Page 45

ve. She returned with a handful of gadgets, some as small as a dime. Dropping them on the table in front of Aubrey, she gave her a speculative look. “This happened. These are the bugs and cameras I was able to find in your house in just a few moments. I had someone else go through after we left. He called and said he found two more.”
She paused for a second and then said softly, “Looks like you have an enemy, Aubrey.”
Chapter Eighteen
Shock, outrage, and the overwhelming sense of being completely out of her element, swamped her. She’d had this feeling once before, when she’d been abducted. It was as if her brain traveled at warp speed, while the entire world moved around her in slow motion. Voices, soft and urgent called her name. Firm hands pushed her head to her knees.
Seconds later, everything stopped whirling and she heard Serena say in a calming voice, “That’s it. Deep, even breaths. You’re fine.”
Now she was shocked for a different reason. She’d almost passed out. Normally the last one to panic in a stressful situation, she just didn’t do things like that.
“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Repeating the words over and over probably didn’t sound like she was fine, but those were the only words her brain could form right now.
“Yes you are,” Serena said.
A glass of water appeared in her peripheral vision.
“Sit up slowly and take a few sips,” Jazz said.
Aubrey raised her head and then straightened her body. Gratefully accepting the water Jazz held out for her, she took small sips and with each one she felt her body returning to normal.
“Well, I guess the question of whether you knew your house was bugged has been answered.”
Aubrey sent Serena an indignant look. “Of course I didn’t know.”
“Question remains,” Jazz said. “Who would be so invested in knowing what’s going on in your home?”
“I don’t know.”
Both women sat across from her but instead of looking directly at them, Aubrey gazed over their heads. Yes, she knew it was a telltale sign of lying, but she had to get her thoughts together before she could begin to answer their questions.
“That’s not going to fly,” Jazz answered. “You know exactly who’s watching you.”
“We think you’re in over your head, Aubrey,” Serena added.
“And who are “we”?”
“You answer our questions, we’ll answer yours. Fair enough?”
She had a decision to make, because Serena was right. She was in over her head. What she’d thought was just a thread of information that might lead to something bigger had instead become much more complicated and dangerous than she’d anticipated. If Ferante was responsible for the cameras and bugs in her house, then he might well do whatever it took to prevent her from revealing what she knew. He had the money and the power to make her disappear forever.
She eyed both Serena and Jazz. Oddly enough, they were silent, as if aware she needed to figure out if she could trust them. Could she? Kate Walker had given her approval of them. And though she didn’t know Kate all that well, the time she’d spent with her had been telling. She trusted the woman. Therefore, she should trust these women.
“Look.” Serena’s voice broke the tense silence. “I know you’re scared, don’t know who to trust. Telling you to trust us without giving you any real reason isn’t fair. But until we know you better, we can’t risk anything.”
Aubrey took a breath. As much as she didn’t like it, Serena had a point. The organization Serena worked for had a lot more to lose than Aubrey did.
“All right. What can I do to speed up the process?”
“Answer some questions, and let’s see where we are.”
“Okay, shoot.” She winced at the words. She had a feeling neither of these women would hesitate to do just that if they deemed it necessary.
If she thought they would be easier on her because of the near fainting spell earlier, she was mistaken. The questions came quick, so fast and furious that she had little time to think. They asked, she answered.
Why do you do what you do?
Who backed your other films?