Suspicious Minds (Stranger Things Novels #1)(87)

“What’s this?” She frowned. “I won’t take more acid.”

“I figured that much.” He shook his head. “That’s one of the reasons I didn’t tell you about your condition. This is an injection to help with the pregnancy. It won’t hurt you or our child.”

He saw the way she stiffened at his use of the term. But it was their child, as much his as hers.

“Why would I trust you to give this to me?”

He gestured, and the orderly let himself in. “Hold her,” Brenner said.

Terry resisted, but the man forced her to her feet. He pinned her arms to her sides.

Brenner inserted the needle into her skin at the elbow, pressing the plunger. Solving problems was simple when you had access to the right tools.

“What else do you want with me?” she asked, shaking off the orderly.

“That’s it for today. I just wanted to give you the injection and take some bloodwork.” He returned her fake smile to her. “You can just wait for your friends to finish.”

“That’s it?” she asked. “You’re going to let us leave?”

“Why, don’t you trust me, Terry?”

At that, she smirked. “Do I still have a brain in my head? I do. No, I don’t trust you.”

“Just rest,” he said. “Don’t tax yourself.”

“I will.” She reclined on the bed, playacting like a child. “Not because you said.”

“I’ll be back later.”

“I can’t wait.”

He didn’t like giving her the last word, but it wasn’t really. He went back to his office to wait for her to spring her silly little scheme.





3.


Terry would risk going to see Kali in person if she had to—but Brenner might figure it all out too soon. Now she was confident she could reach the void without his help, without anything but herself.

She wanted to know what he’d put in her arm, but was also relieved not to. She’d have to be content with knowing he’d never hurt a child he considered his…Well, not hurt in that way. Only in the way of imprisoning and turning them into a lab rat for his own sick purposes.

Terry sat and thought about each stage of the plan and how easily it could not work, and how perfectly they’d have to execute it. She thought of Andrew and what his last minutes must have been like and if she’d ever find out for sure. She vowed to finish her book when she got out of here and find out what happened to the Ring, and Frodo and Sam.

She wondered if Gloria was prepared. If Ken was. Alice.

They had to get this right.

But they needed Kali for it to work at all. Please let her be there, this one last time.

Getting to the nowhere-everywhere place took no time. Terry closed her eyes and took a step inside her mind and darkness surrounded her, her feet splashing soundlessly.

Kali appeared immediately. “Terry! I’m happy to see you!”

Terry had to laugh. The words were delivered in such a tone of surprise.

“I’m glad to see you, too. I need to talk to you about something very important. I need your help and so does Alice. And we want to help you.”

Kali was suspicious. “Does Papa know?”

“He can never know. I’ve said that before, but this time I mean it.”

Kali pursed her lips.

“Papa wants to hurt me and my baby.” Terry patted her tummy.

“You’re growing a baby?” Kali’s expression was awed.

“I am, and he wants to hurt her. He’s also going to hurt Alice—he could do great harm to her. Mess with things he shouldn’t.”

Kali looked up at Terry and her bottom lip trembled. “Because of me,” she whispered. “Because I told.”

“You didn’t mean to, I know.” Terry bent and put an arm around the child. “But this time, no one can know. It has to be a secret. Forever. We have to keep Alice safe. The future safe. Agreed?”

Kali nodded.

“Good. I need you to do an illusion…But only if you think you can control it. It’ll just be small.”

“I can try.” Her voice was soft.

“Okay. That’s good.” It was a gamble, but what wasn’t. “Do you think you can go to Alice’s room? And make it look like she’s deep asleep, so deep she’s not even breathing. No matter what happens, can you keep it up?”

Kali hesitated. Then she stomped. “But I don’t want Alice to go!”

“You can come with us. Leave your papa and be free.” Terry had no idea how she’d react to the suggestion, but she’d like nothing more than to take Kali with them, if there was any way to do it.

“I can’t.” Kali was solemn. “There are monsters coming here. I can’t leave my friend.”

Her friend, the one who Brenner had promised her. Terry put her hand on her belly. He’d promised her Terry’s child as a friend. Oh, how did she not see it before now? The little girl in Alice’s visions with 011 on her arm.

No, it can’t happen that way.

“Please, Kali? We’re your friends.”

The girl looked near tears. “I can’t leave. Papa won’t allow it.”

Terry had been afraid of this. She’d have to go on with the plan and come back for Kali, much as it hurt her heart to leave the girl behind. Even briefly. Jane kicked inside her. “I’ll be back for you. Okay? As soon as I can. So you think you can do this?”