Chapter 1 “Bet you twenty bucks,” said Seth. “That I can’t make it in ten minutes?” Ethan asked. “You're on.” He floored the Volvo $80 and the tires spun momentarily on the blacktop before grabbing hold, pressing all four teenagers against their leather seats. “Give er!” Rico howled from the back beside Seth, his fist pounding the door frame. Pete, in the front passenger seat, grimaced and held on. They rapidly pulled up on a Chrysler minivan with a “Baby on Board” sign in the rear window—something that never failed to piss Ethan off. It was like a middle- finger salute to the rest of the world while you poked along at ten clicks below the speed limit. He laid on the horn and, despite the no-passing zone, whipped the S80 around the minivan, pulling back into his lane just before an oncoming semi rumbled past. “Jeez, Ethan,” breathed Pete, “I'll give you the twenty bucks myself, okay?” “Pussy,” Rico taunted. “No guts, no glory.” a)DON AKER “It’s my guts I'm worried about,” Pete countered. “Keeping them.” “I got this covered,” Ethan assured him. He pushed the pedal to the floor again, racing through the next intersection a heartbeat after the yellow light turned red. He glanced over at Pete and grinned at the sight of his friend’s whitening knuckles. “Hey, you only live once, buddy,” he said. “Td settle for the once,” muttered Pete, his eyes never wavering from the windshield. A Jeep Laredo rolled through a stop sign on a side street just ahead of them, clearly intent on merging into their lane. Ethan accelerated and the Laredo seesawed as the driver braked hard, blaring his horn when they blew past. Pete shook his head. “Look, Ethan, it’s no problem if we miss a few minutes of the game. Really.” “Not gonna happen,” said Ethan. The buildings blurred by them, and Rico turned to Seth. “Better get that twenty out,” he said. “Just keep an eye on your watch,” Seth replied. “Isn’t over *til it’s over.” As if his words had summoned it, a Halifax Metro Police car came into view, parked at the curb. Fortunately, the cruiser was facing in the same direction they were headed. Ethan doubted the cop gave them a second glance as the S80 slowed and drove past at exactly the posted speed limit. Once beyond it, though, he hit the gas again.RUNNING ON EMPTY Three blocks later, Rico now counting down the time remaining, they approached Cathedral Estates. A sign to the right of the subdivision’s ornate stone entrance declared the neighbourhood to be “A Traffic Calmed Community.” Ethan cut a hard right, and the $80 fishtailed through the gate onto Monastery Road, the tires making whup-whup sounds on interlocking paving stones designed to make the McMansion-lined street look like it had been there for a hundred years. “Twenty seconds,” said Rico. No sooner had he spoken than the Volvo hit a speed bump and all four friends bounced upward, their bodies slamming against their seat belts. “Cripes!” Pete shouted. “You'll wreck the suspension!” In the back, Rico and Seth cackled like lunatics. “Ten seconds!” yelled Rico. “Nine. Eight. Seven—” Ethan cursed as he steered onto Seminary Lane, the Volvo’s Michelins squealing through the turn. But he didn’t give a damn if the sound drew the neighbours to their windows, and he pushed the S80 forward, speed bumps jolting them like grenades in the undercarriage. He whipped the wheel right and swung the car into his driveway just as Rico called, “One!” “Yes!” he yelled, pumping the air with his fist. “Ethan!” shouted Pete. Despite Ethan’s foot on the brake, the garage was still approaching, and he yanked the wheel left to avoid (3]