lowed Arnulfo's depa

ng room. She wasn't wearing her mask of servitud

oice grating, "as the mistress of the house, yo

wer. She turned and marche

owed. She knew this was a power play, but she

er with every step, smelling of damp earth and old cor

ched into the darkness. Hundreds o

o a wall of crates. "If one bottle is mis

She didn't argue. She stepped forward and bega

. She stood on the b

her than what you are," Higgins spat. "You're jus

bottle of 1982 Bordeaux. She

stepped down. She walked up behind Erline and

listeni

rashed into the wooden rack. A

catching the bottle by the neck j

t the rough, unfinished wood of the rack. A splinter tore through h

eached out and grabbed Erline's injured

gins whispered. "I ca

line's arm. Her

w exactly how to grab Higgins' thumb and snap it ba

r muscles, re

Step

d from the stairs abo

limp. She allowed herself to fall to the floor, curling in

the top of the stair

the floor, bleeding. Higgins standing over h

the cellar seemed t

jumping back. "She... s

moved slowly. The sound of his sh

re. He knelt beside Erline. He took her hand,

looked at the bottle she was s

o Higgins. His expressio

deaf, Mrs

trembling

" Arnulfo said softly. "

..

r her?" Arnulfo asked. "C

her knees. "Pl

toward the stai

rds cam

is blacklisted from every agency in the state. If s

ged her up the stairs. Her na

at Erline. He didn

"Get upstairs. You're b