OVERDRIVE *Excerpt*

Overdrive - Chapter 1

KEVIN JAMS HIS TONGUE IN MY EAR.

Yeah, gross, but I've got a roll of electrician's tape clenched between my teeth and the butt end of a live wire hovering over an exposed battery line. Best I can manage is a stifled grunt.

The scent of cheap beer makes my stomach roil. It's not just my boyfriend's alcohol-infused breath making me queasy, though. Thirty thousand people linger in the Las Vegas Arts District just a couple of blocks away.

Too close.

Kevin slides his hand up under my damp T-shirt. "Come on, Jules."

I spit out the tape, cringing as it clunks against the brake pedal and rolls farther under the dash. The soft thud is loud enough to hear over the drizzling rain. Steam rises off the asphalt. "You're going to make me blow it."

He laughs, but his cool hand continues to creep across my skin. When his finger hooks under my bra, I flinch. "Seriously, Kev. Stop it." I squirm to break contact. "Focus."

My heartbeat stutters. I'm one exaggerated twitch away from zapping more than this car's engine to life.

His tongue circles around my earlobe. "You got this, baby." A shiver runs along the back of my neck and I scrunch my shoulders. "That's why they call you the Ghost, right?"

I grit my teeth. "Invisible, not invincible."

It's a stupid street name, but after forty-two successful boosts, I guess I've earned a label. Thing is, I'm not cocky enough to believe my luck won't run out. The odds are always in favor of the house.

Kevin gets all whiny. "I really need this." Jesus. It's not even a hot car.

A 1995 Mazda RX-8, midnight blue, standard stick. But judging by the interior-tricked-out stereo, new covers for the scooped racing-style seats-it's gotta be someone's baby.

Except that it's parked under a streetlight in a dark alley in one of the city's peak theft districts, which makes no sense. Guys who own cars like this know streetlights aren't deterrents for people like us, like me. No slinking in the dark, no flash-light, easy access.

It's too simple.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, Kev." He gives me a wolfish grin.

Annoyance shakes through me. I get that he's got this whole Bonnie and Clyde fantasy going on, but his slurred encouragement isn't doing much to inspire confidence in his skills. This is a mistake.

I touch the starter wire to the battery cable and zzzzt-zzzzt-zzzzt, the engine sparks. A couple of revs later and the RX purrs.

Kevin hisses out a "yes!" as I sit upright and pull the ­driver's-side door closed. He practically climbs over the console for a congratulatory kiss. Of course I give in.

"Knew you could do it," he says, nibbling on my lower lip. And damn if my adrenaline isn't jacked. I know it's not right, but the truth is, I'm addicted to it—the danger, the rush.

Kevin kneads my right breast. "You're so hot, baby." Sweating, actually.

Something still feels wrong and it's more than Kevin's overly obnoxious drunk-guy pawing. I yank his hand off my chest and shimmy up in the seat for a better view. He's supposed to be my lookout, but clearly he's using the wrong head. Figures.

I squint into the rain-soaked shadows, looking for something—someone—out of place. Vibrant graffiti slashes across Dumpsters overflowing with trash. A single lightbulb flickers at the back door of a run-down apartment complex. If the owner of the RX is out there waiting for me to fuck up, he's keeping it low-key.