Page 19 of Red Rooster

Where Trina saw that a bright-haired visitor awaited her at her desk, spinning slow circles in her swivel chair, pale eyes tracking across the crowded, chaotic room.

Damn it. She’d told Sasha to wait outside.

“Trina,” Harvey started, voice tired, and then she caught sight of Sasha. “Hey, isn’t that the guy you and Webb brought to the morgue last night?”

“Yeah.”

“Right,” Harvey said, her calm deliberate. “And he is?”

“It’s a very long story.”

“Cliff’s Notes, then.”

On his next spin, Sasha spotted Trina standing outside the captain’s door and smiled wide enough to show the too-sharp points of his canines. Beside her, Harvey jerked a little; just a quick movement that she immediately smoothed away. Whether she’d reacted to seeing his fangs, or was simply struck by the combination of almost-glowing blue eyes and his completely guileless face, Trina didn’t know. It was all rather shocking.

She said, “Let’s just say that he’s a very close friend of the family I’ve just met recently.”

“Right,” Harvey said flatly.

“On my Russian side.”

And when Harvey said, “Ah,” she sounded like that made at least a little sense. No one ever questioned anything that happened on Trina’s Russian side.

Trina took a shallow, bracing breath and walked toward her desk, not surprised, but dismayed, when Harvey stayed glued to her side.

When they reached him, Sasha turned his smile on the doctor and said, “Good morning, Doctor Harvey.”

Harvey blinked, face blanking over with surprise. “Oh. Um. Good morning.”

“Harvey, this is Sasha.”

“Yes, we met last night,” Sasha said, with all the brightness of the irrepressible little sunbeam he was.

His cheer was the reason Trina managed to keep her tone light when she said, “Sasha, I thought we talked about you waiting outside.”

“We did, yes,” he said, his attention coming back to her. “But Nik said I was supposed to stay with you.”

“And what Nik says trumps whatever I say?”

“I’m sorry, yes,” he said, and didn’t sound sorry in the least.

She sighed. “Fine. I could use your help anyway.”

He looked delighted by the prospect.

Harvey, caught between an admirable state of composure and a full-on freakout, said, “Trina, whereisLanny? Really?”

“It’s actually part of that whole long story.”

Harvey looked a little hurt, but nodded. “You know I’m gonna want a real explanation at some point, right?”

“Christine,” Trina started, and the doctor stopped her with a raised hand.

“A man walked out of my morgue. Adead guygot up off my table. I think I’m owed the truth.”

Trina opened her mouth…but then nodded. Harvey was right. If their roles had been reversed, she would have been demanding answers. “You’ll get one, I promise.” She gave Sasha a little wave and he sprang to his feet, hair bouncing. “Let’s just say the truth is a lot moreX-Filesthan you probably think.”

Harvey’s eyes popped wide.