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the dim lighting. Shadows swept across the front
door, but enough early evening sunlight still streamed inside for him to see it
shaking from the force of the knocks.
    "Can you get that?" Haven
asked, stepping out of a bedroom behind him. Carmine continued to stare at the
door in silence, watching as the knob jiggled. Jesus Christ, they were
practically trying to break in. Haven sighed loudly at his lack of
movement, slipping past him. "Okay, then… I'll get it."
    She took the steps two at a time and
paused in the foyer to undo the half dozen locks he insisted they use, as
another form ran out of the bedroom and pushed past Carmine, not nearly as
delicate about it as Haven had been. The blurry pink, sparkling mass nearly
knocked him off his fucking feet, sending him stumbling a few steps, as they
darted downstairs and out of view.
    "Excuse you!" Carmine
shouted.
    "Excuse me!" a little voice
shouted back, the back door opening and slamming again before Haven could even
get the other door unlocked.
    Haven pulled the front door open, a
blast of sunlight sweeping over her, making her practically glow. She started
to speak, barely getting a syllable out when someone rushed inside. The tiny
football player slammed right into her, like he was a linebacker sacking the
fucking quarterback.
    Stumbling back a few steps, Haven
laughed, grasping ahold of the little boy and wrapping her arms around him in a
hug.
    "Vinnie! What did I tell you
about tackling people?"
    The loud, grating voice rang out
right away, the familiarity making Carmine grimace, seconds before the bright
blonde head appeared in the foyer.
    Tess .
    She stepped inside, reaching for her
son, but Haven pulled him aside, out of reach of his mother. "Oh, he's
fine. He's only five."
    Tess rolled her eyes as the boy
slipped away, sprinting through the house for the back door. "No running
inside, Vinnie!"
    "That's okay, too," Haven
said, waving toward him as he headed out into the back yard. "It's
certainly nothing new around here. Besides, he's not hurting anything."
    Carmine snickered under his breath,
watching Tess's cheek twitch as she bit back a response. While Tess didn't like
to have anyone contradict her, she knew in this house, Haven's word was
law. She spoke, and everyone fucking listened, even Carmine, who had a habit of
not listening to anybody .
    Corrado could certainly attest to
that. Carmine liked to think it was his inability to follow rules that saved
him from a life of mayhem. Corrado knew he wouldn't make it, that he wouldn't
last much longer in the life .
    Never had Carmine been so damn
grateful to fuck up at something so important.
    But while Carmine never listened to
anybody else, he listened to his wife. It was less about authority and more
about respect, he figured. After the shit Haven went through in other people's
houses growing up, the least she deserved was some control in her own home. So
if she wanted to paint the walls bubblegum pink and let people run around like
fucking banshees, so be it.
    Tess dropped the matter with a shake
of the head, muttering under her breath. "Spoken like a true auntie."
    Haven smiled, as if she wore that
shit like a badge of honor, as her attention turned to the still open door.
Dominic stepped into view, grinning, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Excitement oozed from the fucker as he stood there,
cloaked in all black except for the hideous clown mask perched on top of his
head, ripped straight out of a Stephen King flick.
    "Twinkle toes," he said,
his voice high-pitched. "You ready for this?"
    She nodded eagerly. "Are
you?"
    "Oh you know it," he said.
"I was born ready."
    Rolling his eyes, Carmine descended
the stairs, not feeling a fraction of the enthusiasm those two put off.
Everyone looked up at the sound of his approach. Haven and Dom smiled, while
Tess greeted him with her usual I wish I didn't have to deal with this
asshole scowl. He tipped his head at her, foregoing his usual sarcastic
greeting.
    Play nice