"Take cover, men!" Joe yells, pulling Carlos to the floor.

Seeing a small red beam piercing through the darkness, the team drops to the ground. A slew of bullets whiz just above their heads.

"Shots fired, shots fired, be advised shooter's location is unknown. Shooter's location is unknown," Jerry yells into his radio.

A horrifying thought runs through the captain's head, he quickly reaches for his radio. "Jameson, Lewinski, can you read me?"

"We read you loud and clear, Captain."

Relieved to hear their voices, Joe continues. "Can you tell where the shots are coming from?"

There's a nerve-wracking break in their communication, sending Joe's already frazzled nerves on edge.

I hope they're not doing something stupid. Fear getting the best of him, the captain grabs his radio again.

"Jameson, Lewinski?" His radio remains completely still. "Jameson, Lewinski, answer me, damn it."

"It seems to be coming from the rooftop across the street, Sir."

"Shooter located at 744 Oak," Jerry advises.

"Backup is on the way." The dispatcher responds.

Seeing the beam pointing at Carlos again, Joe drags him behind the couch. "You sure pissed somebody off," Joe says, loading his gun.

"It comes with the territory."

"Not on my watch, it doesn't," he says, locking his magazine in place.

"Ah, Captain, I'm touched that you care," Carlos sarcastically replies.

"Don't get all broken up over it. I only saved you so I can watch your ass rot in prison. I figure a pretty boy like you is bound to be popular with the Big Bubbas of the world."

"You haven't found anything yet, Captain."

"Oh, we will." Once we get out of this mess.

"Woods, stay with Carlos, everyone else, follow me." His team crawls to a safe location at the back of Carlos' house.

"What do you want us to do, Boss?" Jerry asks as the last of their team steps out the door.

"We're going to split up, surround the building. You guys go left, we'll go right. Be sure to follow proper procedure like you were taught at the academy. Ok guys, let's go, let's go!"

***

The Sergeant is typing away on her computer as she and Kirk drive to Mario Abruzzi's residence.

"I ran our suspect's name through the system and it looks like his life of crime started when he was a Juvenile."

"A juvenile? Wait, shouldn't his record be expunged?"

"States don't automatically do that anymore. Now, you have to petition the court to have it sealed. I imagine a judge would look at these serious offenses, his continued life of crime and deny his request if he did try."

"How serious, Sergeant?"

"He was charged with robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and rape before he turned fourteen. His most recent charges are possession with intent to sell, illegal possession of a firearm, and running a prostitution ring. Wait, I remember him now, he turned state's evidence, got himself a sweet deal."

"If he's out this soon I'd say it was too sweet of a deal."

"Joe and Jerry thought so too."

"So there's a good chance he and Carlos are business rivals and the Carbone's shootings is a way to even up the competition."

"That's very possible."

"Shots fired, shots fired." Someone blares over their radio.

"That's Jerry's voice, we've got to help them," Rachel says, grabbing the microphone off the dash.

"Unit SR2 responding," she says.

"Hold on," Kirk warns, making a quick U-turn. "This is turning out to be an all-out turf war, Sergeant."

"I just hope innocent civilians don't get killed in the crossfire."

***

Joe and his team are carefully maneuvering their way towards the shooter's location, all apprehensive about the pending outcome. Living in a small community, situations like this don't happen often, so they're not sure they can handle this rare occurrence.

The team makes it behind the apartment's dumpsters when they notice a tall, lanky figure running across the field.

"Stop, police," Jameson yells, lifting up his revolver.

Looking back, the suspect sees four officers giving chase. Darting around a tall stack of boxes, he makes a quick right.

"The suspect is heading west on Freeman, west on Freeman. He's wearing a light blue shirt and jeans, officers in pursuit." Jameson yells into his radio. He hears the dispatcher repeat what he said as he's chasing after him.

Rachel sees a blue blur running towards them when she glances up. "Isn't that him, Kirk?" she questions, pointing straight ahead.

"Hold on, Sergeant," Kirk warns, pushing the pedal to the floor.

"What happened to your granny driving?" she asks, holding onto the dash for dear life.

"Those days are long gone." He chuckles.

"Wonderful," she says, tossing side to side.

Seeing a cop car a few feet ahead, the suspect darts down a small path.

Holding on with one hand, Rachel fumbles for the mic with the other. "Be advised the suspect is heading north on Dale, north on Dale. SR2 is in pursuit."

"Are you ready to do a little mudding, Sergeant?" Smiling, Kirk glances at his passenger.

"What?"

"Hold on tight." He laughs. Kicking his jeep into four-wheel drive, he makes a quick right turn. Their vehicle bumps along the rugged alley that runs alongside Dale. They see their suspect a few feet ahead when they look through the clearing.

"I'm going to beat you for scaring me when this is all over," Rachel warns.

Seeing her death grip on the dash Kirk laughs. "I've got this, Sergeant," he says, as their jeep bounces along the rugged terrain.

"Oh, crap," Rachel screams, bracing herself for the impact.

Kirk sees huge piles of trash when he looks at the road. "I've got this." Smiling, he makes a quick left turn. Their vehicle's back end slides around colliding with the large assortment. Trash and other debris fly around them as they skid to a stop across Dale.

"Hold it right there," Kirk yells, pointing his gun through the open window.

Sliding to a stop, the suspect looks behind him. He sees two more officers are only a few feet away.

"On the ground, now," Kirk yells.

The suspect glances to his right, then his left, hoping to come up with a plan.

"Do it, now," Kirk yells.

The suspect sees cops coming from every direction when he looks around. Realizing that he's been defeated, the perp drops to the ground.

Running around to the side of their car, Rachel handcuffs the victim. Looking up, she sees Kirk standing alongside her. "Nice work, Detective."

"Thank you, Sergeant."

"That was a ballsy move cutting across like that, but good work, quick thinking."

"So does this capture get me off the hook?"

"Oh no, you're still going to pay for scaring the snot out of me," she warns.

Jerry is right, Rachel is cute when she's mad, Kirk chuckles.

"Mario Abruzzi, you are under arrest for the murder of Felipe and Marina Carbone and the attempted murder of Carlos Rodriguez. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say..."

"I know my rights."

"Well, you're going to hear them again." Pushing him towards their car she continues.

"Good work, Kirk," Joe says, patting him on the back.

"Thank you, Captain."

"Where did you learn how to drive like that?"

"I picked up a few pointers from an old cop buddy of mine."

"Jerry costs this city enough money with all of his damages, so let's not make this a habit, alright?"

"Yes, Sir."

***

"I love your car, Gina," Katelyn says, glancing around her luxury vehicle.

"Carlos had it custom made just for me. Thanks to him, I'm able to afford fancy things like this."

"You work for Carlos?"

"Yeah, I guess you can say I'm his financial adviser. Not that he ever takes my advice." Laughing, she continues, "He has a terrible spending habit, worse than any woman I know."

"He did have on some nice clothes."

"That's his everyday outfit. His formal wear is twice as fancy. That man has three walk-in closets full, most of which he's never worn."

"Really?"

"You could probably feed a third world country for months with the money he spends on his attire."

"Wow."

"He does give generously to a few local charities, I will give him that."

"That's nice of him."

"He says he wants to give back to the ones who helped him. You have to understand, Katelyn, Carlos has never had an easy life. His father was shot in a drive-by when he was eight. His mama tried to take care of them the best she could, but she was too sickly to hold down a job. Being the oldest, Carlos stepped up, did whatever was necessary to put food on their table, clothes on their backs."

"He supported his family when he was only eight?"

"He had to use illegal means to do it, but yeah. He still sends money to his family and he made sure that his mama received the best care until her dying day."

"That's sweet of him."

"He's a sweet man, once you get to know him." Seeing the inquisitive look on her face Gina laughs. "I know he acts like a sex-crazed pervert, but that's just a persona, an act he puts on, to protect himself from being hurt. Deep down inside he's just a scared little boy wanting love and acceptance like the rest of us. Once you prove you're loyal to him, he'll treat you like a queen."

"It sounds like you care a lot about him."

"I don't know what I'd do without him. This is it," Gina announces, pulling up to the curb.

"You own this?" Katelyn asks, admiring the beautiful two-story Victorian.

"This baby is paid in full."

"Wow," Katelyn reaches for the handle, excited to see the inside.

"Stick around and you'll be able to afford a fancy home too."

"I hope so," she dreamily replies. Katelyn notices four police cars speeding towards them when she climbs out of the car. "Cops," she warns, nervously glancing back and forth.

Gina sees red and blue lights barreling down the road when she looks into her mirror. "Run," Gina screams, peeling away.

Katelyn looks back to see her friend speeding down the road.

"Hold it right there," an officer instructs, stepping towards her.

Katelyn sees cops standing on either side of her with their weapons drawn. "I didn't do anything. I swear I didn't," she cries, glancing at the red blur pulling onto the highway.