Pax Demonica Read Online Free PDF Page A

carriage to set the brakes on the two back wheels of Timmy’s monster-sized stroller.
    Once the stroller was no longer trying to roll gleefully down the stairs, Allie squeezed in beside me and we maneuvered it back down to the lobby where Stuart waited with Timmy in his arms. In other words, exactly where the blasted thing had been trying to get all along.
    “What were you trying to do?” Stuart asked.
    She shrugged. “Paulo took the luggage upstairs. I was trying to help.”
    “Maybe we should ask Mrs. Micari if there’s someplace we can store the thing downstairs. We don’t actually need it in the rooms.”
    “Oh,” Allie said. “Right.”
    “I’ll take care of it,” Stuart said, passing Timmy to his big sister. “Your mom’s done enough this morning. I’ll meet you in the room.”
    I hauled my exhausted body up the two flights of stairs, glanced around just long enough to recognize our luggage and confirm I was in the right place, and then collapsed face down onto the bed. I’m pretty sure I managed exactly ninety seconds of quality nap time before I was awakened by the pitter patter of tiny feet bouncing dangerously near my head.
    I peeled my eyes open, rolled to my side, and watched as Tim made a game of plopping butt first on the bed, bouncing twice, then giggling like it was the funniest thing ever.
    Maybe it was, but I was too wiped out to smile.
    Stuart joined us in the room with the announcement that we were all set, and the stroller was tucked away in an alcove off the kitchen. “How’s the bed?” he asked me.
    I patted the spot beside me. “See for yourself.”
    He took me up on the invitation and lay back with a long, slow sigh. I knew exactly how he felt.
    “This so totally sucks,” Allie said. She was stretched out across the pillow-covered daybed that doubled as a sofa. “We just got here and you guys are already crashing. Hello? It’s morning. It’s Rome. We should be out. Doing stuff. Instead we’re stuck in this tiny room. I bet the Forza dorms are like a hundred times bigger.”
    “Those rooms are even smaller,” I said gently. I couldn’t blame her for being disappointed. My original plan was to stay in the dorms and let her get a feel for where I grew up. More important, to let her see where her father and I met.
    Once Stuart and Timmy had joined the excursion, I’d changed our plans, moving the family from the austere Forza dorms to the quaint little bed and breakfast that Father Corletti’s secretary had recommended.
    “Sorry,” Allie said, but there was no apology in her voice. She shot a glance at her little brother. “But at least let the squirt sleep with you because if he wets the bed, I am so not going to be happy.”
    Before I could respond, there was a sharp tap on the doorframe. Stuart hadn’t closed the door, and when I turned I saw Mrs. Micari standing in the doorway, her sparkling eyes focused on Allie. “You like the rooms, yes?”
    My daughter’s brow furrowed. “Rooms?”
    I caught Stuart’s eyes and saw my own grin reflected there. I considered chiming in to deliver the good news to Allie but decided to let Mrs. Micari take the role of fairy godmother.
    “But of course. Is good for children to have their own space, yes?” She turned slightly and winked at me. “And good for the adults, too. For the amore .”
    “Ew!” Allie said, but I could tell that the horror of contemplating amore between Stuart and me was completely overshadowed by the fabulous reality of her own room. Albeit one she had to share with her baby brother.
    She turned imploring eyes on Mrs. Micari. “You’re serious? Timmy and I really get our very own room?” She didn’t wait for the innkeeper to nod. In one giant leap, she moved from her perch on the day bed to the mattress where Stuart and I had moved to sitting positions. Her arms went around me, knocking me backwards before releasing me and turning the same attention to Stuart. “Thank you, thank you!”
    She turned