Classical music played as the small church filled with people. The aisles were lined with white roses and everyone was dressed in their best outfits. Photographers, both professional and amateur, lit up the room with flashes as the cameras captured memories forever. 

    Tara Cruz stood in the small room beside the sanctuary, waiting for the proceedings to begin. She wore a light-purple halter dress and her red hair was pinned up perfectly. Tara was yet again a bridesmaid, not the bride. 

    It wasn’t that she wasn’t thrilled to be apart of this particular wedding. Kaitlyn, the bride who everyone called Kait, had been her best friend since college. When Tara had heard of an opening at the Calistoga Fire Department where she worked, Kait had moved to the small town in a heartbeat. 

    Not long after moving to the area, Kait had fallen in love with a police officer named Brad Portland. Tara and Brad had grown up together, so she was elated when they’d announced their engagement months ago. 

    Tara held back a sigh as she watched the girls from the fire department fuss over Kait’s dress. She was watching out the door for the signal from the usher that the guys were at the front of the church. Her own love life left a lot to be desired. She was almost thirty and had been in four pretty serious relationships, but they’d all ended badly. It hadn’t been for her lack of trying either. They had simply refused to pop the question. 

    At the signal from the usher, who was Brad’s new partner at the police department named Jared Fletcher, Tara pushed aside her jealousy and led the girls into the church. The pianist played Pachabel’s Canon and they walked down the aisle in turn. Brad looked stunning as he stood with his groomsmen, and Tara guessed that nothing would erase the smile from his face. Since Kait had lost her father while he’d been on duty as an officer, Fire Chief Todd Kirkland had stepped in and now walked her down the aisle. Tara wiped away tears of happiness as she watched her two best friends become husband and wife. 

    The reception was held at Trent’s Pub, the Irish pub run by their friend Trent Malone. After the wedding party had sat down at the table and dinner had begun, Tara finally had time to talk to the happy couple. 

    “It’s been a perfect day,” Tara smiled and hugged them as they went to get food from the buffet table. 

    “It really has!” Brad exclaimed. “We’re so thankful for your help with all the details.” 

    “I couldn’t have had anyone else for my maid of honor,” Kait hugged her tightly. “You’re like our matchmaker!” 

    They got their food and enjoyed the meal while speeches were given. Tara could barely get through her speech before she teared up. Kait had been there for her through it all, and she was proud to call Kait her best friend. 

    As the dances began, Jared came over to the head table where she was sitting. She’d only known him for a couple of months, but they had quickly become friends. “Hey there,” Tara stood and hugged him. “Having a good time?” 

    “Yeah, I am! I have to say that you look… Wow,” he grinned, looking her up and down. 

    “You’re not too bad yourself, mister,” she blushed a bit. She wasn’t usually flirtatious lately but it was hard not to be with Jared. He really did look good all dressed up. 

    “I was wondering if you’d want to join me in a dance?” he smiled, holding out his hand. 

    “Just one?” she winked and he shook his head with a smile, leading her onto the floor.

    They had a great time having fun and dancing together. Tara was impressed with his skills and found herself leaning closer to him with every slow song. 

    Suddenly during one of those slow songs, Tara saw someone at the entrance that made her freeze. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered, not believing her eyes. 

    “What? Did I do something wrong?” Jared leaned back but then followed her gaze. “Who’s he?” 

    “My last boyfriend. We were together almost two years and it ended bad. I can’t believe he’s here.” 

    “Kiss me,” Jared suggested, making her blink. 

    “What?” 

    “Follow my lead,” he said and kissed her long and hard, tilting her back as he did so. Tara felt her knees go weak, but Jared was strong and lifted her back up with him. Tara leaned her head on his shoulder and exhaled deeply. “That’ll make him go away,” he whispered, holding her tenderly. 

    Tara caught Cole’s glance as he shook his head and walked out of the room. She sighed with relief and turned back to Jared as she whispered, “Thanks.” 

    “Anytime,” he smiled, and something in his voice told Tara that he really meant it.

2: Chapter 2: Monday, November 17.

    A week later, Jared Fletcher was sitting at his desk in the police department. He had only been working in Calistoga for a couple of months, but it had quickly become home. Jared had been assigned as Brad Portland’s partner, but Brad had been on his honeymoon for the past week. Jared was looking forward to being reunited with his new friend and partner. They had hit it off well as soon as they’d been introduced and Jared knew it would be easy working with him. 

    Before living in Calistoga, Jared had grown up in San Diego. He’d moved up the ranks at SDPD, but he was growing tired of the big town. Since moving to Calistoga, he had quickly grown accustomed to the small-town pace. Of course, it didn’t hurt that there was an incredibly attractive paramedic who seemed to enjoy his company. Tara was strong-willed, determined, and confident. She was a woman that any man would kill for. As much as he’d tried to all week, he hadn’t been able to get the image of her in that dress out of his mind. Nor did he want to. 

    “Fletcher?” Lieutenant Pete Saunders broke his train of thought. “Care to join us in the present tense?” 

    “Huh?” Jared blinked, looking up from his desk. “Oh yeah, sorry. Hey Lieutenant.” 

    “What’s with you? Another weekend of partying?” Saunders asked as he nodded towards the kitchen. “You’re partner’s making coffee if you want some.” 

    “Oh, he’s back?” Jared followed him to the kitchen. He hadn’t even noticed Brad coming in. 

    “Didn’t even see me walk in, huh Fletcher?” Portland chuckled as he sipped his coffee. “What’s her name.” 

    “Hey Portland, how was Ireland?” Jared started to work on his coffee and tried to change the subject. 

    “No you don’t,” Portland shook his head. “No deflecting. Only one thing makes a man that distracted. So who’s the girl?” 

    “It’s… no one,” Jared stammered, sipping his coffee. “Did you see lots of castles?” 

    “Nice try,” Saunders grinned and looked at Portland. “The man’s been distracted since your wedding.” 

    “Since my wedding? Did you meet someone there?” 

    “I… Can we focus on the man who’s getting back from his honeymoon?” Jared pleaded. 

    “We’ve been focusing on me long enough,” Portland shook his head. “It’s your turn now. So who is she, Fletcher?” 

    It was then that the radio chirped and Jared sighed with relief as Dispatch said, “Police, medical and squad needed to report to a MVC. Woman trapped inside. Located at…” 

    “Saved by the radio,” Portland chuckled and led the way out to the car as they responded to the multi-vehicle collision. 

    “I’m not saying a word until something happens,” Jared insisted as they went out to the parking lot.” 

    “This is A1 responding and en route,” Tara’s voice came through the radio and Jared felt his pulse quicken at the sound of her voice. 

    “Right, nothing’s happened,” Portland chuckled, getting in behind the wheel and looking over at him. 

    “Shut up and drive, partner,” Jared grinned and pulled out the radio to announce they were en route. Portland just shook his head in amusement and pulled into the street. 

3: Chapter 3: Tuesday, November 18.

    Mornings at the firehouse were always Tara’s favorite part of the day. Everyone gathered around the table to enjoy whatever delicious meal Nick and Caleb cooked up. Today’s meal featured french toast with fruit and whipped cream and bacon. 

    “Okay Kait, how were those Irish pubs?” Aaron asked from his seat beside Tara. “I bet the drinks were better than anywhere in the world.” 

    “Yeah, they were good! Trent does a great job at bringing Ireland to us though. The hills were so lush and green.” 

    “Please tell me you're working on a scrapbook?” Tara requested as she sipped on her coffee. 

    “Oh for sure!” Kait nodded. “Tara, you and I have to go there together someday.” 

    “Maybe Tara can go there on her own honeymoon,” teased Stacey Gomez, a recent candidate. Stacey was a bit younger than the rest of them were, but they’d welcomed her into the family quickly and she had become like the little sister of the department. 

    “Tara’s got a guy?” Nick perked up then. Being a protective Italian brother already, he’d taken on the role with Tara. 

    “I do not!” Tara blushed beat red. “We’re just friends, I swear!” 

    “Oh, you and that cop you were dancing with at the wedding?” Caleb asked curiously. “You seemed more than just friends there.” 

    “What is this? Pick on Tara day?” she hid her face behind her mug. The truth was that she'd been thinking about Jared a lot lately. “We just danced!" 

    “You kissed too!” Stacey pointed out. “And you caught the bouquet!” 

    “So you guys are coming to my housewarming party this weekend, right?” Tara tried to change the subject. Since Kait had been her roommate, Tara hadn’t wanted to live above the pub by herself anymore, so she’d taken the plunge and bought her first home shortly after the wedding. It was still in the early stages of setting everything up and unpacking, but Tara was in love with her new home already. 

    “Woah,” Nick stopped her. “You kissed a guy?” 

    Tones rang out for cops and medics to respond to a smashed window and a glass cut injury. The room was filled with confused comments and questions until the location was given. The address was for a pizzeria that Nick’s family ran called Josepi’s, the maiden name of Nick’s grandmother who they named the pizzeria after. 

    “I’m taking this one,” Nick said instantly. “Tara, you’re with me. You’re not getting out of this conversation that easily.” 

    Tara nodded and followed him out to the ambulance. Truthfully, she’d been surprised no one had brought up the fact that she’d danced with a guy for most of the reception until now. “In my defence…” she said, getting into the ambulance. “He kissed me for a reason.” 

    “Yeah, people usually do,” Nick turned on the sirens and pulled out. 

    Tara responded to dispatch on the radio and then looked at Nick. “This isn’t the best time to talk about it, considering where we’re going but… Cole was there. We kissed because Jared thought it might-”

    “Cole was at the wedding?!” Nick turned sharply to look at her, but then looked back at the road. “You should have told me, Sis.” 

    “I didn’t want to make a big deal of it, Nick. It’s a small town. I’m bound to run into my ex-boyfriends more than once. Besides… It’s not like I don’t see your brother Tim whenever we go to the hospital,” Tara reflected. She had dated Nick’s brother for about a year before he’d been called out to Iraq and had told her not to wait for him because he couldn’t handle the responsibility of making her be alone while he was gone. They had remained friends and still kept in touch by the occasional texts, whenever Tim had access to the Internet. 

    “Okay, that’s a fair point,” Nick nodded but looked over at her. “It’s just that there’s something about Cole I never liked. He shouldn’t have been at that wedding. You and I both know he wasn’t there for Brad or Kait. He was there for one reason, Tara. You.” 

    “Well, he’s not getting me back,” Tara said firmly. 

    They pulled beside the police car at Josepi’s and hopped out of the ambulance. The front window of the store had been smashed in and there was glass everywhere. Nick’s sixteen-year-old sister Lillian, or Lilly as they all knew her, sat on the sidewalk with a towel around her leg. A large, furious Italian man, Ricardo Dexter, sat beside her. He rose when he saw the ambulance as he described the event to his son. 

    Tara leaned down to check Lilly’s vitals and began to examine her wounded leg. She heard parts of Ric’s account as her main focus was on the glass stuck in the girl’s skin. They had been serving customers like any other day when the gunshot had run out from out of nowhere and smashed the glass window to pieces, sending shards everywhere. A piece of glass had made its home in Lilly’s leg. Thankfully it hadn’t gone too deep and Tara was able to take the piece out of the skin carefully before bandaging the wound securely. 

    Jared and Brad were already inside the restaurant, investigating the cause of the incident. As Tara was successfully removing the small piece of glass from the surface of Lilly’s skin, Jared called over to Brad, “Portland! I found a bullet!” 

    “What kind of bullet?” Brad asked, going over to him. 

    “Looks like it came from a sniper rifle. We’ll check ballistics when we get to the office, but I recognize this from my days in the army. It’s a sniper,” Jared said definitively. 

    Tara felt her heart rate quicken, but she tried to focus on her patient. Snipers usually had an agenda, and they never stopped after one shooting. She knew they had more things to worry about now than an ex-boyfriend showing up uninvited at a wedding. This was only the beginning. 

4: Chapter 4: Wednesday, November 19

    The police department was buzzing with activity as the small team of officers gathered around the whiteboard to discuss the latest case. There were four men working on the sniper case: Jared Fletcher, Brad Portland, Lieutenant Pete Saunders, and Adam Wood. Wood was the latest recruit who’d replaced Chris Foster, who’d been transferred east. Jared had been assigned to investigate Nick Dexter, along with the rest of the large Italian family. When Nick arrived at the police department, Jared led him to an interview room where they sat across from each other. 

    Nick looked angry, frustrated, and determined to figure out who had targeted his family. Jared couldn’t really blame the man for being furious. “Alright, so how long has your family owned Josepi’s?” Jared started, keeping things casual. 

    “It goes back four generations,” Nick responded. “My dad’s grandmother began the pizza place as a family business because she wanted to see it grow into a legacy, which it definitely has.” 

    “So the employees are all family members then? Or have friends of the family worked there too?” 

    “It’s mostly family,” Nick nodded. “Dad runs the place now and mom’s the bookkeeper. Lilly works the desk during the day, rotating with other cousins and brothers who work as machines and stuff.” 

    “How many siblings are there? Would you be able to give me their phone numbers so I don’t have to track them down?” 

    “Sure,” Nick nodded, reaching for the piece of paper Jared handed him. “Tim’s the oldest of the seven of us. He’s over in Iraq serving as a Navy Seal. Then there’s me, Carrie, Tony, Michael, Amber and Lilly.” Nick wrote out the numbers where Jared could contact each of them. “I can get you a list of all the people employed at Josepi’s too, but that’ll take a bit more time than off the top of my head.” 

    “That’d be great,” Jared nodded, appreciating the help. “We’re just trying to figure out who the target was, or if it was because it’s a business. Snipers usually have an intended target and they never shoot without a reason,” he explained. “How much time do you spend at the store? I guess the department takes up the most of your days.” 

    “Yeah, I spend more time there but I help out when I can. I do some cooking on the weekends.” 

    “Okay, so you probably don’t have any enemies, huh? No idea who might have done this?” 

    “I really don’t know,” Nick shook his head. “I’ll help you in any way I can, Jared. I’m just relieved no one got more hurt than they did. Lilly was lucky that glass didn’t go deeper.” 

    “Anyone mad at you about a bad delivery or something? Or a fire or medic call gone wring?” 

    “Nothing anyone would shatter glass for,” Nick shrugged. “I’ve been in this town my whole life… People know us and trust us as a business and as a family. We’re fiercely protective of our own, but we’ve never had anything particularly violent happen to any of us. It’s not like we’re rolling in money either. It’s just a small family business.” 

    “Would you be able to send over your call reports for the last few months anyway? I just want to cover my bases and make sure we’re not missing anything,” Jared requested, even though he guessed this had very little to do with Nick himself. The guy had been nothing but great to him since Jared had moved to Calistoga. He’d been the first one to step up and help him move in, and they’d quickly become good friends. 

    “Yeah, I can do that. I don’t know how much it’ll help though.” 

    “I’d appreciate it,” Jared nodded. With the interview finished, he leaned back and hesitated. “Nick, can I ask you something?” 

    Nick gave him an incredulous look. “Aren’t you already asking questions?” 

    “It’s about Tara,” Jared looked at him seriously. “I’ve tried calling her since the wedding but she won’t answer or call me back. It’s driving me crazy.” 

    “You’ve got it bad, man,” Nick smirked a bit. 

    “I just… you know what? Forget it,” Jared shook his head. “I’m fine.” 

    “Now come on. She told me what happened at the wedding.” 

    “She told you about her ex showing up? Or… Everything?” Jared eyed him nervously. 

    “Everything, Jared. He’s a nasty piece of work, Cole is. You don’t want to make him mad.” 

    “Oh great,” Jared sighed. “That’s probably why she’s avoiding me. I made it worse.” 

    There was a knock on the door and Jared saw Portland with a grim expression on his face. “You almost done, Fletcher?” 

    “Yeah,” Jared stood, thinking he was probably done in more ways than one. “Thanks for coming, Nick. If you could get those call reports and contact information for staff members to me soon, that’d be great.” 

    “Will do,” Nick stood and nodded at Portland as he headed out of the room. 

    Jared leaned back against the table and looked at Portland. It didn’t take a genius to figure out something was wrong. “Talk to me.” 

    “You know how you recognized the bullet from the pizzeria?” Portland closed the door. “It came from a sniper M40 rifle. Used by the US Marine Corps.” 

    “I hate it when I’m right,” Jared muttered. “Any ID on the owner of the gun?” 

    “That’s the frustrating part. It’s registered to a J. Smith.” 

    “Might as well have been named John Doe,” Jared rolled his eyes. “I’m going to keep working on talking to the Dexter’s. Nick just gave me the list of his siblings and their contact information including his parents. He’s going to get me an employee list soon.” 

    “Good luck with that. I’ll keep focusing on that rifle.” 

    When he was alone in the room, Jared shook his head at how much work needed to be done. With the sniper being a Marine, Jared knew that they were working with a professional. There would be a lot of sleepless nights ahead.

5: Chapter 5: Friday, November 21.

    Irish music filled the room as Tara sat with the fire crew at their usual table in Trent’s Pub. This was a weekly tradition as cops and firemen joined together to unwind after a busy week. They were more on edge tonight, however, after a second sniper shooting incident, though thankfully the victim had survived. 

    Tara had been busy outside of work too. She was finally moved into her new house and it felt good to have a place of her own. She’d set everything up as she liked it and was looking forward to hosting a housewarming party tomorrow. 

    “You guys are coming tomorrow afternoon, right?” Tara looked around the table as she sipped her rum and coke. 

    “We’ll be there!” Kait grinned and gave her a hug. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve done to the place.” 

    “I miss living with you, Kait. We’ve been living together since the first year of college, right?” Tara reflected. “This place will feel like home soon enough.” 

    “It’s nice doing your own thing though,” Nick put in. “Especially after living with a big family.” 

    “Where’s Jared? I thought he said he’d be here,” Tara looked around curiously. 

    “He’s still working on that shooting case from this morning,” Brad said. “Even though the victim wasn’t killed, it made enough of a statement. Jared can’t seem to let it rest.”

    “He probably just wants to impress his new department,” Aaron guessed. 

    “Today hit home for me too,” Tara sighed and took another sip of her drink. “I’m just glad Teresa will be okay. She was the one who suggested I be a paramedic.” 

    “She sure was a great teacher,” Stacey agreed. “I’m still amazed she wasn’t killed. A few inches over and that bullet would have hit her heart.” 

    Brad shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Tara eyed him suspiciously as he said, “If he’d wanted her dead, she would be.” 

    Jared walked into the bar then and Tara could tell her suspicions were warranted. “This wasn’t just a random shooting, was it?” she asked after he’d greeted everyone and sat down. 

    Trent came over to give Jared his favorite beer without waiting for him to order and Jared sighed, nodding towards the televisions hanging in the corner. Finn Flanagan was indeed doing a news segment at the high school. “This is already news…” Jared started. 

    “We want to hear it from you,” Kait wasn’t even looking at the screen and Tara turned her gaze back to Jared. 

    “The bullet that shot Teresa Ludgate in the shoulder was from the same sniper rifle as the bullet that smashed up the window at Josepi’s.” 

    Tara swore under her breath and looked around to see similar reactions. “Guess we have a serial sniper,” she muttered. 

    “Any more progress on who the sniper is?” Nick asked from his spot beside Tara. 

    “All we know is that the bullet is from a military sniper rifle,” Jared said. “We don’t even know where the sniper was shooting from or who the targets really were or…” 

    “Hey,” Tara reached over and squeezed his hand. “Take a breath. It’s still early.” 

    “Yeah, I guess,” Jared nodded, though she could tell he still felt a huge weight on his shoulders. 

    They continued to talk about sports and plans for the weekend, but Tara wasn’t much into the conversation. Her gaze kept going back to the television, as if it would suddenly have all the answers they were searching for. After a while, Tara gave up and asked Jared to drive her home. He nodded and they said goodnight to the others as they headed out to Jared’s truck. 

    When he held the door open for her, Jared pulled Tara in for a long hug. Tara smiled and leaned against him. “Hi…” she said tiredly. 

    “You looked like you could use a hug,” Jared brushed the hair from her face and kissed her forehead. 

    “I’ll never turn down a hug from you,” Tara smiled for the first time that day. 

    “I’m gonna hold you to that,” he said softly, kissing her hair. 

    “Just hold me to you and we’ll be alright,” she leaned against him contentedly, not wanting to let go. His strong arms made her feel safe, secure, and protected. 

    “Let’s get you home,” Jared chuckled and they got into the truck. They drove to her place in tired silence, the entire way holding each others’ hand. 

6: Chapter 6: Saturday, November 22.

    The sun was shining brightly and it was the perfect weather for a barbecue. It was still cold enough for sweatshirts, but it didn’t dampen the mood of the party. Jared sat with Brad and Nick on the deck of Tara’s new house while others mingled inside or played catch in the yard. Tara’s place was perfect for her and Jared had been impressed with the private tour she’d given him the night before. It was in a perfect, quiet neighbourhood that would be great for running, which Jared knew Tara loved to do. 

    Yesterday had been hard for Jared. It wasn’t because he’d known the woman who’d been shot, but because it was his first major case in the new department. He was feeling responsible for not being able to stop the sniper from shooting a second time, and now it was a serial case. 

    “You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?” Nick looked over at him. 

    “Thinking about what?” Jared asked, trying to act innocent. 

    “We have weekends for a reason, bro,” Brad chimed in. “We also have ballistics doing everything they can. Let it rest.” 

    “It feels wrong,” Jared sighed. “People are getting shot at and we’re sitting here doing nothing.” 

    “Yeah, and I know it’s still unresolved,” Brad said, “but we need this too.”     

    Jared looked around and nodded quietly. He watched asa Tara came out with a tray of watermelon. Jared couldn’t help but smile. She was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve shirt and her long red hair was pulled back in a pony tail. What he wouldn’t give to take her hair down, take her into the hot tub in the new sunroom and… 

    “Jared? You want a piece?” Tara was standing right in front of him with the plate and he looked up, at her. 

    “Huh? Oh yeah, sure,” he took a piece of fruit and sat up straighter. “Seems like the day is going well so far.” 

    “Yeah, people seem to be having fun,” Tara sat down in the lawn chair that Brad had vacated. Nick had gone to join the game of field hockey that had started. “Are you okay?” she looked at him with concern. 

    “Me? I’m fine,” Jared shrugged and nibbled on the watermelon. “It’s just hard to turn your brain off sometimes, you know?” 

    “Yeah, I know what you mean. I keep wondering who will be next.” 

    “That’s my fear… That we won’t be able to stop him before he actually kills someone.” 

    “I don’t think that’s his intention though,” Tara shook her head. “Snipers have perfect shots, right? If he intended to kill someone, he would have by now.” 

    “Yeah, you’re right… I just wish we could catch a break.” 

    “Hey,” Tara reached for his hand. You’ll get this. I know it’s your first serial case here but anything could happen to break this thing wide open.” 

    Jared relaxed a little, tracing his thumb along the wrist of her hand. It was then that Kait came to the backyard with a piece of paper in her hand. “What’s wrong?” Jared asked, seeing Kait’s nervous expression. 

    “I just went to get something from the car and this note was tacked to my windshield,” Kait said and handed it to Jared. 

    Jared took the paper and read, “‘You’ve been lucky so far, Tara, but I’ll get you back. I’m your family.” 

    Tara looked visibly shaken and Jared moved closer to the first one to hold her. “I’ll stay here with you. No one’s going to hurt you, I promise.” 

    “Okay,” Tara nodded against his chest and he looked at Brad worriedly. His biggest fear had just become true - this was about Tara. 

7: Chapter 7: Tuesday, November 25

    Tara pulled the ambulance in front of the Calistoga Roastery, the coffee shop downtown. It was a cute little cafe on the corner of the busiest intersection in Calistoga. It was the perfect place to sit and wait for the radio to chirp with whoever was out in the ambulance patrolling with her. Nick had insisted on being by her side while at work since she’d received the note at the party. When she wasn’t working, Jared was with her at her new house. Between the two men, Tara felt well-protected. 

    “What’s wrong, Sis?” Nick looked over at her. They were sitting inside, but Tara’s gaze kept going to the door and she’d gone quiet, thoughts filling her mind. 

    “What do you think about Jared?” she finally asked. She’d been wrestling with the question since the wedding, but she couldn’t figure the man out. 

    “He’s a good guy,” Nick nodded. “Dedicated to his job and Brad seems to trust him enough.” 

    “No, I don’t mean professionally… I mean as a…. as a…” she struggled for the right words. 

    She didn’t miss his smirk as he asked, “Well… Is something bugging you about him?” 

    “He just… I don’t know, Nick. He’s been a bit… all over me.” 

    “All over you how?” Nick raised an eyebrow. 

    “It’s like he won’t let me out of his sight. I mean he’s a great guy and we have a good time together it’s just… Wow, I sound pathetic huh? I’ve got you and him both risking your own lives to protect me and I’m just complaining.” 

    Nick smiled and sipped his coffee. “You’re just not used to him being around so much. It’s not like you know each other that well…” 

    “That’s the thing,” Tara sighed. “I know a lot about him. We talked about how he grew up an only child and always knew he wanted to be a cop. He told me about going to Iraq and his time in the war…” 

    “I bet it was hard for him to get used to normal life again after that.” 

    “Yeah, he said it was really hard, but he knew he wanted to keep helping people. So then he… what?” Tara stopped when she saw the amused look on his face. 

    “You started this conversation by being annoyed with the man, but you can’t stop talking about him.” 

    “So?” Tara stopped short and blinked at him. “I…” 

    “Admitting you like someone is the first step,” Nick chuckled. “You could do worse, you know. In fact, you have.” 

    A text came in from Jared then and she blushed as she read: How are you, hon? We’re trying to ID the writer of that note but no luck yet. 

    “How’s Jared?” Nick teased, obviously seeing her expression. 

    “No ID on the note from Saturday yet,” she shrugged. She texted back saying that she was out for coffee with Nick. 

    “Do you have a guess who it might be?” Nick asked. “I don’t know if it’s connected with the sniper but… the note talked about family, right?” 

    “Yeah, but all my family is here in Calistoga,” Tara sipped her coffee. “None of this makes any sense. Is Lilly okay from the incident at Josepi’s?” 

    “She’s fine, it’s Dad who’s livid,” Nick shrugged. “Could this be someone who wished they were family and can’t quite let go?” he looked at her suspiciously. 

    Tara barely had time to think about that before four gunshots rang out. Everyone in the cafe ducked to safety as the room was thrown into chaos. Tara and Nick called to make sure no one was hurt, but it became obvious that the shot had been fired at something outside. 

    Nick took out his radio and called for police as Tara looked around for damage. It made no sense. The shot had been heard clear as day through the open windows of the cafe. What had been hit? 

    It wasn’t long before sirens wailed as the police car arrived. Brad jumped out and ran inside the cafe, but Jared stopped in his tracks outside and called for him, Tara and Nick. The trio headed outside and blinked when they saw what had made Jared stop. All four tires of the ambulance had been flattened, the bullet casings laying beside each one.

8: Chapter 8: Wednesday, November 26

    Jared opened the fridge and reached for another can of pepsi. He had finally convinced Tara to stay at home with him while they went through her previous call reports and family history during the day. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack since Tara didn’t have any enemies. She’d grown up in the small town and everyone loved her. 

    “Okay, let’s go over the the timeline again,” Brad said at length. “I’m sure we missed something.” 

    Jared, Tara and Brad were sitting around the coffee table with stacks of paper everywhere. They’d pulled in a whiteboard and drawn a timeline of reports and significant events in Tara’s life recently. It wasn’t the ideal way to learn about someone’s life, but Jared found his feelings for the woman were growing rapidly with each new fact he learned about her. 

    “Okay, let’s start with what we know for sure,” Brad started. “November 18: M40 sniper rifle shoots through the glass window at Josepi’s, Nick’s family pizzeria.” 

    “His sister was cut in the leg by flying glass,” Tara put in. “Nick and I responded to that call.” 

    “November 21,” Jared continued as he added to the timeline. “Teresa Ludgate gets shot in the shoulder with the same sniper rifle.” 

    “November 22,” Tara shivered a bit as she recounted, and she relayed the message left behind on the windshield of Kait’s car. 

    “November 25, yesterday,” Brad said. “The ambulance tires are shot flat. No injuries.” 

    “So the only common thread is me,” Tara sighed. “We have no idea who the sniper rifle belongs to?” 

    “All we know is what gun the bullets belong to,” Jared said. “The gun is a military sniper rifle. I’ve seen them in Iraq. It’s not registered to anyone in the database other than the name ‘J. Smith’. Which obviously didn’t help us much.” 

    “What about the hand-writing?” Tara asked. 

    “It didn’t match anything in the database either.” 

    “So we’ve got nothing?” Tara ran her hand through her hair, and Jared could tell she was frustrated. 

    “We’ve talked about your work and family,” Brad said hesitantly. “There’s an angle we haven’t discussed…” Brad looked between Jared and Tara. 

    “He’s right, Tara. There’s one subject we’ve been avoiding,” Jared said awkwardly. He really didn’t want to accept the possibility, but it was time. “Your… romantic relationships.” 

    Tara sat up straighter and gave Brad a ‘do I have to’ look. “I can leave you two alone if you want me to,” Brad said in response. 

    “No,” Tara shook her head. “It’s fine. I just… had hoped we would have known each other longer before bringing out those particular ghosts from my past,” she sighed. “I guess one of them could have wanted revenge on something. And… I’ve seen most of them around town. It could be anyone.” 

    Jared sat up straighter and gave her a look. “What do you mean by ‘seen’?” 

    “Well, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, so I didn’t bring it up. I mean… it’s a small town.” 

    “Start talking,” Brad leaned forward. 

    “Alright well… you know I saw Cole at your wedding,” Tara looked at him. Jared listened carefully, watching Tara as she talked. For the first time he wondered if she was just as nervous about this conversation as he was. “Cole saw us dancing and then Jared…” 

    Jared cleared his throat and gave her a look. “Would he be capable of doing something like this?” He had no intention of telling his partner that he had kissed Tara to make some guy mad. 

    “They all would be, really. I kind of have a thing for… men in uniform,” Tara blushed and Jared couldn’t help but smile. 

    “She’s right,” Brad reflected. “Nick’s brother Tim is a Navy Seal… As far as I know he’s still over in Iraq. Noah was in the army. Craig was a cop. Cole wasn’t a uniform, but he liked to hunt, didn’t he?” 

    “Yeah,” Tara a bit. “He tried to convince me to go with him but it didn’t happen. I eat meat, but I don’t need to be apart of the process of getting it.” 

    Jared took a deep breath as he had a thought. “Tara, were you ever… I mean not physically… which one were you most…?” 

    “It’s hard to say really,” she shrugged and he raised an eyebrow. “I don’t date just for fun, Jared. When it becomes exclusive, I’m all in.” 

    Jared swallowed hard as he wondered what that meant. He truly hoped that one day he would find out, but the thought worried him nonetheless. That reality meant that any one of Tara’s ex-boyfriends would kill to get her back, if they’d all been serious with her. “And you’ve seen them around town? The others?” he clarified. 

    “Well yeah… Cole at the wedding,” Tara nodded. “Noah works as security over at the movie theatre. We see Craig at scenes once in a while, though he’s usually more at the office I think. And Tim… well he’s still in Iraq so I don’t see him much, but we’re still friends so we talk once in a while.” 

    “So we really have nothing to go on right now, other than four possible suspects,” Jared summarized, not liking those odds. 

    “We’ll figure this out,” Tara promised, though Jared wasn’t so sure. “We have to.”

9: Chapter 9: Friday, November 28.

    Tara took another sip of Corona and looked around the pub. Jared still hadn’t arrived yet and she was getting worried. Nick sat protectively beside her with the rest of the crew that usually gathered Friday nights. It had been a frustrating couple of days and the news continued to speculate on the identity of the sniper. Brad and Jared had questioned everyone Tara knew and discovered absolutely nothing that would help them. 

    The worst part for Tara was having certain discussions with a man she was rapidly growing feelings for. Normally, she would have waited until later in a relationship to discuss all aspects of her past. Now, her whole life had been put on display for him and they hadn’t even started dating yet. Even though she definitely was interested in starting something with him, it had become awkward now. They had talked about his life too, but the focus had definitely been more on her. 

    “So Black Friday passed peacefully enough,” Brent said as Tara tried to focus on the conversation around her. “I was sure the sniper would have hit at some point.” 

    “The turkey dinner at the fire department was good too,” Tara tried to change the subject. 

    “I thought he would have hit then,” Caleb pondered. “All of us being there together…” 

    “Seriously, can we talk about anything but the sniper for two seconds?” Tara snapped, making everyone look at her with concern. 

    “Tara? You okay?” Nick was the first to ask. 

    “I’m sorry guys,” she sighed. “It’s just all I’ve talked about.” 

    “It’s alright,” Kait put a hand on her arm. “We can talk about the holidays, right guys?” 

    “Besides, he’s probably just laying low to make you guys go crazy,” Finn offered from the next table over. 

    “Didn’t they teach you about segues in journalism school?” Brad glared at him. 

    “I chose to sleep through that class,” Finn smirked. “Seriously though, are you guys any closer to figuring this out?” 

    “Does it look like we’re in the mood for an interview?” Brent shot back. 

    Tara stood up then, unable to take anymore. As she leaned in to tell Nick she was going to the restroom, she saw Jared enter the pub. By the expression on his face, Tara knew her night was about to get worse. 

    “I need to talk to you outside,” Jared said immediately and looked from her to Brad. “You too. Sorry guys…” 

    Brad excused them from the group and Tara followed the men out to the parking lot. When they were alone Brad asked, “What’s wrong, Fletcher?” 

    Before he could answer, a single gunshot rang out, making the three of them duck for cover while looking around cautiously. As if from out of nowhere, the windshield of Jared’s truck exploded, sending glass everywhere. 

10: Chapter 10: Saturday, November 29.

    Jared sat at his desk the next morning feeling lost and frustrated. He didn’t normally work on weekends, but then it wasn’t every day his truck exploded in front of him. Tara was at Kait and Brad’s with Nick and Lieutenant Saunders while Jared and Brad continued to investigate at the police station. 

    Opening his inbox for the hundredth time, Jared re-read the email he’d received yesterday. He’d been in the process of telling Tara and Brad about it when the explosion had interrupted him. Then everything had been about the truck and he still hadn’t told either of them. Jared shook his head as he read the email again: 

    Detective Fletcher: 

        You may think you’ve won the battle, but I will win the war. The hunter has now             become the hunted, and the game is mine. I’ll tell you my name because you’ll             never find me. If you do, you’ll lose everything. 

                Respectfully, 

                    Cole Spencer. 

    “When were you planning on telling me about this?” Portland’s voice made Jared flinch. 

    Turning around, Jared exhaled. “Right before my truck blew up.” 

    “Fletcher! When did you get this? It changes everything!” 

    “Look, it’s not like I could just tell you last night with Tara around. She’s freaked out enough already and I-” 

    “Have you seen him since the wedding? How did he get your email?” 

    “I don’t know!” Jared shook his head in frustration. “I haven’t seen him since the wedding. Look, I was seriously gonna tell you yesterday and then… you saw how upset she was about the truck.” 

    “Dang it, Fletcher!” Portland paced and took out his phone. “I’m calling Tara, since you don’t have the guts to.” 

    Jared swallowed hard and reached for his hand to stop him. “Portland, stop. It’s not that easy, alright?” 

    “What are you talking about?” Portland froze and looked at him. “The only reason this should be hard for you is if she was family or if…” he stopped and put the phone down slowly. “Jared…” he switched to being more casual, and Jared knew he was in trouble now. He had no choice but to be honest. 

    “I’m crazy about her!” Jared finally admitted. “If anything happens to her and all this is my fault, I could never live with myself. Brad if he gets to her…”

    “Woah,” Brad put a hand on his shoulder. “Take a breath.” 

    “She’s in this mess because of me! When we saw him at your wedding and Tara was upset he was there we…” 

    “You what?” 

    “We kissed, Brad. I just wanted to make him go away. I had no idea he’d…” 

    Brad sat down on the corner of his desk and looked over at him seriously. “You really should have told me sooner.” 

    “You don’t really think he’d go on a shooting spree just to get her back, do you?” 

    “I’ve seen people kill for less, Fletcher. I’m sure you have too.” 

    “He’s the hunter, isn’t he?” Jared remembered. 

    “We have to find him,” Portland stood. “If he’s revealing his identity, he’s about to close in.” 

    “Okay,” Jared sighed resolutely. “Let’s go talk to Tara.” 

11: Chapter 11: Saturday, November 29.

    Tara passed Nick the shovel as he and Pete continued to dig more holes for plants in Kait’s garden. Blackie, Brad and Kait’s dog, bounded around them excitedly as if this was the most activity the yard had seen in a while. They’d been trying to distract themselves from the fact that the bullets exploding Jared’s truck windshield had indeed been from the sniper’s rifle. Tara was starting to get frustrated with the redundancy but at least Blackie provided a good distraction. 

    Jared was different lately too. Tara reflected on how he’d wanted to tell them something since before the explosion, but he hadn’t done so yet. Whatever it was had been pushed aside since they’d switched to investigation mode. For the first time, Tara wondered if he was the target all along, not her. 

    “Hey,” Kait called over to her. “The point of this gardening thing was to stop thinking.” 

    “Sorry,” Tara crouched down again. “My brain doesn’t have an ‘off’ switch.” 

    “That’s what we’re here for,” Nick grinned and dug the next hole. 

    “How many of these are we digging?” Pete asked. “It’s starting to look like a groundhog invasion.” 

    Kait looked over and smiled while she scratched Blackie behind the ear. “Better you than this dog here,” she chuckled. “You know, if you ever want to retire from the force, I might hire you as my gardener.” 

    “That’s not happening for a while,” Pete chuckled. “I just made Lieutenant.” 

    They heard a car pull into the driveway and Tara saw Jared and Brad get out. “Please tell me you brought beer or something,” she teased, butt the humor left when she saw their faces. 

    “We need to talk,” Jared stated and led her into the house. 

    When they were in the office with door closed, Tara looked at him with concern. “What’s going on?” 

    “I received an email yesterday before I came to the pub,” he said slowly. “It’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He handed her the piece of paper and said, “You should read it.” 

    Tara took the paper and read it, her eyes growing wide. “No…” she shook her head, not wanting to believe it. 

    “He wants me out of the picture, Tara. He wants you back.” 

    “We’ve been over for months! He doesn’t even know you. We’re not even…” Tara stammered. 

    “It probably looked like we were from his perspective at the wedding.” 

    Tara blinked and looked into his eyes. “This is all about jealousy?” 

    “I’m sorry,” Jared reached for her as she moved to the door. “It’s my fault we’re in this mess. If I hadn’t kissed you…” 

    Tara stepped closer to him, pressing her lips to his. She wasn’t sure what overtook her, but he made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time. He leaned into her, making the kiss last longer, and making her want to hold him forever. 

    When he leaned his forehead against hers to catch his breath she whispered, “Don’t ever forget, Jared… I kissed you back.” 

12: Chapter 12: Monday, December 1.

    Two days later, the Calistoga Police Department was on the hunt for Cole Spencer. The tech team had spent the weekend analyzing sniper angles and determining the potential shooting locations. Since Calistoga was such a small town, that made the process a little easier than what Jared was used to in San Diego. 

    As the day went on, however, Jared became more and more frustrated. They still needed to find Cole, or anyone who had seen him. By the end of the day, Jared and Portland went back to the office to regroup, but it was becoming painfully clear; the man was invisible.

    “This is ridiculous,” Jared got out of the car with frustration. “The man is a ghost.” 

    “He can’t be,” Portland shook his head. “No one’s that good at hiding themselves.” 

    Jared’s phone rang out and he reached for it, leaning against the car. “Fletcher.” 

    “Can’t find me yet huh?” 

    Jared stiffened and put the phone on speaker. “If you want me, come get me,” he dared. 

    “You’re not hard to find. I just have to look for Tara and then I’ll see you.” 

    Jared looked around anxiously, expecting to see Tara. He knew it was impossible; she was at his place with Saunders and Nick. “She’s not here, Cole. If you’ve got something to say to me, say it.” 

    “I can see her plain as day, Jared. You really shouldn’t live so close to work. It’ll drive you crazy.” 

    Jared looked over at Portland who pulled out his phone. “She’s moved on, Cole. Get over it.” 

    “She’s not the kind of girl you just get over. You’ll see. She’ll never settle down.” 

    “Alright, where are you? Or are you always gonna hide behind your rifle?” 

    Out of nowhere, they heard a gunshot ring out. Jared didn’t even have time to duck before the bullet ripped through his shoulder, making him cry out in pain. 

    “I see him!” Portland exclaimed then, looking at a nearby roof. 

    “Go… get him,” Jared moaned and reached for the radio. “I’ll call medics.” 

    Brad ran after Cole while announcing his pursuit on the radio. Jared realized Cole might still be on the phone and said into the receiver, “You’re going… down.” 

    “Not sounding so tough now, are you?” Cole taunted, with the hint of a smirk. “You’ll never find…” 

    More gunshots went off and Jared heard Cole scream in pain. Jared reached for his radio and called for medical assistance. The pain in his arm became too much and he soon slunk down in the chair behind the wheel into darkness. 

13: Chapter 13: Monday, December 1.

    Meanwhile, Tara was sitting with Nick and Pete on Jared’s deck. She’d wanted to be close to the department for when they found Cole and they’d spent the afternoon playing cards on the deck to distract themselves as the time passed. 

    Gunshots could be heard clearly through the streets as they watched the police chase through town. Sirens rang out and the radio came alive. Pete ushered Tara and Nick towards the house but they stopped in their tracks when they heard Jared’s voice. “Medical needed at…” 

    “In pursuit of sniper on…” Brad’s voice came next. “Suspect armed with M40 rifle. Answers to the name Cole Spencer.” 

    Tara looked over at the others and exclaimed, “We have to do something!” 

    “EMS responding,” Kait’s voice came on the radio. “We’ll wait for police clearance on scene.” 

    “We go to the station. Now,” Pete ordered and they drove quickly down the street towards the police station, though they could have walked in under ten minutes. 

    Tara listened as Brad and the other officers pursued Cole. She tried to wrap her head around the fact that it was her ex-boyfriend they were chasing, but it didn’t seem real. When Cole had delayed in proposing to her, Tara knew it wasn’t going anywhere and she’d broken up with him. It was the hardest decision she’d ever had to make and now she was paying for it. 

    “Stop beating yourself up,” Nick said as they followed Pete into the station. She was glad he was there with them. She felt safer when Nick was around. 

    “What, you’re a mind-reader now too?” Tara looked at him. “I can’t help it. This is all my fault.” 

    “Hey,” Pete turned around then. “None of this is your fault. The only person responsible here is Cole.” 

    “Yeah, because he’s trying to get rid of the guy I’m falling in love with,” she sighed, looking between them. 

    “That doesn’t make you guilty, Sis. Just human,” Nick pointed out. “It’s not your fault you moved on.” 

    Tara was about to argue but then the radio interrupted as Kait said, “Transferring GSW vic to ER. Officer Fletcher is down and unresponsive. Need assistance to meet us there ASAP.” 

    “Pete! We have to go see him!” Tara cried. 

    “No,” he grabbed her hand. “Not until…” 

    “Suspect detained. En route to jail,” Brad said then and the three of them exhaled with relief. 

    “Okay, now we can go,” Pete nodded and visibly relaxed. Tara gratefully followed the men out to the car and hoped Jared would be okay.

14: Chapter 14: Monday, December 15.

    A week later, the police and fire departments joined at Trent’s Pub to celebrate the closure of the sniper case. They’d finally been able to save the town from the man that had caused them chaos and fear. Jared himself was extremely relieved this case was over. He was still healing from the gunshot wound in his arm. Not only that, but Jared had been dodging emotional bullets as he tried to figure out where he stood with Tara Cruz. 

    After Cole had been arrested, Jared had moved back home and found his place big and empty. He didn’t realize how much he missed being around her until she was gone. 

    “You’re awfully quiet,” Tara put a hand on his knee. “Is your arm still hurting?” 

    “Only when I remember how it happened,” Jared put a hand on hers. “How are things at your new place now that this is over?” 

    “I kind of miss having you around. It’s been quiet,” she traced a finger around his knee, making him smile. 

    “I’m glad it’s not just me,” Jared sighed with relief. “Conversation continued around them, but it felt like they were alone. “I miss being with you all the time.” 

    “That feeling is entirely mutual,” Tara agreed, and he swore he saw her blush. 

    “Maybe you should be my girl then, huh?” he leaned over to kiss her. “Gives you an excuse to be around me as much as you want.” 

    “I think that’s the only logical solution,” she smiled and kissed him back. 

    “Well it’s about time!” Kait raised a glass. “To Tara and Jared!” she teased. 

    Jared put his arm around the woman he loved and pulled her close. Across the room, he noticed Nick on the phone with a worried expression on his face. Jared caught his gaze and could tell something was wrong. 

    Nick walked back over to the table and sat down with frustration. The group looked at him, expecting an explanation, and he announced, “It’s my sister Lillian.” Nick looked around, making Jared’s worry grow. “She’s missing.” 

    Jared swallowed hard, reaching for Tara’s hand. He looked at the group as they reacted with questions and worry, and Jared knew they wouldn’t rest until they found Nick’s sister. They were a family, and they would unite together again to help one of their own fight another battle. No matter what, they would overcome it together.