Page 103 of Sunny Undone

“I’ve been suspended,” she says, finally.

I freeze. “What?”

She pulls back just enough to look at me, and my heart breaks at the sight of her tear-stained face. “The dean opened an integrity review into my research. I’m suspended from my duties while they investigate.”

“Why? What does that mean?”

“They say there are discrepancies in my data. Apparently, samples associated with my project have produced results that can’t be replicated, and there are concerns that the contamination levels I reported may have been manipulated. And that I didn’t maintain data integrity. And I might have done all of that because you and I are involved and I want to help you protect your land.”

“But you didn’t. You did everything by the book.”

We know the contamination is fucking real. It’s the contamination somebody has been trying very hard to stop her from investigating.

“I know I didn’t.” Her voice cracks. “Sunny, I swear to you, I didn’t.”

I cup her cheeks. “Never even entered my mind that you did.”

“How could you know for sure? You don’t even know what the methodology is.”

“I don’t need to understand the methodology because I understand you, and there is no fucking universe where you make up data. You’d correct me if I was pouring the wrong amount of laundry detergent into the washing machine. What I’m saying is, I know you’d rather cut off your own arm than fuck with the numbers to make yourself look good.”

Her chin wobbles, at that. “I tried to advocate for myself. I tried to tell them that I’ve cared about the stretch of waterways for way longer than I’ve known you.” Big fat tears roll down her cheeks between sobs. “But they wouldn’t listen. It’s like the dean suddenly found a reason to get me out of the way of that donation. And I don’t even know who made the complaint or why they did it or why they made shit up about me.”

“So, what happens now?” I ask.

“Apparently, Mina assumes my responsibilities while the investigation is conducted, and she also gets to do my job too.” Her face crumples as she presses her fingers against her mouth. “My entire career is based on my credibility, Sunny. If they conclude I’ve falsified results, it doesn’t matter whether I get another job. Nobody will ever trust my research again. Every paper I’ve published becomes questionable. Every grant, every conclusion, everything I’ve done. Even if I’m cleared, Sunny, other universities will see me as a liability and choose someone else."

The tears start to fall earnest, again.

And I hug her close to me, once more, because my girl is spinning out. My heart breaks for her. I hate everything about this. Fucking with me and my club is one thing. We’re a family and a force that can defend one another.

But Della found this thing, this one thing that she loves more than anything else and has built a life around being brilliant at it. She understands our coastal wetlands better than anyone else. Now, somebody is trying to take her research from her.

“They can’t have it,” I say resolutely.

She looks up. “What do you mean?”

“Whoever is doing this, they don’t get to take your whole life’s work because they’ve fucked with some samples. We’ve been followed. Your lab has been broken into. Men have threatened us in the fucking wetlands. Wren finds a trail of bribes and intimidation around the same company, and now, suddenly, some scientist proving somebody’s poisoning the area gets accused of making the poisoning up. I’m not buying it. We’re not accepting it. And I’m not going to let them do this to you.”

Ridge joins us and puts his hand on Della’s shoulder. “I’m not gonna let them take it from you either, Della.”

Della blinks. “What?” I can tell, immediately, the moment Della starts to come back to herself. “Wait, why are you all so…bruised?”

I kiss her as softly as my split lip can manage. “We’ll fill you in later. Suspended isn’t fired, and if it becomes fired, we deal with fired.”

“How?”

“We figure it out, and I know it doesn’t sound like much of a plan, but it is. You could write about it, expose it, invite other scientists to investigate it. You could go private, hire a lab, do the research yourself without anybody watching over your shoulder.”

“You mean, do an exposé?”

I shrug. “Why the heck not? You know everything they’ve done. The science. Wren knows the corporate shit. And I even know how to spell exposé because there’s a little squiggle over the e.”

Despite everything, the corner of her mouth twitches.

“It’s an accent argue. An acute accent, not a squiggle.”

“Whatever. We could build a case ourselves, take the whole thing to Lock’s FBI chick. His childhood best friend is in the FBI.”