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Authors: J.M. Darhower
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and took her hand once she pulled away.
"Bye, Aunt Celia," Carmine
said, his daughter echoing him right away. He glanced at his uncle, tipping his
head. "Corrado."
"Carmine."
They headed out, to where the crowds
had thinned, a lot of people already done for the night. Maura kept a hold of
his hand this time, since it was dark now, but she still led the way, pulling
him past slow moving groups. She once again bypassed all the houses with their
porch lights on, heading straight for home, clearly not giving a shit. As far
as Maura was concerned, they went trick or treating and she was done with it.
Carmine let go of her hand when they
reached the front porch, and Maura ran up, waiting for him to open the door. He
tried the knob, and it turned smoothly, the door already unlocked. He pushed it
open, and Maura ran inside, screeching excitedly, while Carmine followed. He
stepped in behind her, barely making it into the foyer, not even getting the
front door closed, when something jabbed him in the chest, the force sending
him back a step. Brow furrowed, a surge of anger rushed through him as he
clutched his chest and glanced to the side, seeing his brother.
His
brother, standing near the bottom step, holding a sword and grinning as he
waved it around in the air like a samurai.
A
goddamn sword .
"Who the fuck gave Dominic a
sword?" Carmine yelled as he slammed the door and headed for the kitchen,
finding the rest of them gathered around the kitchen table, candy spread out
over every inch of it.
Tess shook her head. "Wasn't
me."
"He found it," Haven said,
glancing up and smiling, Dom's clown mask now perched on her head, her eyes
twinkling with excitement. "One second he didn't have it and the next
second, well…"
Carmine felt the sword poking into
his back, his brother standing behind him, jabbing him in the spine as he
laughed. Carmine shook his head and stepped further into the kitchen, setting
the bag on the counter. "You stole it, didn't you? Stole it from a damn
kid."
Dom just laughed.
"Mommy, I tricky treat!"
Maura exclaimed, climbing up on Haven's lap in the chair at the table. Haven
wrapped her arms around her, hugging her, and pressed a kiss to her hair as the
little girl reached for some candy, snatching up somebody's pumpkin-shaped
lollipop.
"Did you have fun?" Haven
asked.
Maura nodded, tearing the wrapper off
and plunging it in her mouth.
"Did you get a lot of
treats?"
Maura nodded again. "I got ice
cream and monies!"
Haven's brow furrowed.
"Money?"
Maura reached into her pocket,
whipping out the filthy twenty-dollar bill and tossing it on the table.
Haven stared at the crumpled bill,
eyes wide. "You didn't get candy?"
"They not have candy,"
Maura said.
"What? Where did you go?"
"Aunt Celia's!"
Haven looked at Carmine with
surprise, noticing the bag on the counter beside him. "You took her to the
Moretti's trick or treating?"
"I didn't take her there,"
Carmine said, unloading the bag. Fucking fudge pops and cans of fruit and even
the goddamn box of cheerios. "She went there all on her own."
"And she got money?" Haven
asked. "They gave her money?"
"Corrado did," Carmine
said. "She didn't like anything else he offered, but she was more than
happy to take his cash."
Dom laughed, reaching over and
holding his hand up for a high-five from Maura. She smacked his palm, hard,
having no idea what the hell she did right, but the praise excited her anyway.
"Just for that," Dom said,
"you deserve the sword this Halloween."
He held it out, and Maura grabbed it
before any of them could object, jumping down off her mother's lap. She bolted
toward the doorway, already swinging it, lollipop still in her mouth.
"Don't run with the sucker in
your mouth!" Haven yelled. "You fall, you'll choke on it!"
Maura didn't miss a beat, spitting
the fucking lollipop out, right on the kitchen floor as she continued to run,
smacking the doorway with the sword as she shrieked, disappearing toward the
living room.
"Fucking
"Bye, Aunt Celia," Carmine
said, his daughter echoing him right away. He glanced at his uncle, tipping his
head. "Corrado."
"Carmine."
They headed out, to where the crowds
had thinned, a lot of people already done for the night. Maura kept a hold of
his hand this time, since it was dark now, but she still led the way, pulling
him past slow moving groups. She once again bypassed all the houses with their
porch lights on, heading straight for home, clearly not giving a shit. As far
as Maura was concerned, they went trick or treating and she was done with it.
Carmine let go of her hand when they
reached the front porch, and Maura ran up, waiting for him to open the door. He
tried the knob, and it turned smoothly, the door already unlocked. He pushed it
open, and Maura ran inside, screeching excitedly, while Carmine followed. He
stepped in behind her, barely making it into the foyer, not even getting the
front door closed, when something jabbed him in the chest, the force sending
him back a step. Brow furrowed, a surge of anger rushed through him as he
clutched his chest and glanced to the side, seeing his brother.
His
brother, standing near the bottom step, holding a sword and grinning as he
waved it around in the air like a samurai.
A
goddamn sword .
"Who the fuck gave Dominic a
sword?" Carmine yelled as he slammed the door and headed for the kitchen,
finding the rest of them gathered around the kitchen table, candy spread out
over every inch of it.
Tess shook her head. "Wasn't
me."
"He found it," Haven said,
glancing up and smiling, Dom's clown mask now perched on her head, her eyes
twinkling with excitement. "One second he didn't have it and the next
second, well…"
Carmine felt the sword poking into
his back, his brother standing behind him, jabbing him in the spine as he
laughed. Carmine shook his head and stepped further into the kitchen, setting
the bag on the counter. "You stole it, didn't you? Stole it from a damn
kid."
Dom just laughed.
"Mommy, I tricky treat!"
Maura exclaimed, climbing up on Haven's lap in the chair at the table. Haven
wrapped her arms around her, hugging her, and pressed a kiss to her hair as the
little girl reached for some candy, snatching up somebody's pumpkin-shaped
lollipop.
"Did you have fun?" Haven
asked.
Maura nodded, tearing the wrapper off
and plunging it in her mouth.
"Did you get a lot of
treats?"
Maura nodded again. "I got ice
cream and monies!"
Haven's brow furrowed.
"Money?"
Maura reached into her pocket,
whipping out the filthy twenty-dollar bill and tossing it on the table.
Haven stared at the crumpled bill,
eyes wide. "You didn't get candy?"
"They not have candy,"
Maura said.
"What? Where did you go?"
"Aunt Celia's!"
Haven looked at Carmine with
surprise, noticing the bag on the counter beside him. "You took her to the
Moretti's trick or treating?"
"I didn't take her there,"
Carmine said, unloading the bag. Fucking fudge pops and cans of fruit and even
the goddamn box of cheerios. "She went there all on her own."
"And she got money?" Haven
asked. "They gave her money?"
"Corrado did," Carmine
said. "She didn't like anything else he offered, but she was more than
happy to take his cash."
Dom laughed, reaching over and
holding his hand up for a high-five from Maura. She smacked his palm, hard,
having no idea what the hell she did right, but the praise excited her anyway.
"Just for that," Dom said,
"you deserve the sword this Halloween."
He held it out, and Maura grabbed it
before any of them could object, jumping down off her mother's lap. She bolted
toward the doorway, already swinging it, lollipop still in her mouth.
"Don't run with the sucker in
your mouth!" Haven yelled. "You fall, you'll choke on it!"
Maura didn't miss a beat, spitting
the fucking lollipop out, right on the kitchen floor as she continued to run,
smacking the doorway with the sword as she shrieked, disappearing toward the
living room.
"Fucking
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