Worth Pursuing (3 page)

Authors: LK Chapman

‘No—’ I said, but it was too late. With a big ripping sound, he tore it
in half.

‘That,’ he said, as I cried out in horror, ‘
that’s
what you get
for prying into things that are none
of your fucking
business!’

I got up and made a dash for the
door, grabbing my bag as I went. I didn’t know what else to do but run. The
stuff he was saying was crazy and he clearly had no intention of letting me leave
anytime soon. I managed to get past him and out into the corridor, but he was
straight after me, and I wasn’t even entirely sure where the stairs were to get
out of the house. I ran right rather than left, because I hadn’t seen any
stairs on my trip to the bathroom, and sure enough as I rounded the corner
there they were in front of me. I dashed down so fast I was terrified I’d fall.
His fingertips brushed my arm, so I ran even faster, down the last couple of
steps and towards the front door.

But it was never going to work. He caught me as I struggled to get the
door open, and he pushed me up against it. ‘No, Beth,’ he said. ‘Come on. Don’t
leave. Why don’t we have some more fun?’

TWO WEEKS LATER

I woke with a start. Every night
since I’d been there I dreamt that I was waking up in Jay’s house again, and I’d
relive every horrifying detail from the man I met coming out of the bathroom,
to finding that dreadful diary, to my eventual escape. I don’t know how I
managed to do it, but when he’d pushed me up against the door I’d shoved him away
with all my strength, so hard it bought me a precious couple of seconds – enough
to get the door open, and run out into the street, and away from him. He’d
taken a couple of steps outside, but he hadn’t followed me. He’d let me go,
simply going back inside and slamming the door behind him. Several seconds
later it had opened again, and I nearly screamed when I heard the sound behind
me, but when I turned he simply dropped my shoes and the remains of my dress
onto the pavement and disappeared inside again. I waited a moment before
collecting them, scared to go anywhere near, but finally I darted back towards
the house and picked up my things, before making my way slowly down the street,
my heart pounding so hard I could hear it.

Sometimes I worry he’ll find me. What if he got my address from my
driving licence when he’d stolen my things? Or maybe he’d got hold of my phone
number? I look behind me frequently when I go out, half expecting to see him a
few paces behind, or to find him waiting outside my flat, but I never do. I
suppose it was never that likely. It was as he had said; he had no interest in
me. I wasn’t the woman he had chosen, the one who was like his Sammie. My
verdict had not been like hers, like Felicity’s. I feel terrified for her when
I think of it, because I know
she’ll
be seeing Jay again. Her verdict
hadn’t read “no”, or “waste of time”. Hers hadn’t even read “maybe” as a couple
of others had. Beneath the description of her appearance, her background, what
she was like in bed, had been a verdict I’d seen on no others, a verdict that
sent a chill right through me. A verdict that said:

Worth Pursuing.

Read
Felicity’s and Sammie’s story in
Anything for Him
, a chilling
psychological thriller set two years on from
Worth Pursuing
.

To Sammie, Jay is her first boyfriend; someone to be loved
and adored, someone she is desperate to make happy.

For Felicity, eleven years later, Jay is a distraction from
the traumatic loss of her parents; her relationship with him uncomplicated,
impulsive and mindless.

Then Jay turns Felicity’s world upside down when he asks her
to help him get revenge on a childhood friend; a friend he said destroyed his
relationship with Sammie, and wrecked his life. But when Felicity agrees to Jay’s
strange plan, she gradually begins to realise she’s treading a path that has
been trodden by Sammie before her, as Jay becomes increasingly controlling and
abusive, and she finds herself trapped.

But what neither Felicity nor Sammie realise is that there
has always been someone else in the background of Jay’s life, someone obsessed
and dangerous, someone who they really shouldn’t turn to for help, because when
it comes to Jay, this person will do anything for him.

Reviews of
Anything for Him

"Chapman writes a concise, quick-paced, and
dramatic woman-in-jeopardy story. She demonstrates a superb understanding of
how women wind up with charming con artists who turn abusive"

Kirkus Reviews

"It was nearly impossible to put down this book
and, even when finished, the story has stayed with me."
Siobhan
Quinlan for Readers’ Favorite

"The Author. L.K. Chapman – What a great
storyteller and so well written."

Jen Kendell for mojomums.co.uk

"Fresh plot twists all through the story and a
major twist at the end that I never saw coming."

Faridah Nassozi for Readers’ Favorite

Anything
for Him
is the full length sequel to
Worth Pursuing.

For
more information visit
http://www.lkchapman.com

Also by LK Chapman

Too
Good for this World

Networked

Anything for Him