Page 31 of Cole

But Janice just nodded, meeting his eyes steadily. "When dealing with animals, especially one that's injured, it's important to follow protocol. The handlers and vet techs have to trust the person in charge, or someone gets hurt." She pulled on her own layers. "So I get it. You're in charge. You know this stuff, not me."

The simple acceptance exemplified the trust implicit in her words, and hit Cole harder than any argument could have. She was putting her safety in his hands without reservation.

He would not let her down.

They finished dressing in silence. Thermal layers, fleece, insulated pants, heavy coats. Hats, gloves, balaclavas, goggles. Janice packed her water sampling kit with careful precision, each piece of equipment checked and double-checked.

Cole did the same with his own gear. GPS unit. Satellite phone. Emergency beacon. First-aid kit. The Sig Sauer he'd retrieved from his truck last night, now secured in a shoulder holster under his coat.

He caught Janice's glance at the weapon, but she said nothing as she finished her own preparations and turned to face him.

"Ready?" he asked.

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded. "Let's go."

They stepped out into the cold morning, and Cole settled onto the snowmobile. She swung a leg over and sat behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Even through the thick layers, he felt her touch like a brand. Starting the machine, he pulled out of the shed. Whatever happens, he would keep her safe.

Because somewhere between breaking into her cabin and watching her braid her hair this morning, Janice had become more than just someone who needed protection.

13

Janice had woken after sleeping through the night, stunned that she'd been so comfortable with a strange man sleeping just a few feet away from her bed.

A nice, strange man, she reminded herself as she'd lain in the predawn darkness, listening to Cole's steady breathing from his makeshift bed on the floor.

A gorgeous, nice, strange man. She barely contained the snort that threatened to erupt.

But she had slept soundly. Perhaps it had been the adrenaline crash from yesterday's snowmobile trip to the illegal mining site. Or maybe it was simply because she'd felt safe with him there.

She'd never felt unsafe at the cabin, exactly. A woman alone in the middle of the woods always maintained a certain level of awareness, a healthy respect for the isolation and the potential dangers it presented. But she wasn't stupid. She'd taken precautions, prepared for emergencies, trusted in her own competence and the satellite phone that connected her to the outside world.

Still, having Cole there had been different. She'd even found him easy to talk to, once she'd realized he wasn't a serial killer breaking into her cabin. There was something solid about him, something steady that made her want to trust him even when her rational brain said it was too soon, too fast.

And this morning’s breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast had seemed better simply because she had someone to share it with. Even with my strawberry jam!

Now, with her arms wrapped around his middle as she held on to the snowmobile, Janice realized once again how much she'd come to trust him in less than twenty-four hours. Her life was literally in his hands as he navigated through the forest, and she didn't doubt for a second that he knew what he was doing.

She was glad he had GPS because she wasn't sure she'd be heard if she tried to yell directions over the roar of the motor. The helmets were among the equipment left at the cabin but weren't fancy models with built-in headsets and radios. Just basic protection against the cold and potential impacts.

Yesterday, when she'd gone out alone, she'd had a clear view of what was before her—the trail, the landmarks, the creek cutting its dark path through the white landscape. Now she had a clear view of the woods only from the side, with Cole's very broad back blocking her forward vision. Her sense of direction from the back seat was completely off, even though she knew these woods intimately after traipsing over them almost daily for the past four months.

She thought about the man she held on to, her arms wrapped around his solid middle, made even more solid with all the layers of clothing between them. She could still feel his strength as he steered them through the wilderness.

She'd never met anyone who worked in security before. At first, when he'd explained what Lighthouse Security Investigations did, she'd just thought he was a glorified security system installer. She imagined someone who set up cameras and special locks on windows and doors. Technical work, certainly, but not particularly exotic.

But now, after seeing what he could do and hearing about his team, she understood it was like something from a movie. Former military, all gathered together to design security systems for high-end clients and handle... well, whatever this was. Rescuing wildlife veterinarians who'd stumbled onto illegal mining operations, apparently.

She'd never really realized that these people actually existed outside of fiction. Real-life versions of action heroes, using their military training for private security work. I wonder how they get hired, she thought absurdly. What does that job interview look like? "So, tell me about your experience extracting civilians from hostile situations."

Her mind continued to wander down random paths that all led back to one thing… this man was helping her. He had the backing of a group of similarly skilled people, and even if she wasn't completely comfortable seeing the gun he'd strapped to his side, she felt protected.

Finally, the snowmobile slowed, and she lifted her head to see that they were almost at her furthest camera area. With the motor not as loud, she called out, "Up there is my last camera. The easiest place for us to cross the creek is about a mile upstream from what I saw the other day... um... yesterday."

As she said the words, she blinked in surprise. Was it just yesterday that she'd been out here, documenting the illegal staging area in the falling snow? It felt like a week had passed, like her entire world had shifted on its axis. Yesterday morning she'd been alone, frightened, unsure what to do with the evidence she'd gathered. Now she had Cole and his entire team backing her up.

How was that possible in such a short span of time?

He nodded and revved the motor again, and they took off. The landscape blurred past in shades of white and dark green. Black spruce heavy with snow. Willows bent under the weight of accumulated powder. The occasional flash of a raven's wing, black against white, as the birds scattered at their approach.