DIRTY BULLETS

chapter five

IT WAS THE dull thud of a coffee cup being placed on his desk that snapped Samuels' attention away from seeing how quickly he could stab his pen in between the gaps of his fingers that were laid out against his desk.

Looking from the coffee cup to the person that placed it there, a sarcastic smile stretched across his lips when his eyes met his partner, Alfie Lowe.

"Took you long enough." Samuels spoke, lifting the cup to his lips and taking a sip, though it was shortly followed by his nose turning up in disgust.

There was nothing more disappointing than a shitty cup of coffee.

"Wanted to make sure it was cold by the time I arrived back." Lowe replied, shrugging his broad shoulders in nonchalance before giving his partner a mocking smile of his own.

"Aw, you really know the way to my heart." Samuels praised, pouting his lip in faux appreciation.

"I spat in it too."

"Extra flavouring. My favourite." He grinned across to Lowe that was now sitting himself down at his own desk that was, to his misfortune, just across from Samuels.

"Enjoy, princess." Lowe returned, puckering his lips as if to blow him a sarcastic air kiss, making Samuels grin largely.

The two had been partners for pushing seven years now, and between the two of them they had cracked a fair few cases in their time. Tall, dark and handsome, Lowe was the older one of the two but that didn't always mean he acted it – though he claimed that was a result of spending too much time with Samuels.

However, truth be told although the two seemed to be one and the same, when they were first partnered together the pair weren't exactly fond of the other. Lowe had found the younger detective cocky and irresponsible but perhaps that was due to Samuels first impression being him waltzing into the bullpen on his first day, sunglasses hiding his hungover eyes, his tie hanging undone around his neck as he obnoxiously smirked; "It's alright fellas, this knight is ready to rescue you damsels in distress."

So really you couldn't blame Lowe for thinking Samuels was too big for his boots.

It wasn't until a couple of months later during celebratory drinks over their recent closed case that the two seemed to start to get along but that's a fun story for another time.

"Don't think your wife would appreciate you flirting with me." Samuels smirked, leaning back against his seat as the old plastic creaked at the movement.

"Oh, don't worry, she'd make an exception with you."

"Hm, I bet she would." Samuels chuckled, raising his eyebrows at the other man to give away his alternative meaning to his words.

"Watch it." Lowe said sharply, a warning with his words that Samuels only grinned broadly at, fuelling the reaction from the other man.

It had been a long running joke, on Samuels end anyway, to tease suggestively about Lowe's wife and flirt with her occasionally when he saw her for the sheer reason that it wound Lowe up. Sometimes the younger man would take it too far though, treading into a more disrespectful territory than a teasing one and it never ended well.

"Nah, reckon I'd rather join in with the two of you than watch it. Where's the fun in just observing?"

Lowe's jaw tightened at this, his eyes narrowing in a glare that had threatened a fair few suspects. He didn't appreciate the comments in the slightest, but he knew Samuels was only looking for the reaction that he was giving which like clockwork resulted in Samuels cackling loudly.

It just keeps getting easier and easier at winding this bastard up, Samuels thought.

A phone from one of the other desks suddenly began to ring though neither of the two took any notice of it, too caught up in mocking the other to pay attention. It was only when one of the other detectives – D.C.I. Reid - declared it to be a new case that it earned their attention.