Free Hooked Up: Book 3 by Arianne Richmonde Page A

threat. Oh no. This is a friendly warning.”
    I leaned against the bedhead. Maybe this conversation would be longer than planned. “Where’s your husband?”
    “James is indisposed right now. He’s having a holiday.”
    “Why isn’t he returning Alexandre’s calls?”
    “You know how it is, Pearl . . . sometimes people just go AWOL. Bit like Alexandre’s father . . . just slipped off one day, never to be seen again.”
    “What are you telling me, Laura?”
    “I’m not telling you a thing. You’re a bright girl: summa cum laude and all that. I think you can work it all out for yourself. Especially with your penchant for super-sleuthing.” She burst out into a demonic cackle.
    “Speaking of sleuths, Laura, how did you know about me and Alessandra Demarr?”
    “Alexandre told me.”
    “No. You know that’s a lie. Tell me the truth.”
    “You are a bit thick. I’m amazed you passed any exams at all.”
    “Just tell me, Laura, I need to know.”
    “Well, because I don’t need to know what you’re up to anymore, plus I really couldn’t give a toss now that I’ve got Alexandre’s attention back. Well, I’ll give you a clue.”
    “I’m listening.”
    “I really shouldn’t be divulging my secrets.”
    I sighed into the receiver.
    “Alright, but this is just between you, me, and the gatepost.”
    I clawed my nails into a cushion.
    She whispered, “I’ll give you a itsy, bitsy, little hint . . . does your phone have trouble shutting itself off, or stay lit up after you’ve switched it off, or does it light up even when you aren’t using it at all?”
    Yes, all of the above, I thought. Which surprised me because it was new. “My Smartphone? But how? You’ve never had my cell in your possession.”
    “As I said, you’re a bit slow on the uptake. You’re so 1972, Pearl. So Watergate. But I suppose it makes sense for you, at your age, to be locked in a time warp. Anyway, must dash. Lovely chatting.”
    “Wait! That means you’ve hacked Alexandre’s phone too? Maybe even Sophie’s . . . hello? Laura, are you there? Laura!!”
    In a frenzy, I went online and looked up cell phone hacking. The British newspapers did it, so why couldn’t Laura? Especially with all her money and contacts.
    I read hungrily:
    Cell Phone Spying: Is Your Life Being Monitored?
    It connects you to the world – but your cell phone – anyone from your boss to your wife could be monitoring your every move.
    The same modern technology that keeps you on the move and in touch with everyone could also be your road to ruin – without you suspecting a thing.
    Long gone are the days of simple wiretapping when all you could fear was someone listening into your conversations. The new generation of cell phone spyware provides a lot more power. Eavesdropping is easy. Your calls and text messages can be monitored – systems can even be set up so the spy is automatically alerted when you dial a certain number. Anyone who can perform a basic Internet search can find the tools and figure out how to do it in no time.
    Even more worrying is what your phone can do when you aren’t even using it.
    Location – simple surveillance.
    A service called World Tracker lets you use data from cell phone towers and GPS systems to pinpoint anyone’s exact location any time – even with the phone switched off – as long as the person has it on them.
    I thought of Alexandre—knowing I was at Laura’s and when I would land in New York, upgrading my plane ticket. But he’d had my phone in his possession so that made sense. It hadn’t occurred to me that I could be a technology target of Laura’s. Scary. I read on:
    All the spy has to do is log onto the website and enter the target phone number. The site sends a text message to the phone that requires one response for confirmation. Once that response is sent automatically by your phone, the spy is locked into your location and you can be tracked. The response is only required