Pax Demonica (14 page)

“All right,” I said more gently. “But why didn’t you say something right away?”

She licked her lips, then looked at her hands. “Because of Mom’s notes. Because of the things she wrote about your husband. She wasn’t sure she trusted him, and so I wasn’t sure I should trust you.”

I glanced at Stuart, but that was only a reflex. I knew that Eliza meant Eric. If Debbie had been investigating my parents, it made sense that she’d learned about what had happened when Eric was a kid. And if she had moles within
Forza
, it also made sense that she would have learned that Eric was alive and well and in the body of another man—and had spent a horrific few months battling the demon inside him.

“You shut your mouth,” Allie said, her voice a low, violent whisper. “Shut up and take it back.
They’re
the ones who messed up my dad. Some stupid faction inside
Forza
. And he fought, and he won. So you just shut the hell up!”

There were tears in her eyes, and I went to her and pulled her into my arms. “She’s right,” I said to Eliza. “Eric has done nothing but fight demons his entire life.” I looked at her hard, silently challenging her to contradict me.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “But how could I have known?”

“If your mother had done as much research as you said, she should have known,” Allie said, but I pressed my hand gently over hers. I wanted to agree, but the truth was that if Debbie had been watching Eric, she might have seen the demon come out. In the end, Eric had won, yes. But someone looking at him through snapshots in time might not have realized that.

Or they might not believe it.

“It’s okay,” I told Eliza gently. “You trust me now?”

She nodded, then looked to me and Allie in turn. “I really am sorry.”

To her credit, Allie lifted a shoulder. “A Hunter has to be careful, I guess.”

Eliza’s smile spread wide, making her look even more like Allie than before. “That’s right,” she said.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out her locket. I held it out to her, the fragile chain dangling from my fingertip. She took it eagerly, then fastened it around her neck. “Thanks. I really don’t want to lose it.”

“I know,” I said. I tilted my head to indicate the door. “Mrs. Micari is putting on a spread for us downstairs. Why don’t you girls go down and dig in? Stuart and I will be along in a bit.”

“They want to talk,” Allie told Eliza.

“We do,” I admitted. “And we want to check on your brother. Go.” I waved them toward the door. “And if Mrs. Micari asks, I’d love a coffee. The jet lag is catching up with me.”

“Just the jet lag?” Stuart asked, once the girls had left the room.

“Everything,” I admitted. “I’m wiped.” I dropped down to sit on the edge of the bed. “I want to snuggle with my husband and sleep for a thousand years.”

“Sorry, Sleeping Beauty. I can only help with part of that.” He came over to sit next to me. “So no going to
Forza
tonight?”

“No. I really am tired. And I want to process everything Eliza told us before I go see Father Corletti. Or Father Donnelly, for that matter.”

“You don’t trust him,” Eric said.

“I used to. Then Eddie said he didn’t trust him.” Eddie was a retired Demon Hunter who, through a series of wacky misadventures, now lived with us under the guise of being Eric’s grandfather. The guise resulting from the fact that I told that little fib, and it stuck. He’d crossed the eighty-year mark, was as curmudgeonly as they come, and I loved him to death.

“Did he say why?”

“No,” I admitted. “But I trust Eddie’s instincts. And since I later found out that Father Donnelly had worked with Eric’s parents on the whole Create-an-Über-Demon-Hunter plan . . . ”

“Yeah,” Stuart said. “I get it.”

“It’s been kind of a crappy first day in Rome for you,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have a thing to be sorry about. This is who you are. And being here helps me understand that a little better. Besides,” he added brightly, “I saw the Spanish Steps, rode the subway, and had an encounter with a gypsy. Seems like a pretty full day to me.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” I said, then leaned in to kiss my husband.

“Should we go out for dinner?” he asked, when we broke the kiss. “We could leave Allie here to watch Timmy. Assuming you trust Eliza enough.”

“I do,” I admitted, though Eric’s warning not to trust anyone still plagued me. “And I trust Allie to watch her own back and her brother’s. But can I take a rain check?”

“Too tired?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said, though that was only half the truth.

“What is it?” he asked, studying my face. Apparently either exhaustion or guilt was eroding my skill at deception.

“It’s just that I need to call the States. I should check in with Laura. And with Eddie. And—”

“You want to talk to Eric.”

I dropped my gaze. “I’m sorry,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely sure what I was apologizing for.

“It’s okay, Kate. I thought we cleared some of this out earlier. I get it. Really. I understand that Eric’s a part of this. Whether I want him to be or not. Whether
you
want him to be or not.”

I nodded, then forced a smile. “Some vacation, huh? First demons. Now relatives. I wonder what’s going to come next.”

“We’re together. Whatever happens next, that’s really all that matters.”

While Stuart when to check on Timmy
and then join the girls, I moved toward the window where the cell reception was better and dialed Eric.

My skin seemed to tighten with every ring. I wanted to talk with him—to tell him what had happened. About the demon attacks. About Eliza. About my parents.

I had appreciated having Stuart at my side through everything, but I couldn’t lie to myself. Despite the horror and the hell that had battered Eric and me over the last few months, right then—with my past crashing down around me—it was Eric’s voice that I needed to hear.

But that wasn’t going to happen. The phone simply rang and rang until finally his voice mail kicked in.

I frowned at the phone, then clicked off without leaving a message. Where the hell could he be? If I was the parent left behind while my teen toured Italy, I would be glued to my phone. So why wasn’t Eric?

The thought preyed on me, even though I told myself I was worrying for nothing. Probably the battery died. Or he stayed up late hunting and he simply slept through the call.

There was an explanation. There had to be.

And, telling myself that, I firmly shoved thoughts of Eric out of my mind.

I considered going downstairs for the promised biscotti and coffee. Right then I wanted both the caffeine and the carbs with a fiery passion. But I still had work to do, and so I dialed the next number on my list. It would be early in Los Angeles—just around seven a.m.—and while I felt a little guilty about waking Laura, at least I knew that I would catch her at home.

Except I didn’t, and that worried me as well. Not only had she not returned my call, but she wasn’t answering her phone. And Eric wasn’t answering his.

Had something happened? Were demons on the rampage back in Southern California? Had my friends and family been swept away in some horrible, hellish nightmare?

I sucked in a breath and told myself to be calm. Jet lag and exhaustion were playing with my imagination. My best friend was fine. Eric was fine. And if San Diablo had been sucked into a portal to hell, I’m certain it would have made the Italian news.

The thoughts mollified me, but I dialed one more number anyway, then exhaled with relief when Eddie picked up immediately. “Connor residence. Make it snappy, I got popcorn in the microwave.”

“Thanks, Eddie,” I said, deadpan. “That’s exactly the way I want my phone answered.”

“Gripe, gripe, gripe,” he said, but I could hear the pleasure in his voice. “You all tucked away in Rome? Our girl burned a hole through your credit card yet? Hang on,” he added before I could answer. “Damn machine is beeping now.”

I waited impatiently while he set the phone down. I heard the clatter of dishes and imagined him dumping popcorn into one of my good ceramic dishes.

“Popcorn instead of a meal?”

He made a grunting noise, and I pictured his caterpillar-like eyebrows forming a V as he stared me down. “You call just to give me grief? Or are you making sure I didn’t burn the house down?”

“I have complete faith in you,” I said. “And none of the above.”

“Well, dammit, girl. That means there’s trouble.”

I scowled. “Maybe I just called to let you know we arrived safe and sound.”

He made a rough noise that might have been a snort.

“A little trouble,” I admitted, unable to stifle my smile.

“Ha!”

“But I hate admitting it because it just makes you more smug.”

“Not smug,” he said. “Clever. Intuitive. Smart as a whip. And damn sexy, too.”

“You are all that,” I said.

“So what crisis has you paying international cell phone rates? Demons? Or are we living in the pedestrian land of lost luggage?”

“I wish. And not demons, either, although we’ve encountered a few,” I said cryptically. “Mostly I’m calling because it turns out that I have a cousin.”

I could tell from the lack of a sarcastic comeback that I’d caught his attention. “All right,” he finally said. “I’m listening.”

I gave him the quick and dirty run-down.

“So you’re looking for my input about the kid? Or you want me to track down your gal-pal and Snugglemuffins?”

“If you have insight on the kid, I’d love to hear it. And yes, I want to track down Laura and Eric.” For the sake of both peace and my sanity, I decided to ignore the Snugglemuffins comment.

“I haven’t got a clue about your man, but Laura’s off playing footsy with your
sensai.”

“Oh, really?” My brows rose with interest. Laura had been dating Cutter—aka Sean, aka my martial arts coach—for a while now. “And where exactly are they?”

“Exactly? I don’t know. But I’m guessing under the covers in some fancy hotel. Went out about six last night. And the gal still hasn’t made it home.”

“And you know this how?”

“Because I’m watching the munchkin. What? Allie didn’t tell you?”

“I made Allie stop texting,” I said. “So if Mindy sent her any gossip she wouldn’t share it with me, because then I’d know she broke the rule. Plus, we’ve been kind of busy battling the forces of evil and meeting new relatives.”

He exhaled loudly, the sound reminding me of a snuffling horse. “You watch your back around that one.”

“I know,” I said, although I had to silently admit that I hadn’t been acting like I knew. Instead, I’d been acting like she was a second daughter. Well, maybe I wasn’t
quite
that careless, but I’d definitely let down my guard.

“I’m not just talking good sense, girlie,” he said, and his voice had taken on a more serious tone. “If she’s calling Father Donnelly, then I don’t trust her.”

“She called the only person she knew to call,” I said.

Eddie just snorted.

I sighed. He was right. I was making excuses for this girl, and I didn’t even know her. She might be blood, but at the end of the day, that didn’t count for much.

“You keep an eye on her,” Eddie said. “Especially since she’s been around at least twice when demons have taken a run for you.”

“You think there’s a connection,” I said.

“What? You just fall off the turnip truck? Of course there’s a connection.”

“I’m not arguing,” I said. “But I don’t know what it is.”

“That’s because you don’t know what
it
is,” Eddie said. “Have you asked the girl? Seems to me that she’ll know all about this mysterious
it
your demon pals are looking for.”

My gut twisted, but I knew he was probably right. There was just too much coincidence. Eliza showing up right here, right now. Her being at the market, and then in the alley. Not to mention the demon attacking her by the station.

Did the demons think that she had the mysterious
it
? Or was there some larger piece of the puzzle that I was missing?

“Keep an eye on her,” Eddie said. “But don’t trust her.”

“Don’t worry,” I said cannily. “It’s not my first day on the job.”

“No, it’s not,” he said. “But even a seasoned Hunter can get stupid. Don’t get stupid, Kate. Stupid makes you dead. And I don’t want to eat out of a microwave for the rest of my days. Your cooking may not be great, but it’s a step up.”

“Thanks so much.” I sprawled on the bed, my mind whirling. “Maybe Debbie learned something before she died. Maybe my parents gave me something or told me something. Maybe she told Eliza and a nurse overheard, and the demons found out, and—”

“You’re stretching,” Eddie said as I stifled a huge yawn.

“I know,” I admitted. “Tell Laura to check out Duvall, okay? And if there’s anything you can do—”

“What do I look like? Your minion?”

“You’re supposed to be my
alimentatore
,” I said archly. He’d taken over the role of mentor/trainer recently, and while I was pleased with the way it was going, we were both still getting our feet wet in the dealing-with-each-other department.

“Thought I’d get a few days of peace when you bounded off to Rome,” he grumbled. “But yeah, yeah, I’ll think on it for you.”

“How very generous of you.”

“Any other crises? Because my popcorn’s getting stale.”

“Enjoy,” I said, then closed my eyes as I clicked off.

Just a minute, I thought. Just one short minute to relax, gather my thoughts, and then I’d—

“
Mommamommamomma!”

I sat bolt upright, which was a mistake, as my head started to spin. I was under a blanket and the sun was streaming in through the window, cutting swaths of light and dark across the room.

Timmy was bouncing on the bed, reaching into and out of the light, and giggling like crazy whenever his hand illuminated.

I shifted, blinking, then peered at my husband, who stood in the doorway wearing jeans and a white souvenir T-shirt with the Italian flag emblazoned on it. I scooted backward to lean against the headboard. “When did you get that?”