“Did you fucking sculpt me nude,Mateo?” Fury coated her voice.
Mateo started to turn to his apartment and gave Ophelia the smuggest grin. “You’ll have to come see for yourself. Text me, and I’ll send you the details. Night, wild one.”
Rage. Boiling rage.
Ophelia got into her car and slammed her door. Her heart was racing. He made asculptureof her. How? He’s only seen me three times in person. And nude? He’s seen me topless… And now tonight. Oh my God. So he’s seen most of me. This has to be illegal. There have to be laws against this. Ophelia’s heart was racing faster, and her breath was shallow. She inhaled for four and exhaled for four, over and over again.
Ophelia needed to call Jade. Jade knew something. Etienneknew something. What did everyone know about Mateo? He had some type of magic. She doubted they would know about that, but maybe there was something else. Maybe he’d done this to women before—sculpted them without consent. And Jade would definitely know about that.
She pulled her phone from her purse, and the screen flashed with an unread message.
Etienne: Did you talk to Jade? You need to talk to her. Do not trust that guy. Please.
It was way too late to call Jade, but she needed to talk to her first thing in the morning. Ophelia fired off a text to her.
Ophelia: Hey, boo, sorry to text so late. I am fine, but we have to talk as soon as you wake up. It’s about Mateo Ortega. Call me.
Ophelia flipped back to her text chat with Etienne.
Ophelia: Hey, I just messaged Jade. She probably won’t see it until the AM. Can you tell me what’s going on?
Etienne: She didn't tell me much, just that she has reason to believe he's dangerous.
Ophelia: Okay, thanks for looking out.
Etienne: NP. Are you home yet?
Ophelia: About to drive back.
Etienne: Stay safe.
Ophelia turned the car on and put it into drive. She drove in a haze back to her home. When she opened her bedroom door, she fell into bed with relief and slept anxiously with her phone set to loud, waiting for Jade to call her.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Ophelia sat up in bed like a jack-in-the-box from the noise blaring out of her phone, still clutched in her hand. Her fingers hastily fumbled across the screen to answer the call.
“Ophelia!” A female voice shrieked through the phone. “What the fuck? How do you know Mateo Ortega?”
“Jade?” Ophelia said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Yes, yes. How do you know Mateo?”
Ophelia released a breath. “Mateo is Bathroom Guy.”
Jade audibly gasped. “No. Oh my God.”
“What is going on? Why is everyone freaking out about him? Tell me.”
“Yes, okay, okay. This is a big conversation. We need to talk. Can you come over?”
“I’ll be there in fifteen.”
Ophelia pulledup to Jade and Luke’s shotgun house. The ten-minute drive did not help her anxiety. She didn’t bother withpleasantries like knocking and immediately threw open the screened door and pushed past the wooden door, entering the living room. There she found Jade and Luke sitting stoically on their emerald couch with coffees, looking as if they were parents about to tell their child they knew about their hidden stash of weed.
“I need to know everything. Now,” Ophelia demanded.
She had thrown on a pair of leggings before she left her house, and she suddenly realized that she was still wearing her ratty night shirt and had forgotten a bra. Thankfully, Luke and Jade were basically family and were some of the few people she let see her with her guard down.
