Chapter 15
Cole stopped so abruptly ahead of her that she nearly crashed into his back. Before she could ask what was wrong, he raised one hand in a signal she understood instinctively even though they'd never discussed it. He wanted her still and quiet.
Janice froze, her heart suddenly pounding for entirely different reasons than before. Had he heard something or seen someone?
He stood motionless for a long moment, his head cocked slightly as though listening to something she couldn't hear. Every line of his body was alert, tense, ready to react. His hand had moved to his side, close to where she knew he'd holstered his gun.
The forest around them seemed to hold its breath.
Then, gradually, Cole relaxed. He gestured for her to come forward, and when she reached his side, he spoke quietly.
"Thought I heard something. But it was just a branch breaking under the weight of the snow." He pulled out his satellite phone. "Let me check in with Sadie before we go any farther. Make sure the area's clear."
Janice waited while he made the call, keeping his voice low as he spoke with his teammate back in Montana. She couldn't hear Sadie's responses, but she watched Cole's face, trying to read his expression for any sign of trouble.
After a few minutes, he ended the call and looked at Janice. "Sadie's been monitoring the satellite feeds. No movement in the area since before the storm hit. We should be clear, but we'll still approach carefully."
"The area is just over that rise," Janice said, pointing toward a slight elevation in the terrain ahead. "The clearing is on the other side."
"Okay." Cole checked their GPS coordinates one more time. "Let's move slowly. Stay behind me. And if I tell you to run, you run. Don't look back, don't wait for me. Just get back to the snowmobile and head for the cabin. Understood?"
"I'm not leaving you—"
"Janice." His tone was gentle but absolutely firm. "If something goes wrong, the most important thing is keeping you and those samples safe. That's the mission. Promise me."
She wanted to argue and tell him that she wouldn't abandon him if things got dangerous. But the look in his eyes told her this wasn't negotiable. "I promise," she finally said.
They climbed the rise slowly, both of them moving as quietly as possible through the snow. At the top, Cole dropped into a crouch, and Janice did the same, peering down into the clearing below.
There it was. The illegal mining area she'd photographed yesterday from a distance on the far side of the creek, now covered with fresh snow but still clearly visible. The portable generator under its tarp. Fuel drums stacked in neat rows. Drilling equipment partially covered by snow.
But from this higher vantage point, Janice could see so much more.
The true extent of the operation. The sheer amount of equipment they'd brought in.
The way they'd carved this clearing out of protected wilderness with complete disregard for the law or the environment or the creatures who called this place home.
Her fury, which had been simmering since she'd first discovered the contamination, flared hot and bright. "That's it," she whispered. "The container pond is at the back of the clearing."
Cole was already taking photos with his phone, documenting everything from multiple angles. Janice pulled out her own phone and did the same, making sure to capture images showing the GPS coordinates embedded in the metadata. Evidence. Irrefutable proof of what Northern Summit was doing.
“There’s no signage,” Cole muttered.
She looked at him, not understanding what he meant. Tilting her head in a silent question, she waited.
“We can’t be sure it is a Northern Summit operation.”
She opened her mouth to speak but realized he was right. “Damn… how can we find out?”
“I’ll get the serial numbers from all the equipment I can. It can be tracked from there if we don’t see anything definitive.”
She nodded, glad he thought of that. They moved down from the rise and approached the clearing cautiously.
Janice's heart hammered with each step, every sound amplified in the muffled quiet of the falling snow.
Their boots crunching. Their breathing. The rustle of their heavy clothing with each movement.
The clearing felt exposed, dangerous. Anyone could be watching from the tree line. Anyone could appear at any moment. But the snow continued falling steadily, and nothing moved except the two of them.
They quickly crossed to the back of the clearing where the containment pond sat beneath its sagging blue tarp.
The tarp had torn further since yesterday.
Whether from the weight of the snow or simple deterioration, Janice couldn't tell.
Through the rips, she could see the dark, partially frozen liquid beneath.
The container was the size of a small swimming pool, and she approached cautiously.
Her sampling kit felt inadequate as she pulled it from her pack. She wondered if these small containers and her careful protocols would be enough. Would this evidence she collected be sufficient to stop whoever was here and save this wilderness?
“You’ve got to be careful,” Cole warned.
His concern was warranted, but she already knew to be cautious.
She had no idea what might be in the container.
She bent over at the edge, and the cold wind rushed over her.
She ignored it, focusing on the task at hand.
Her fingers fumbled with the sample containers, clumsy in the thick gloves.
After a moment of frustration, she pulled the gloves off, hissing at the immediate bite of cold against her bare skin.
Her hands were so cold. The wind cut through her exposed fingers, making them ache and then go numb. She fumbled with one of the containers, nearly dropping it before catching it against her chest. “Damnit!” She immediately looked around to ensure there was no one else around other than Cole.
“You can’t touch that water with your bare hands,” he hissed. “I don’t want any trace elements on you.”
She nodded, remaining quiet, but holding up a metal vial holder that clipped onto each vial. She was able to dip the glass into the water to collect samples without her hands touching the glass or the water.
He nodded his head in approval. Janice worked as quickly as she could, collecting samples from multiple locations around the pond.
Each container had to be properly labeled with date, time, and GPS coordinates with a marker.
She then placed them into her pack, breathing a sigh of relief that they’d been successful so far.
Each vial represented evidence that could bring down this entire illegal operation.
Cole stood a few feet away, his attention constantly scanning the tree line, one hand resting near his holstered weapon.
He was coiled with tension, ready to react at the first sign of threat.
But he didn't rush her, didn't tell her to hurry.
He just kept watch, trusting her to do what she needed to do.
The forest remained silent except for the natural sounds of wilderness. No engines. No voices. No indication that anyone else knew they were here, trespassing on this illegal site, gathering evidence that could destroy a multi-million-dollar operation.
Janice secured the final sample in her kit, her fingers barely able to grip the container holder. She pulled her gloves back on, gasping with relief as the insulation cut off the worst of the cold, and struggled to her feet.
"Got everything," she managed through chattering teeth, still managing to smile. "These samples will show exactly what chemicals they're using, what's leaking into the watershed. I just need to get some samples from the creek close to here. It's the proof we needed."
"Good work." Cole helped her to her feet, his hands steadying her when her legs wobbled from kneeling in the cold. “You head toward the creek, and I’ll check serial numbers.”
She nodded, hating that she wasn't closer to him. “Okay. I’ll just be at the water’s edge over there.” She pointed toward the spot she would collect runoff water from the area.
She walked about twenty feet downstream, then carefully made it to the water’s edge.
Bending, she took off her gloves, holding the collection vials with the metal handles, labeled them, and then put them back into her pack.
Standing, she didn’t see Cole, so she carefully made her way back up the bank.
At the top, she could only hear the whistling of the wind as she pulled her balaclava back up, needing to keep the icy sting of snow from hitting her cheeks. Looking around, she hated that she couldn’t see him and wished they had stuck together.
Just when she was about to start searching for him, he came around one of the tarped pieces of equipment. His gaze landed on her, and his stride increased as he made his way to her quickly.
"Ready to get out of here?"
Relief flooded her. "Yes," she said fervently. "Let's go."
He reached his gloved hand out, and she grabbed it, glad to have his steadiness as they started back across the clearing.
Janice allowed herself a moment of relief, of triumph even.
They'd done it. They'd gotten the evidence.
Now they just had to make it back to the cabin, get the samples secured, and—
"Janice."
Something in Cole's voice made her freeze. She looked up at him and saw his expression had gone hard, dangerous.
"What—"
“We need to get out of here. Now!”
She didn’t have a chance to ask him what was happening. His hand clamped around her arm and the two hurried back the way they came. She kept looking over her shoulder, terrified she would see someone following.
She couldn’t walk as fast and knew her stumbling in the snow drifts only made their escape more difficult. Refusing to give up, she plowed along with him until they finally came to the creek crossing where they’d left their snowmobile on the other side.
Stopping to look up at him, he ordered, “You go first.”
Looking down, she let out an exhausted breath but simply nodded, taking her first unsteady step onto the rock.