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“Yes,” Serena said.
Relieved, Aubrey jerked the cloth from her face and looked around. They were in a deeply wooded area. Some of the trees were types she didn’t recognize, and many of them had either lost their leaves or had turned the dark, deep colors of autumn. The door opened, and she stepped onto a paved parking lot.
Drawing in a breath, she looked behind her and got her first glimpse of a large house that was at least five thousand square feet of rock, timber, and stone. Behind it, past the giant trees were majestic snow-covered mountains. Based on the mountains and considering the length of the flight, she surmised that they were in Wyoming or Montana.
Without being invited, Aubrey walked toward the house and stepped up onto the front porch. It looked like a typical oversized ranch house from the outside. She opened the front door, expecting that the house had been converted into an office building. She was wrong. A warm, welcoming entryway greeted her.
Aubrey gazed around, still confused about how a secret organization with obviously well-trained operatives worked out of a house that looked as though it belonged on the cover of a country-living magazine.
“Welcome to OZ.”
She whirled around, surprised to hear the deep, masculine voice. A tall, blond stranger stood before her.
“OZ?”
“Option Zero.” The man stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m Asher Drake. And you must be Aubrey Starr.”
“Hello, yes. I’m Aubrey.”
“Kate’s told me a lot about you.”
She had the oddest urge to laugh. She truly did feel as though she were in Oz—completely out of her element, no real idea where she was, and three strangers were smiling at her. For just a split second, a sense of peace swept over her, and she had the strangest feeling that this was where her life had been leading her all along.
* * *
Ash waited a second to let her get her bearings. The expression on her face was one of both bewilderment and exhaustion. Serena and Jazz had been hammering questions at her since they’d met. He’d read their notes. She had to be feeling overwhelmed. Ordinarily, he might have suggested she take a moment for herself, but he knew to strike when the iron was hot. She would be less likely to prevaricate if the questions continued.
“Come. We can talk in my office.”
He didn’t look to see if she followed him. He had no doubt she would. The questions in her eyes told him she wouldn’t wait much longer to learn the real reason she was here.
If she was honest with him, he would return the favor.
He opened the door to his office and smiled at Jules on the sofa. He’d asked her to sit in on the interview. Not only did she often see things from a different perspective, she would provide a calming presence.
“Jules, I’d like you to meet Aubrey Starr. Aubrey, this is my wife, Jules.”
As the women exchanged greetings, Ash went behind his desk and stood, waiting. Nothing like a little intimidation tactic to get the ball rolling.
“I’m a big fan of your work, Aubrey,” Jules said. “Your films always leave me in tears and feeling the need to do more.”
“Thank you. That’s the highest of compliments.”
As Jules sat back down on the sofa, Ash nodded toward the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”
He n
oticed her eyes were on the window behind him. Couldn’t blame her. “Phenomenal, isn’t it? I would’ve bought the house for the view alone.”
“I’ve always loved the mountains.”
“Yet you live in Florida.”
She shrugged. “Sometimes, what you want and what you decide upon are contrary to one another.”
“Guess that’s true.” He nodded toward the chair again.
As soon as she was seated, Aubrey said, “First of all, Mr. Drake, I want to thank you for allowing me inside your organization. Kate told me, and Serena and Jazz drilled it into my brain on the flight here, that this is an unacknowledged organization. I want you to know that I would never reveal anything that you didn’t approve of first.”
