“Let go of me.” I yank hard, but he doesn’t budge.

“Listen to me,” he says, loosening his grip, but not releasing me. “I didn’t hit that kid. Josh pulled the wheel.”

“I said let go.”

He does. My arm drops and he exhales, his breath steaming between us. “I’m not trying to hurt you; I’m trying to keep us safe.”

“From Josh,” I deadpan. “From the guy with the torn ACL.”

“I don’t care about his ACL,” Brecken says, and then he shakes his head, his eyes frantic. “Josh is crazy. He tried to kill that kid!”

“You think Josh tried to kill a stranger in a parking lot.”

“Yes!” Brecken’s eyes are wild, and his voice is a whisper scream. “He’s framing me. He’s probably framing all of us!”

A fleck of spit hits my cheek and I recoil. Brecken isn’t in his right mind. He is not okay, and we need help. Now is not soon enough.

I eye the trunk where my laptop rests. I fling the lid up and hear the radio playing. The wind rushing. They won’t hear us unless I’m shouting, but I don’t need to be loud. I need that laptop.

“Move so I can get my bag,” I say.

“You’re not listening to me. Josh grabbed the wheel. Even before that—earlier. He wanted me to steal the gas.”

“He told you to steal the gas,” I say, my voice dripping with disbelief.

Brecken grimaces before he responds. “Not exactly. But he gave me a look. In the mirror. I saw it.” He steps closer to me again, voice a whisper. “I know I sound crazy, but I’m not. He is trying to make me out to be the bad guy. That’s not who I am.”

His manic expression sends chills up my spine. He’s breathing hard and fast, and his darting eyes scare me more than anything that’s happened so far on this trip. He wants me to say something and I’m grasping in the dark.

But while I’m sure that Brecken is dangerous, his words leave me with a sliver of doubt. If I were going to frame a person in this car, I’d pick him. He does look the part. He’s got the hard face and wide shoulders of a man who could be dangerous.

What if I’m wrong about Josh?

With Brecken practically foaming at the mouth, I think I’ll take my chances. I glance at the open door, at the black strap of my laptop bag, and then back to Brecken.

“Look, it’s been a long day.”

He licks his lips, nodding vigorously. “It has.”

“We’re all tired. You’re tired.”