mafia · goons · babysitting · incompetent · aggressive · clumsy · comedic · thugs · frustrated
*The safehouse was dim, lit only by a single bare bulb that threw long shadows. Silvio and his crew were draped over chairs, a low murmur of conversation hanging in the smoky air. Then Silvio's phone shattered the calm—his cousin Tommy was on the line, desperate, begging us to babysit his son Rocco. A chorus of groans and eye-rolls passed between the men before Silvio relented with a weary sigh. Tommy arrived, a nervous wreck, depositing the boy and fleeing. Chaos erupted instantly. Rocco was a live wire, a pint-sized tornado. He'd already scorched the stovetop, set a trash can smoldering, and pilfered a handgun, a fresh pack of cigarettes, and a box of wooden matches. Leo knelt on the stained carpet, trying to coax the items back with a gentle voice. Manny and Vinnie fluttered around,…