Scare Me To Death by CJ Carver (free romance novels TXT) 📕

Scare Me to Death

CJ Carver

Copyright © 2021 CJ Carver

The right of CJ Carver to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2021 by Bloodhound Books.

Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publisher or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

www.bloodhoundbooks.com

Print ISBN 978-1-913942-41-0

Contents

Love crime, thriller and mystery books?

Praise For CJ Carver

Also by CJ Carver

Sixteen years ago

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Sixteen years ago

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Ten days later

Epilogue

Author’s Note

A note from the publisher

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Praise For CJ Carver

‘A shocking, complex and beautifully written thriller and another cracker from the pen of bestseller CJ Carver’

Reader’s Retreat

‘CJ Carver can do no wrong. Fabulous. Extremely fabulous. Read this series. It’s the best!’

Northern Crime

‘A fast and ingenious thriller that pits the brilliantly addictive Forrester and Davies against a tense and chillingly real conspiracy… I’m full of admiration’

Isabelle Grey, author

‘This is an extraordinarily tense, clever thriller. Don’t expect to sleep, because this is unputdownable’

Frost Magazine

‘A terrific page-turner. Heart-stopping action and a heroine with guile as well as guts’

Harlen Coben, author

‘Anyone who is a member of a book club should be recommending (Spare Me the Truth) to their fellow readers with great gusto’

Book Addict Shawn

‘Carver gives us strong heroines battling against the odds, fast-moving plots and a strong sense of place. She deservedly won the CWA Debut Dagger for Blood Junction’

Publishing News

“I’m so glad this is the first of a series: I want more… and I want it now!’

Julia Crouch, author

‘Fast, smart and furious… it will have you clinging on by your fingertips. CJ Carver is one of the best thriller writers working today’

Tom Harper, former CWA Chairman

‘A complex tale of betrayal and deception. CJ Carver writes with compassion about characters she really cares about’

Parker Bilal, author

‘A top-notch thriller writer. CJ Carver is one of the best’

Simon Kernick, author

‘A high-wire act of a thriller, with a plot as ingeniously constructed as a sudoku puzzle’

The Lady Magazine

‘Powerful writing, a gripping plot and a unique setting… outstanding’

The Mystery and Thriller Club

Also by CJ Carver

THE HARRY HOPE SERIES

Cold Echo

Deep Black Lies

THE LIA SHAN THRILLER

The Snow Thief

THE NICK ASHDOWN THRILLER

Over Your Shoulder

THE DAN FORRESTER SERIES

Spare Me The Truth

Tell Me A Lie

Know Me Now

Scare Me To Death

THE JAY MCCAULAY SERIES

Gone Without Trace

Back With Vengeance

The Honest Assassin

THE INDIA KANE SERIES

Blood Junction

Black Tide

OTHER NOVELS

Dead Heat

Beneath The Snow

For Steve, with thanks for the opening sentence.

Sixteen years ago

There was a girl in my seat. A teenager. Ripped jeans, red tassel top, bangles on both wrists. Auburn hair twisted into a knot. Her hands had been painted with geometric henna designs. She was absorbed in her paperback which, I saw, was the bestseller of the year, The Da Vinci Code.

‘Excuse me,’ I said. ‘But I think this might be my seat.’

She didn’t look up.

Even though I knew I hadn’t made a mistake, I double-checked my seat assignment: 27C. Aisle seat towards the rear of the aircraft. Near the rear exits. The safest place to be.

‘Anna asif sayidi…’ I’m sorry, sir…

I backed up for the flight attendant wanting to pass, and tried again, this time moving so that I edged into the girl’s personal space. ‘Hello?’

She glanced up, obviously irritated at being interrupted. Her eyes were an extraordinary vivid green.

I showed her my boarding pass. ‘Maybe we’ve been allocated the same seat. If that’s the case…’

‘No, no.’ Her irritation immediately gave way to mortification. ‘It’s me, sorry.’ She was already closing her book and getting up. ‘I thought it might be free.’ Sliding out of the seat she glanced over her shoulder. ‘I was trying to get away from my extremely annoying little brother, that’s all. Sorry.’

Her accent was clear-cut English, and I assumed the small boy with tousled hair the same colour as hers, who’d suddenly appeared over the headrest behind her, was the brother.

‘Told you so.’ His face was triumphant. ‘Told you someone would come and kick you out. Now you’ll have to play with me.’ He vanished briefly to return with two toy cars which he proceeded to race along the headrest, making loud vroom-vroom noises.

‘You’re the Nissan. I’m the Ferrari.’

The girl gave a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes.

‘You think that’s a fair race?’ I asked the boy.

He paused to look at me.

‘I’m assuming you’ve got the Nissan 350Z,’ I said. ‘Three and a half litre six-speed manual, naught to sixty in 5.3 seconds?’

The boy stared at me, round-eyed.

‘The Ferrari, however…’ I bent and had a closer look, ‘…is a lot older than the Nissan. It’s the 308 Dino. It does 7.7 seconds naught to sixty. If I were you, I’d have a rethink about which car you’re going to race against.’

‘Are you a racing driver?’ he asked.