The New Detective

Chapter 8 : The Teasing Begins

Samantha’s POV

By the time we got back to the bullpen, the adrenaline from the chase had faded, replaced by a warm buzz of accomplishment. I’d handled myself well. I knew it. The team knew it.

And Voight… well, he wasn’t saying much, but the way he kept glancing at me said enough.

I walked to my new desk — still mostly empty, still smelling like fresh paperwork — and sat down. Before I could even take a breath, Ruzek slid into the chair across from me, spinning it around backward like he owned the place.

“So,” he said, grinning, “you and Voight.”

I blinked. “What about us?”

Atwater leaned on the edge of my desk. “You rode with him. On your first day.”

Burgess joined in, arms crossed, smirking. “That’s rare. Like… solar eclipse rare.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Maybe he just needed someone competent.”

Ruzek gasped dramatically. “Oh, she’s got jokes.”

Atwater chuckled. “Nah, seriously — Voight doesn’t pick just anyone to ride with him. He’s… selective.”

Burgess nodded. “And protective.”

I frowned. “Protective?”

Ruzek pointed at me. “Exactly. That face right there. That’s why we’re talking about it.”

I rolled my eyes. “You guys are reading way too much into this.”

“Are we?” Atwater asked.

Before I could answer, the bullpen door opened. Voight stepped out of his office, scanning the room. His eyes landed on me instantly — not for long, but long enough for the team to notice.

Ruzek whispered, “There it is.”

Burgess whispered back, “The look.”

Atwater added, “The Voight look.”

I groaned. “Please stop.”

Voight’s voice cut through the room. “Walker. My office.”

The team froze.

Ruzek mouthed, told you.

I shot him a glare and stood, walking toward Voight’s office. As I passed the team, Burgess whispered, “Good luck.”

I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

---

Voight’s POV

He didn’t miss the way the team was watching. Whispering. Smirking. Acting like teenagers instead of detectives.

He ignored it.

Mostly.

Samantha stood in front of his desk, posture straight, eyes steady. She didn’t look nervous. She didn’t look intimidated. She looked… ready.

He liked that.

Too much.

“Sit,” he said.

She did.

He leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “You handled yourself well today.”

“Thank you.”

“You didn’t hesitate.”

“I don’t.”

He nodded slowly. “I noticed.”

Silence settled — not awkward, but charged. He could feel the shift happening, the one he didn’t want to acknowledge.

He cleared his throat. “The team likes you.”

She smirked. “They’re teasing me.”

“About what?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You.”

He stiffened. “Me?”

“Yes, Sarge. You.”

He looked away, jaw tightening. “Ignore them.”

“Hard to do when they’re calling it ‘the Voight look.’”

His head snapped back toward her. “The what?”

She laughed — soft, warm, unexpected. And something in his chest tightened.

He didn’t like that feeling.

Not one bit.

“Walker,” he said, trying to regain control of the moment, “this unit is close. They joke. They push. Don’t let it get to you.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “I can handle teasing.”

He studied her for a moment — the confidence, the spark, the way she didn’t back down from him.

Dangerous.

“Good,” he finally said. “Because they’re not going to stop.”

She smiled. “I figured.”

He looked away again, pretending to check a file on his desk. “Dismissed.”

She stood, but before she reached the door, he spoke again — quieter.

“And Walker?”

She turned.

“You did good today. Again.”

Her smile softened. “Thank you, Sarge.”

When she left, Voight exhaled slowly, rubbing his knee.

This was going to be a problem.

A problem he wasn’t sure he wanted to fix.

---

Back in the Bullpen — Samantha’s POV

The second I stepped out of Voight’s office, the team pounced.

Ruzek: “Sooooo?”

Burgess: “What did he say?”

Atwater: “Did he give you The Look again?”

I shook my head, trying not to smile. “You all need hobbies.”

Ruzek grinned. “We have one. It’s you now.”

I groaned. “Fantastic.”

But deep down… 
I didn’t mind.

Not even a little.