By the time all my boxes are unpacked and my gun stowed away, I am tired as hell. I flop down onto the stiff mattress, a groan escaping my mouth. Rachel puts away the empty boxes and leans onto her desk.

'Are you hungry? We could grab something from the cafeteria.'

I agree. My stomach has been letting loose rumbles every now and then.

We lock the room and walk out.

'So, what brings you to the NYU in middle of the semester?'

I shrug. 'Transfer student.'

'Oh,' Rachel eyes me weirdly. 'Where were you at?'

I frown. 'Uh, Cambridge?'

Rachel halts in her steps. 'Holy mother, you left Cambridge for NYU? I really don't want to pry, but why?'

I think about a good lie. 'Family issues.'

Everyone has family issues. Right?

'Right.'

We resume walking before Rachel turns around again. 'You really aren't the talkative type, are you?'

I smile in response. 'I just have trouble warming up to people.'

It's true anyway.

Rachel tips her head back as she laughs. 'That's the first sentence you said to me that is more than two words.'

I raise my eyebrows.

Rachel sighs. 'Forget it.'

'Welcome to the best place in the whole of NYU,' she says as she leads me to the cafeteria.

I grab a meat sandwich and some coke. We settle down at a vacant table.

I watch Rachel bite into her taco. 'Whachis your courshe?' she says, her mouth full.

I scrunch my nose mildly before answering. 'Law. Fourth year.'

'Oh.' Her face deflates. 'I took up Biotechnology. I have a friend in Law course, fourth year though. I'll get you two to connect.'

She goes on about the NYU campus, all the excellent staff and the awful roommate she had before me.

'I mean, she was just plain disgusting. She used to smoke like crazy, and if there is one thing I can't tolerate, that's cigarette smoke. Everything in the room used to smell like smoke, it was awful. Do you know that every four out of five smokers die of cancer? Well, even my clothes smelled of smoke.'

She looks at me through her lashes. 'You don't smoke, do you?'

I raise my hands in surrender. 'Nope. I don't.'

She smiles, and then ponders. 'The guy who came with you, is he your boyfriend?'

I am the one laughing this time. 'Zach and I are best friends.'

She blushes. 'His name is Zach?'

'Zachary.' I shrug. 'He smokes.'

It's like watching someone burst a two-year-old's balloon.

'Oh,' Rachel flips her hair. 'That's a pity.'

She bites into her taco, and then her eyes widens, spotting somebody behind me. She raises her hand. 'Hey, guys, over here!'

I turn around in my seat to see who she is calling. I spot two guys, one of them breaking into a grin as he spots Rachel. The other guy is looking down, he's jabbing away at his phone. I narrow my eyes as I squint for a better look. The guy suddenly looks up, putting away his phone.

My eyes widen in realization. Why is the world so small?

Mascalzone.

I turn back to face Rachel as if electrified.

'Hey, Rachel. I forgot something, I got to go.'

'Wait,' Rachel says. 'My friends are here. Let me introduce you.'

I begin to hyperventilate. 'It's urgent, I need to get it, I have to, I insist - '

'Hey, Rach!'

I am doomed. So doomed.

I continue to blatantly stare at Rachel as she looks up at the guys and smiles.

'Hey, guys, meet Coral.'

Gritting my teeth, I raise my head to smile at the two guys. The first one smiles back while the other one's eyes bulge out. It's funny.

Almost.

'You!' He accuses, pushing the first guy out of the way. 'You!' he repeats, his face red with anger.

I knit my eyebrows together in my best expression of awkward. 'Um, yes?'

'You are her,' he hisses, grabbing me by the front of my shirt. He pulls me to him, roughly.

'Where's my car?'

I push at his hands on my collar. 'Pardon?' I gasp, playing stupefied.

He seems irritated, his jaw clenching. 'Where is my Mustang?'

I manage to free my collar from his grasp and I smooth it down. 'I don't know what you are talking about,' I lie, naturally.

'You scumbag,' he hisses, lunging for me again, but he is held back by guy number one. My palms are itching for a fight, but I know I need to play it cool if I were to keep up my act.

Rachel stands up, horrified.

'Oh come on, she's a transfer student. She just reached here from Cambridge. Just chill. You got the wrong person.'

'No,' the guy glares at me, as if he was at the end of his patience. 'It's her. The one and the same. You are Italian aren't you? You speak Italian.'

I give a snort of laughter. 'Italian? Who, me? Dude, my name is Coral Collins, from UK. The only thing Italian I know is Pizza. And pasta. And spaghetti, but I am not sure if that's Italian.'

The first guy slaps him on the back. 'It's cool, man. She isn't the one you are looking for.' He turns to me.

'Sorry about that. Big man here goes cray-cray sometime.'

Mascalzone is still glaring. His stare is venomous, and anger blazes in his eyes. He is pissed off.

Do I care?

No, I don't.

'Leave it, man.' Rachel's voice is even. 'Sit down.'

I settle back into my own chair, and the guys drop into their own chairs.

Rachel smiles at me sheepishly. 'Sorry about that,' she mouths.

I shrug in reply.

'So, guys,' Rachel clears her throat. 'As I was saying. This is Coral Collins, and she is my new roomie. She transferred from Cambridge.'

Rachel turns to me. 'Coral, these are my friends. That's Jared Hoftzmann,' the first guy winks. 'And that's Christian Beneventi.' The second guy looks like he would murder me any moment.

Okay. I don't say this often, but I am saying it now.

Eff. You. See. Kay.

////

I slipped away soon after the bomb was dropped on me. I knew Christian Beneventi went to NYU, but what were the odds of finding him pretty soon?

Probably high, by the way it turns out.

Also, Rachel's friend in Law course? Oh, that's Christian Beneventi too.

Seriously, if I had known that I had crossed swords with a Beneventi that day, it would have saved me a lot of hassle. I wouldn't even have had to kill Antonio. Not that I regret it, though. If only had I known, I would have not only taken his car but also would've devoured his soul like the devil I am.

Highly disappointed with how things were turning out, I pull out my phone from my pocket.

Sean answers on the third ring.

'Hey, if it isn't Coral Collins,' his voice is chirpy, and I desperately want to hit him across the head. 'How's university, sweetie-pie?'

'Don't call me sweetie-pie,' I growl.

'Peanut? Peanut's cute, right? Wait up, Zach's telling me something – oh, wait – Spongebob! Yeah, right. Spongie for short. Or do you prefer Bobie?'

'Shut it, Sean.'

'Okay, okay, I'll stop. What's the news?'

I sigh.

'Remember the guy with the Mustang?'

'And the super-cute chick who went crazy on our Maserati's bumper? Yeah.'

'Well, I ran into him today.'

'Sounds fun,' Sean chuckles. 'Did he tear you apart? Or did you scream bloody murder?'

'He went straight for the kill and I played dumb.'

'Typical.'

'And, his name is Christian Beneventi.'

Sean falls silent. I wait for a few seconds before I decide that he is suffering from a stroke or something.

'Sean, you there?'

'Well,' he responds, his voice low. 'Fuck.'

Guess I'm not the only one.

'Language,' I mutter.

'Okay, mom. But he's Christian? That lanky, arrogant, cocky, so-full-of-shit guy, with – '

'Yup,' I cut him off. 'That's the one.'

'Mahn. I never saw that one coming.'

'Me neither. Listen. I have denied that I am not the girl he's after, but I don't think he's buying it. I don't need you, Jay and Blade on the campus on any context, get it? I want Blade to strengthen my background in case he does a search on me. After all, he's Beneventi's son. He's not dumb. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.'

'Right. Zach will get to you every now and then. He won't be up to the job like I am, but I think you should adjust.'

I hear Zach cursing Sean in the background.

'What's the next step?'

I fist my palm. 'He's my key to finding Arrigo, Sean. I intend to use it to the fullest.'

'Oooh. Shit's about to hit the fan! Can't wait. Hey, did you hear about the new Thor movie? Can't wait for that either.'

I roll my eyes. I hang up after reminding him that he was a douche and he should take care of his nose.

I walk back to the dorm, scrolling down the texts on my phone, specifically updated by Blade for use as Coral Collins. There's one from Jay.

JAY: Hey. How's NYU? Hope u r slaying in there:)

I type out a reply.

ME: Worse. Called Sean. He'll tell you.

I am about to press send when somebody pushes me to the wall. I hit the wall shoulder first, and I have to resist my natural instinct to turn and kick. Instead I let my opponent overpower me.

He pins my hands to the side and leans forward. Christian Beneventi is furious.

'I am not going to ask this again,' his voice is low, controlled. 'Where is my Mustang?'

I roll my eyes.

'Man, are you serious? I told you, I don't know what you are talking about. Your what Mustang?'

'My jet black Ford Mustang 2016.'

'Dude. The only Mustang I know of is registered to my mom, and it's red.'

Christian presses me further into the wall.

'You might fool Rach and Jared but you can't fool me. I saw you that day. It was you. You hit me and pushed my face into the bumper of your Maserati. You spoke Italian, and you were with three other hunks of yours. I remember your face.'

I close my eyes and take deep breaths, like Blade told me to do when I get angry. I try to listen to Jay's voice in my head that helps me calm down. I need to hear him if I don't want Christian to be just a pile of bones on the floor.

Relax, Alex.

I wrest in his grasp. 'Look, Christian. I don't own a Maserati, for god's sake. And about the Italian, I told you beforehand. And as for hunks, I don't know any. Except for one. Well, I don't think he's a hunk.' I frown, as if in thought. 'Or is he?'

'Enough with your games, Collins. I will find out who you are,' he leans forward, his breath fanning my face. His green, foresty eyes are burning with hate. 'And I will ruin you.'

He lets go of me, and briskly walks away. I watch his retreating figure, massaging my wrists, taking deeper breaths.

Oh, Christian. I can ruin you too.

/////

Oops. Didn't see that one coming.

Chapter dedicated to the prolific writer EmSlough. I just love the raw emotion she portrays in her book, Breathe Again.

Hang on in there, folks. Alex is going to go on a wiiiillld ride.