I swallow, my throat clicking. The memory of him against that tree in the campground flares to life. His eyes were bright and his cheeks were flushed. I thought it was exhilaration from our narrow escape, but what if I was wrong? What if he was thrilled by my fear? Or by knowing he’d somehow gotten my phone from me. But why would Brecken want to hurt me?

Or am I just unlucky enough to be the one he targeted?

I force a deep breath and try to pull my mind back from the edge. I need to think. I need to find a way out of here. If Brecken is planning something—can I stop him? Can I get away?

He’s big. College-football-player big with broad shoulders and biceps that tell me he could pound the tar out of someone my size. Maybe even someone Josh’s size. I need to get Harper on our side. Kayla’s too out of it to care, but Harper could make it difficult to get away from him. I need her to see that he might not be the hero she thinks.

I take a breath and look at her. “Doesn’t anyone feel guilty about this?”

“Yes.” To my surprise, it’s Brecken. He sighs, voice gone soft. “I feel like shit about all of this. It feels like every damn thing is going wrong.”

“Things have gone wrong,” Josh says, with a pointed look at Brecken.

“This isn’t fun for any of us,” Harper says sharply. “This isn’t part of our plan.”

“I didn’t think a blizzard road trip was part of anyone’s plans,” I say.

“Look, we all just want to go home,” Harper says.

“Which is going to be difficult without phones or a map,” Josh says.

Brecken snorts. “We’re going twenty miles an hour. At this rate, we can probably just follow the stars west.”

“Wait,” Harper says suddenly, her hand raising like an urgent idea has come to mind. “Pull over.”

“What?” Brecken asks.

“Pull over. Or just stop. We need to check the back.”

“What do you mean?” Josh asks. “Check for what?”

“For an adapter. Some cars, especially SUVs, have power plugs in the back, right? For camping or whatever.”

“She’s right,” Josh says, and I can hear a hint of eagerness in his voice. “Find a place to pull over.”

“Laptop!” The idea is so sudden it hits my brain and my lips at the same time. I feel fizzy with the possibility. “I can charge a phone with my laptop!”

Harper’s face glows with excitement, so I know she gets it. She grins. “Genius!”

“Laptops,” Josh says quietly, almost in wonder. It might be nice for him to see he’s not the only one with a brain in this car. He frowns. “Does your laptop still have battery? Mine’s dead.”

“I’m not carrying mine,” Harper sighs.

“Me either,” Brecken says.