“Open the door,” Evans said, egging her on.
“You want me to open the locker-room door?” Riya looked around at them.
“Yes,” Schultz answered.
“Fine.” Riya pushed it open and walked in. It looked smaller, because new walls had been built inside it, along with a separate door.
Riya walked through the second door and froze. She was looking at a smaller version of the locker room, with five lockers, a bench, a mirror and, just past it, two individual, private-stall showers.
“What am I looking at?” Riya’s heart was pounding hard. It couldn’t be.
“This is the all-new women’s locker room and shower. That we built for our sister in fire and future sisters to come. We’ll get a bigger one soon. But this is for now.” Ambrose was beaming. He leaned down to her ear. “You’re our sister, whether you want to be or not.”
Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as her words of thanks got stuck behind the lump in her throat. She didn’t even care. She looked up at Ambrose. “Well, then I guess that I’m pretty damn lucky.”
“Aw, man. Are you going to cry?” Evans rolled his eyes.
“Hell, yes!” Riya said, as she reached up to pull him into a hug.
She let the tears fall as she hugged Schultz and Alvarez as well. “I love it! Thank you!”
She wiped her eyes when she got to Ambrose. “Lieutenant.”
“Probie.” He smirked at her, and she hugged him, too.
These were her brothers.
forty-two
DHILLON
Riya was waiting on the dock when Dhillon arrived. The sky was just turning pink with the sunrise, and the air was still cool over the water but promised a typical humid August day.
Her knees were folded to her chest, and she rested her chin on them as she seemed to contemplate the small ripples in the water. Her hair was down, and it shone in the rising sun. She was strong and beautiful, and his heart raced just looking at her. He could have stood there and watched her indefinitely.
“Hi, Dhillon,” she called. Ashes had to be sprinkled in moving water, so they’d come out to the Chesapeake Bay. Scout was curled up at her feet.
He made his feet move toward her. “Hey.”
She stood when he got close. Her gaze fell on the box he was holding.
“Let’s get a canoe.” He raised his eyebrows at her.
She smirked at him. “You want to steal a canoe?”
“Borrow,” he chuckled.
They were silent as theyborroweda canoe and paddled out just a bit. Scout sat looking over the water, quiet and still, almost as if she understood the solemnness of what they were about to do.
“She’s gotten so big.” Dhillon nodded at the puppy.
“Yeah.” She scratched Scout’s head. “I’ll miss her.”
Dhillon nodded and opened the wooden box he’d brought. Lucky’s ashes had come to him in a pouch inside it. He pulled it out and opened it.
He and Riya reached in at the same time. It should be the most natural thing for their hands to touch, but Riya pulled back as if burned by him.
His heart ached.
