CHAPTER 154

DARLENE

I stopped pacing to listen to the sound of footsteps that echoed out suddenly above me, snapping my hands away from their cage on my chest and backing away farther into the dark hollow under the staircase.

I had no idea what time it was, how long it had been since I left my husband in his sleep upstairs to seek out his twin brother.

I knew Fredrick enough to know that he always came down to the winery to snag a bottle, a fully-functional addict like I was.

“Saints,” I whispered, holding my breath as the silhouette of a well-toned man descended the stairs, shuffling languidly to the halo of yellow light that lit up the winery of the far wall before I let my shoulders drop, following on his terms like the freak that I was.

“Stalking me now, are we Dar?” Fredrick whispered suddenly, his back still turned to me, and I froze, clapping a hand over my mouth to keep from gasping as my chest rose and fell with frantic breaths.

“Fredrick, there's something you must know,” I stated, matt