The Last Mission of the Living (The Last Bastion #2)(28)

“Oh, look! It’s Lindsey!” Rose B hurried over with excitement while her wife watched grumpily. “And you’re not limping!”

“Yeah, they fixed it last week,” Lindsey answered, grinning. Rose B always wore her emotions on her sleeve, and Lindsey found it to be endearing. One always knew where they stood with her. The older woman’s genuine delight was infectious.

“I’m so glad they finally did right by you! I always told Rose—”

“All the damn time,” her wife grunted.

“—that you’re a hero! You should get the best medical care in the city. It’s only fair.”

“Well, thank you. It’s very, very nice to finally be able to move around without pain.”

“I can only imagine.” Rose B clapped her hands together happily. “I’m so happy for you.”

“It’s very appreciated.”

“So what do you have for us today, Lindsey?”

“Uniforms. Just the regular. It’s my day off, so I’ll try to come back and get them this evening if that is fine.”

Rose B gave her wife a wide smile. “Oh, that’s perfectly okay, isn’t it Rose? We don’t have a lot of work today.”

Rose G scowled. “Well, we never turn down a customer... even if they demand a rush job.”

“Don’t mind, Rose. She’s just grumpy.” Rose took the bag from Lindsey and rushed it over to the big stainless steel pot where they washed the clothing.

“Well, I’m grumpy because of the news. We should all be grumpy. We lost Maria because of those *s.” Rose G attacked a stubborn wrinkle with the heavy iron. Lindsey wasn’t sure if the woman was scowling about ‘the *s’ or the crease.

“I miss Maria,” Rose B whimpered. “She was always so nice to us. Did you know she gave us all her remaining provisions when she left? We were so worried when Dwayne dropped the box off. I knew it was bad. I told Rose. Didn’t I, Rose?”

“No, I told you something was wrong. I felt it in my gut.” Rose G continued to fight the crinkle in the shirt she was ironing.

Rose B sighed sadly. “You must miss her so much, too, Lindsey.”

Tears flooded her eyes and Lindsey nodded.

“She died bravely.” Rose hugged Lindsey tenderly.

Lindsey accepted the embrace, then withdrew from the older woman’s grip while struggling not to cry. It was difficult being so close to Maria’s old flat and not being able to drop in for a chat.

“Rose, she shouldn’t have died at all! There was a cure for her and the other Inferi Boon!’ Rose G set her iron aside and rubbed her fingers. “Those f*ckers killed them.”

“That’s why Dwayne did what he did.” Rose B sighed. “He loved her so much. We’d see him sneaking in and out of her apartment all the time. It was obviously not just a hook up. The look in his eyes...” Rose B smiled lovingly at her own wife. “We could see it, couldn’t we?”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Rose G carefully hung the shirt on a hanger and placed it on a nearby rack.

“I like to think of them together in heaven.”

“You think Dwayne is dead?” Lindsey was curious what regular people like The Roses thought about the whole situation. There was a lot of speculation on the news about the castellan’s whereabouts. Some suspected he was in hiding in the city.

“Oh, yes. He wouldn’t have gone on without her. I know exactly how he must have felt. If something happened to my Rose...” Rose B turned a loving gaze toward Rose G. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Rose G’s usually grumpy expression melted just a bit and she actually smiled. “I feel the same way.”

“I’m going to see Maria’s mother today.” Lindsey leaned her shoulder against the doorframe to the flat. The air was stuffy and pungent with the smell of the cleaning solution. “I was asked to deliver her medals to her mother since she refuses to come to get them.”

“Is that why she wasn’t at the big ceremony?” Rose B asked, biting her bottom lip.

“Maria’s mother declined the invitation and forbade anyone else in the family from attending. Commandant Pierce asked me to deliver them, since I was Maria’s friend. She’d offered to take them herself, but Lourdes Martinez cut the call.” Lindsey sighed sadly. “I can’t blame her mother for being angry.”

“Even though what the SWD did was wrong, she should at least take Maria’s medals. She was so sweet and brave. I miss her.” Rose B sniffled and wiped her eyes on her apron.

“She was the best. In every way,” Lindsey agreed.

“She always paid on time,” Rose G said, turning away, and Lindsey suspected the woman was discreetly dabbing at tears, too.

“Well, I better get going. I have a long walk to the Espana Sector.” Lindsey withdrew her wallet and pulled out some credits. “I’ll pre-pay. If for whatever reason I can’t make it back tonight, just have Thad deliver, okay?” The Roses used a teenage boy for deliveries. He was at the stage where he couldn’t stop staring at a woman’s breasts. Lindsey always ducked her head downward so he was forced to meet her eyes. She slipped in enough credits to cover the delivery and still leave a little extra.