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back against my dad’s desk.
    Beau walked over and joined me, scooting closer until we were touching shoulders. “So, sis, when did this love connection with Slash happen?”
    “There’d better not be any love connection,” my dad growled. “We’re going to have to have a serious talk about this man.”
    My left shoulder ached where I’d hit it during my duck-and-roll. “It’s complicated, Beau.”
    “I’ll bet. But for you to call him your boyfriend is pretty significant. It must be serious if you brought him home to meet Mom and Dad.”
    “Nothing is serious.” My dad’s voice was hard. “She just started dating him. How is it that you knew about this Slash guy and didn’t tell me?”
    “Hey, don’t get mad at me. I didn’t know he was Lexi’s boyfriend.”
    I closed my eyes. Was there a do-over button for this evening?
    The officer in the hallway stepped back into the study. “Take the cuffs off. They all check out. You, Lexi. I need you to tell me more about your boyfriend.”
    “She can’t,” my dad said. “Apparently she doesn’t know his name or what he does for a living.”
    One of the policemen tugged on my cuffs and my arms were released. I rubbed them.
    “What do you mean she doesn’t know his name?” The policeman walked over to me. “You’re dating some guy and you don’t know his name?”
    “Not exactly. He goes by Slash.”
    “Like the famous guitarist from Guns N Roses?”
    “No, as in short for Backslash. It’s hacker lingo.”
    “Okay.” He wrote something down. “You got an address for this Slash?”
    I thought about it. “Actually, I don’t. He usually comes to my place.”
    “A phone number?”
    I rubbed my hands over my forehead. “He has several. He usually calls me from different numbers. Security and all, you know.”
    “Hold on. You’re dating a guy and you don’t know his name, what he does for a living, or where he lives?”
    “It does sound pretty bad when you put it that way.”
    “And he’s supposedly followed by the FBI?”
    “It’s for his own protection.”
    The officer shook his head but didn’t ask any further questions.
    Jeez. Welcome to Meet the Parents Night From Hell.
    Beau helped my mom up from the chair so the policeman could get her cuffs off. “Look, this Slash guy is legit as far as I know,” he told the police officer, making me feel better. “He was tight with the feds and helped run that recent terrorist situation at the high school Lexi was trapped inside. I saw him in action. He’s definitely got some kind of law enforcement or military training. He seems like a good guy. My gut instinct says he’s the real deal. Lexi, why would someone be shooting at him?”
    “Slash was the target?” my dad asked.
    I hadn’t even had time to think about who might have been the target. “I have no idea. Maybe it was random. A house invasion or something.”
    If that were it, we were all damn lucky Slash had been with us. But thinking about Slash reminded me of the blood in my parents’ kitchen. My stomach churned. I knew he could take care of himself, but what if he’d been shot? And why hadn’t he come back? What if he were lying somewhere bleeding to death?
    I started to hyperventilate. Beau must have noticed, because he put an arm around me. “It’s okay, Lexi. The officers are already doing a sweep of the neighborhood, looking for Slash and the perps. It’s standard procedure. Plus, if someone’s bleeding, they should be able to track it. Don’t worry. Slash can take care of himself.”
    I swallowed, feeling dizzy and light-headed. The adrenaline rush had faded and I tried to calm my breathing and get my focus back. But I was scared. More scared than I ever thought I would be.
    “I know. He’s...he’s good like that.”
    Suddenly the lights came on and we all blinked. I shielded my eyes until my sight adjusted. And just like that, I saw him standing in the doorway, flanked by two officers.
    Slash.

Chapter Six
    I ran