"So, how do I look?" Andy asked, cocking her head to the side as she looked in the mirror.
"Like a hooker," Sam said as he slicked his hair back with some gel.
"Thank you," she said with a coy smile, considering that was the whole point. "I'm kind of liking this dark makeup," Andy said while Sam chuckled.
"So you remember the plan for today?" Sam asked, hip checking her so he could wipe off his hands on the towel behind her.
"We're going to a club that Ray Lawton frequently inhabits and we are going to scope the place out before our meeting with him today," Andy recited.
"Good." Sam walked out of the bathroom, Andy following.
She watched as he shoved a couple of bags of cocaine in his pocket and strapped a gun to his leg, underneath his jeans.
She reached behind her, making sure the gun that was in the waist line of her short skirt was still secure.
"Show time," Sam smiled. He held out his hand for Andy.
Pushing all thoughts of Luke out of her mind, Andy grabbed it and they walked out of the apartment together.
The music blared so loudly inside that you could barely hear yourself think. It was also darker than it was outside.
Inside it was crammed with bodies, all pressed against each other. It smelled of drugs, booze, sweat, and sex.
Sam's touch was the only thing keeping her from freaking out. He looked like he was handing all over her, but he was really prepared to fend off anyone who came near her.
He navigated them to the bar, requesting two beers.
Andy looked around the place as she waited for her drink, memorizing faces, trying to match them with profiles she had seen.
Sam handed her one of the beers and followed her gaze.
He took a sip of her drink and leaned forward, using one of his arms to drag her close.
Following his lead, she threw her head back, her hair falling back and exposing her ear so he could whisper in it.
He leaned close to her ear. "See that guy? He's guarding the meeting room. I'll bet Lawton's in there right now," he said in a low voice she barely caught.
She looked him in the eye to say she understood without words.
They straightened up and Sam slung an arm loosely around her waist, keeping her close.
Someone bumped into them from behind, causing Sam to spill his beer down Andy's front.
"Dammit," he said. "I'm sorry, you okay?" She gave a nod, with a hand wave, saying not to worry.
Then he turned around and said, "Hey, watch where you're going, buddy." Andy turned around to see who had bumped into them.
She looked at the guy; a kid who barely looked sixteen. He had shaggy dirty blonde hair and shifty eyes.
He mumbled an apology and looked behind him as if checking to see if someone was following him. His eyes widened, and then he walked hurriedly away, where Andy soon lost him in the mass of bodies.
A few seconds later, a huge man, gun partly hidden by his huge hand filed past in the same direction the kid had gone.
Andy made a move to go to the kid's defense, but Sam held her back, giving a sharp shake of his head.
Andy held her ground, but only barely. She was a cop and her cop instincts were screaming at her to help that kid.
Knowing it would compromise her and her partner's lives; she gulped her drink and tried to forget about it. Unsuccessfully, she might add.
Sam, at her side, could practically feel where her thoughts were.
In an effort to distract her, and knowing they only had a few minutes till their meeting, he called her name, getting her to look at him.
With those big brown eyes gazing up at him, he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and placed his hand on the side of her cheek.
"Forget about it," Sam said, leaning closer, running his lips lightly over her jaw line. "Head in the game, Andy."
Andy shivered, though it was far from cold in the club. She leaned forward, and now their lips were practically touching. Just as her eyes closed and he dove in to close the distance between their mouths, the bodyguard from before appeared, seemingly out of the blue.
"Follow me," he said gruffly. He turned, apparently assuming Sam and Andy would do as he said.
They followed him to the door of the meeting room, somehow managing not to get separated with all the people there.
The bodyguard opened the door and without another word, ushered them quickly inside. The door snapped shut behind them, the bodyguard choosing to stay outside.
Sam and Andy turned around to survey the scene in front of them.
There, Ray Lawton sat, right in front of them. And now they would have to pretend to be his friend and get him to trust them. When really she wanted to jump in and arrest the loser right there.
"And who may you be?" Lawton asked in a bored tone.
"The name's Sam, and this here's my girlfriend Andy."
Andy noticed Sam's demeanor changed immediately. It was like he took on the new personality and adopted it as his own. He was actually good at it. Having never seen him do this personally, she was oddly proud seeing her partner work this guy.
"Please, sit," Lawton said, polishing off his martini.
Sam sat down and as Andy was going to take her seat, he pulled her down on top of his lap. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"So what can I do for you?" Lawton asked, in the same disinterested tone. "Looking for a job I hear?"
Andy sat back and relaxed as she listened to Sam explain what kind of jobs they were interested in. She couldn't believe she was ever worried; Sam was a pro.
After a few minutes, Sam had Lawton laughing and joking around.
"Well, Sam my boy looks like you and Andy are the newest members of my organization. Welcome aboard," Lawton said. He stood up and shook both Sam and Andy's hands.
"You'll start tomorrow, down by warehouse 13. Someone will be there to give you further instructions." He sat back down. "Now, leave. I have further clients to meet with."
Sam thanked Lawton and he and Andy exited the room, unscathed.
They went back to the bar, steering clear of the bodyguard's gaze. They stayed at the club for about 20 minutes longer and then decided to go back to the apartment.
"That was awesome!" Andy said, eyes twinkling with excitement as the banged through the apartment door. "You were really great in there, Sam."
It was the truth. And she really did have a great time; with the adrenaline pumping and knowing she could potentially be killed any second helped her thoughts from circling back to Luke.
But now that she was back in this crummy little place, she couldn't help but think of the way she left things. She felt like she could have done something differently. Like not going on this operation in the first place…
"Did I just hear you pay me a compliment, Andy?" Sam asked, faking surprise. "I never would have thought it possible."
"Oh shut up," she said, going into the bathroom and left it open a crack as she began to change.
Sam was already on the bed, and he couldn't help but let his eyes wander to the crack in the door. She whipped the door open a few minutes later, though and he hastily looked away, embarrassed.
She climbed up onto the bed, beside him like she was last night. She couldn't believe how comfortable she was with Sam. She didn't get it at all, but hey, she wasn't complaining.
This time the lights were off, so she didn't make any trips into his arms. She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling, still not able to sleep in this strange place.
Sam rolled over onto an elbow, leaning on his hand. "What's on your mind? If your thinking about how you did today, don't. You did great."
She remained silent, letting his words flow over her in the dark. Then she finally said what she had wanted to tell him.
"When I saw Luke and Jo kissing, I broke off the engagement."
Sam was glad for the cloak of the dark, because his initial reaction was a smile on his face, mentally cheering. Finally, he thought to himself. Then his heart plummeted. Anything she 'felt' for him was probably just her getting over Luke. It didn't even mean anything and he should stop pretending like it did.
His thoughts immediately dampened his mood and he didn't say anything back to her.
"No comment?" she asked, rolling over on her elbow, copying his position.
"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? Because I'm not," Sam snapped.
"No, you made your opinion of my engagement perfectly clear," Andy said coldly, and rolled over, keeping her back to him.
She couldn't resist one last shot though. "I just thought as my partner and my friend that you would care. Guess I was wrong."
Sam gave a frustrated sigh, and ran a hand over his face. But still, he didn't answer her. Instead, he rolled over as well and tried to get thoughts of the woman he actually cared a lot about and was sleeping beside him out of his head.