Unthinkable (Berger Series) Read Online Free PDF

light Evan saw that he was in a small basement. Tattered black plastic covered most of the windows, lending a dim gloom to the space. Above an ancient washer and dryer a small window stood open. Laundry on the floor next to the washer. An abandoned tricycle covered in cobwebs in one corner, moldering cardboard boxes against the wall. A rickety wooden staircase came down from the left nearly to the center of the room. A bare bulb hung at the foot of the stairs. There were sounds of movement above, but otherwise Evan was alone. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened. Fighting….and Yoshi. Where was Yoshi?
    A door opened. Heavy booted footsteps stomped down the stairs. Evan opened his eyes and recognized the shotgun man from last night. He carried a baseball bat in one hand and a sloshing bucket in the other. Evan shifted and the man saw that he was awake. Shotgun put down the water and walked up to Evan, sneering down at him. He tapped the baseball bat against his calf. Evan looked up into cold blue hateful eyes.
    Anger flared up in Evan before fear. “What do you want from me?” he growled. “Where’s Yoshi? Why are you doing this?” There was a painful crack as the bat slammed into his ribs. Evan cried in agony. Gasping for air he turned his face back up to the stranger.
    You Saudi bastard!” cursed the stranger. “My sister was in St. Louis!” he brought the bat back up to swing again.
    “I’m an American,” cried Evan. “I’m from Minnesota. My name is Evan Berger. My parents…” he yelped again as the bat came down.
    “That’s enough Travis.” A commanding voice rang from the stairs.
    Through streaming eyes Evan looked up to see his salvation. An older, heavy-set woman stood on the stairs. She carried immediate authority as she came down. Travis stepped back, still watching him with hate and anger. The woman came and stood over him. Evan struggled against aching ribs to sit up and meet her gaze. Her eyes were stormy blue and unreadable. Faded brown hair strayed from a loose bun.
    “Your name is Evan.” It was a statement. Evan nodded. “You look Saudi but you say you’re not.”
    “I’m adopted,” Evan was already tired of explaining. “Where’s my friend?”
    “Why did you steal the gas?” Her clipped words were like bullets.
    “We were trying to get to Wyoming. We didn’t see anybody to pay…”
    “So you were just going to drive off?”
    “We…”
    “When do you think the next truck is going to come through here?”
    “I…”
    “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just let Travis here deal with you.”
    Evan was stumped. He looked at the man standing eagerly with the bat. His ribs screamed in pain, his shoulders ached from the awkward position.
    “Because,” he said slowly, “because I’m an American, just like you. And we’re supposed to help each other.” She laughed and turned away. A chill ran down Evan’s spine. She said something quietly to Travis, who grabbed the bucket and stomped back up the stairs. The woman turned away from Evan and started pulling clothes from the washer.
    It hurt to breathe. Evan could hear someone, he assumed Travis, upstairs. The woman hummed something vaguely familiar as she worked. This is insane, thought Evan. I am going to wake up and this is all going to be a dream. I’ll be home and everything will be all right. He closed his eyes against the rising panic. Evan realized he’d thought the same thing when he’d been told his of his parent’s accident. Closing his eyes hadn’t changed it then either. Wishful thinking couldn’t bring his parents back, nor could it change anything that had happened. But at least he was alive. Hopefully Yoshi was too. What would he do if Yoshi wasn’t? Evan felt the panic rising again. He concentrated on his breathing. One slow painful breath in, one slow painful breath out. The woman slammed the dryer door and Evan opened his eyes. She hefted the hamper and disappeared up the