Page 62 of Theirs to Ruin

Who the hellwasDante Morillo?

I grabbed something to eat at the coffee shop. I was still there when my phone buzzed. Pulling it out, I saw the message and my heart thudded.

University Counseling System: Appointment Confirmation with Dante Morillo, Tomorrow at 2:30 PM.

"Unbelievable," I muttered.

I popped the case off my phone and inspected it, but I found no trace of a tracker. I wondered if he’d installed it via some kind of app that hid itself somehow.

I could wipe the phone clean, but something stopped me.

I believed Dante when he said he didn’t kill Ava. And while I was still thrown by the fact he’d basically stalked me, I couldn’t deny that, as far as I knew, he’d used the information about my location twice, at Devil’s Engine and at the river, and both times had been in my favor.

Was I crazy for considering keeping whatever tracker he used on my phone?

Maybe, I thought, but I couldn’t deny it made me feel safer, knowing that Dante would always be able to find me.

I pocketed my phone, finished by sandwich, and left. As I strolled across the quad, headed to my new dorm room, I heardSimone calling my name. I turned to see her on the far side of the leaf-strewn quad, waving at me. She rushed to my side then wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a warm embrace. Finally, she pulled back to give me a quizzical look.

“I missed you at lunch. What happened?”

I winced, guilty I had forgotten to message her. “I’m sorry. I ran into some trouble. Some of Ava’s friends were there and…”

“You poor thing. Say no more. How are you holding up?”

"I’ve been better," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I’ll bet,” Simone said. She linked her arm with mine, pulling me along as she began to walk in the same direction as I’d been headed. “Want to get something to eat?”

“I had something. I’d go with you but I’m exhausted and just want to head to my room. Raincheck?”

“Sure.”

I started walking away but then I remembered what I was supposed to ask her. “Have you heard about the new student on campus? Bianca told me about him,” I said. “I wasn’t sure if he was at the lake party or not.”

She cocked her head to the side as if she were thinking hard about it, then shook her head.

“No, the first time I saw him was yesterday.” She leaned in, her voice dropping to an excited whisper. “My God, Camille, he’s gorgeous. Trust me, every girl and even a few of the guys are talking about him. He’s Italian and he looks like something Michelangelo carved out of marble, only with these super-hot scars on his face. And he’s got the most amazing silvery gray eyes.”

The edges of my vision blurred, and a hollow feeling seeped into my bones. Simone was so caught up in talking that she didn’t notice my reaction.

So, it was true. Ihadn’tbeen hallucinating. I really had seen Ty that night.

Why was he here? What did it mean? And how had he come to be so badly scarred?

I felt sick.

I must have spoken the words out loud because a very concerned looking Simone asked me, “Are you okay?”

“I—I need to sit down.”

My legs felt like they were going to give way. Simone grabbed my elbow and led me over to a bench. There, I took several deep breaths. The past and present seemed to intertwine, distorting reality.

“I’m sorry,” Simone said quietly. “I shouldn’t be talking about eye candy when you’re dealing with so much.”

“No, it’s okay. I brought him up. Besides, talking about hot guys makes life seem normal, right?” I gave her a weak smile. “I’m just going to sit here awhile, okay?”

“I can stay,” she offered.

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