating steady against hers, and the certainty growing in her chest that whatever came next, she wouldn't face it alone. He leaned down as she lifted on her toes. Only a whisper of air separated their mouths when his satellite phone vibrated.

She crinkled her nose at the interruption. Finding out if his lips were as soft as she imagined would have to wait for another time.

25

They'd been standing by the window, his arms around her, and when he'd looked down at her sparkling blue eyes, he'd stopped thinking and started moving. His hand cupped her jaw, leaning in for a kiss as she lifted on her toes, when the satellite phone shattered the moment.

Cole froze, his forehead nearly touching hers, frustration and duty warring in his chest. Janice's breath was warm against his lips, her eyes wide, her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt.