Chapter Twenty-Four
Blasted exercises! Colson’s rules would never work, even if he tried his best to keep General in bed with drugs.
General wouldn’t be told what to do, and that’s why Colson would never step foot in the house again.
General spent the last few months walking around his room, climbing stairs, and taking short strolls around the perimeter.
The cane he used had helped him get on his feet, but now, it was time for action.
He made his way up the stairs to the floor where the servants dwelled—one being that lying Mammy.
General strained as he climbed, though barely out of breath, but he continued on, no matter how much his muscles ached.
And at last, he stood on the top floor. He smiled as the drafty breeze hit his face.
Mammy wouldn’t know what was coming to her.
He didn’t have any evidence to prove Mammy’s involvement, but he sensed it, like a man on a hunt. After months of confinement, he wouldn’t rest until he had his answers. Mammy knew where Josephine was. She really thought she could fool him by saying his wife was in Wilmington?
No. That was a lie Mammy would suffer for.
General may have had a head injury that damaged his cognitive thinking when he accepted the news, but he was no longer a slave to oblivion.
He couldn’t wait until he saw Mammy’s face when he brought the proof before her eyes.
He’d played her game for five months, and he was done letting her win.
Once he got his answers, she’d suffer worse than when she was enslaved.
It’d be easy to kill her, just like Martha and sweet little Myra.
The floorboards creaked beneath General’s weight as he proceeded down the attic hallway and stopped in front of Mammy’s bedroom.
He slowly pushed the door open, noticing her absence.
Perfect. Mammy was downstairs working in the kitchen.
Now he’d begin his search, then torture her more by attempting the same game she was playing.
He bent over with a groan as a sharp cramp clenched his calf, pain surging through the muscle.
Colson gave strict orders when it came to climbing stairs, but what did that fool know?
Josephine could have already been home if it wasn’t for Colson prescribing that garbage.
General didn’t need rest; he needed to rise above himself.
He was strong, stronger than ever the more he pushed himself. The last thing he’d be was weak.
All General knew was when he had his wife back in his possession, she’d have it worse than before.
Mammy’s room was impeccably tidy, with her clothes neatly folded in the drawers and her bed perfectly made.
As General began his search, the orderliness vanished.
He yanked back the covers, only to find nothing.
Frustrated, he lifted the bed and hurled it against the wall with a crash.
He tore through her dresser, scattering clothes across the room.
Nothing but ladies’ things! His nostrils flared, exhaling hot, ragged breaths. He opened her closet door.
More dresses.
Nothing.
General’s head burned with rage, as if steam might burst from his ears.
He yanked open the nightstand drawer—empty.
Frustration mounting, he stomped hard on the ground as he headed for the door.
But before he could leave, his foot plunged between two weak floorboards.
He let out a low groan, steadying himself as he stood.
Tugging his boot free, he glanced down. Something had been dislodged.
An envelope.
He snatched it, growling softly as his eyes landed on the return address—Charlotte.
If he wasn’t mistaken, that was where Josephine’s withering aunt lived.
General tore open the envelope, his fingers trembling with anticipation.
Inside, the letter unfolded, revealing neat, deliberate handwriting.
He began reading, his eyes narrowing as he took in the words.
Dear Mammy,
If you are reading this, I want to inform you that my Josephine is safe.
Sincerely,
Tatiana Callahan
General crushed the letter in his hands.
Mammy was a fool to think she could hide Josephine away forever.
General’s anger boiled, nearly tearing the letter in two.
Mammy would pay; all of them would. He never thought Josephine would be so desperate to hide out with a mentally challenged aunt.
That aunt was so sloppy that she exposed Josephine.
She really thought she could protect the wife of an honored general. General let out a low, gutted laugh.
Back during the days of war, top officials would write in code in case information fell into the wrong hands. This proved how naive and foolish the delicate sex was. They had exposed themselves to the enemy—and made it so easy. Nowhere was safe—especially with General being miraculously healed.
His thoughts were abruptly cut off by the creak of footsteps, moving cautiously across the fragile attic floorboards. A slow smile spread across General’s face. She’s right on time.
Mammy’s eyes widened, her face draining of color as she took in the sight of General standing in her room, her clothes and belongings strewn across the floor.
Like always, she covered her mouth, stifling her gasps.
She straightened her posture, cleared her throat, and clasped both hands in front of her.
A strained smile spread across her face, but she couldn’t fool anyone.
Her trembling fingers and the quick flicker of her eyes gave her away, subtle signs General had seen countless times when confronting a traitor.
Always trying to look innocent. You can’t fool me no more, Mammy.
“Excuse me, suh. I heard a noise upstairs, and I came to check.”
General relished the unease that washed over her. Mammy was trapped, and there was no escape. All the proof he needed was clutched in his hand, concealed behind his back.
General smiled, creeping towards her. “Mammy, dear, I was thinking about how long it’s been since Josephine went to visit her relatives.”
General watched as Mammy’s fingernails trailed up and down her forearms as they quivered. “‘Bout eight months, suh.” Her eyes widened as General took another step forward. “But she came back from time to time when ya was asleep.”
General rubbed his chin. “She did? I didn’t hear that. You said she didn’t know about my injury.”
Mammy’s hands tightened around her forearms as she continued to shiver. “Guess I forgot, suh. Forgive me.”
General’s grin grew. He loved interrogating the poor woman, seeing her all frightened and nearly shivering out of her clothes.
Perhaps that was why he took pleasure in Josephine’s occasional disobedience; it gave him an excuse to impose more rules, knowing she couldn’t possibly follow them all.
Now, with Mammy before him, he had a new subject to interrogate.
His veins pulsed with excitement. It had been too long since he’d been in power to torment.
“Mammy, don’t you think that’s a little too long?”
Mammy shook her head. “No, suh. She’s helpin’ her cousin and baby. It takes a while for new mothers to heal and get used to motherin’.”
“Aren’t you a little worried why she hasn’t sent word? You know, since I woke up,” General pressed. “You, as her mammy, should be shaking out of your skin with worry, but each time I see you, you are humming a tune with a big smile on your face. Why is that?”
Mammy paused for a moment. She looked at her shoes. “Because, suh, I trust the Missus Wellington. I know she be fine.”
As General stood just inches from Mammy, he could hear her breath quicken, each shallow gasp feeding his sense of authority.
Oh, how he relished that sound. He imagined her heart pounding in her chest, beating harder and harder with every second he pressed for her answers.
Maybe he’d spare her if she told the truth, but a part of him wanted this game to go further.
“And why do you think that? Is it because you know she is safe . . . perhaps away from me?” Mammy’s eyes shot wide with fear as General thrust the letter into her face. “Or is it because you helped her escape?”
Tears brimmed in Mammy’s eyes as she covered her mouth in horror. She could hardly stand, her body trembling uncontrollably. “Please, suh, I meant no harm. I-I just wanted to help the Missus Wellington.”
General grabbed Mammy’s arm. “Help her how? Hmm?”
“T-To escape . . . from yuh.”
General cocked a brow. “Me? Why so?”
Mammy’s eyes flashed defiantly at him. “Because yuh’re a monster!”
General tried to calm himself and hold back his fist to continue his mind game, but it was too late.
His fist met her face and Mammy crumbled to the ground.
As General stepped back, the sight felt familiar.
He’d hit Josephine more times than he could count, but this moment in particular reminded him of one he’d forgotten.
Josephine wheezed as General wrapped his hands around her scrawny little neck. Each tremor and gasp only intensified his sense of control. Oh, how he loved dominating Josephine, seeing her so helpless.
“Marcus, stop,” she begged.
General took one last look in her eyes, seeing how pathetic she was.
She was so fragile that he could snap her with his bare hands with no issue.
Such a great temptation, looking at this delicate creature.
That was precisely what he wanted more than anything.
He yearned to rid himself of this woman who had betrayed their agreement.
Her father had deceived him, and he would no longer tolerate the presence of Josephine in his life.
This was where it would end—here and now.
His thoughts shattered as a hard object smashed against his head.
He let out a low growl, backing away slowly as his vision blurred and the room swayed around him.
General reached out towards the stair rail to maintain his balance, but he moved too quickly.
The world disappeared as he fell backwards, falling farther away from the top floor.
General’s body grew hot, his fiery rage consuming him from the inside out.
He had been lied to and manipulated, and that wife of his was more than just a runaway—she was an attempted murderess.
He would find her, regardless of the cost, and when he did, he would crush her fragile body with his bare hands, no mercy, no matter how much she begged.
This was not over; it was only the beginning of her reckoning.
He peered down at Mammy, who lay on the floor, crying and moaning in pain. With a surge of fury, General grabbed her by the hair, yanking her up until she was forced to face him.
“You thought you could fool me, huh?” he growled. “Now look who’s the fool!”
General imagined Josephine’s face as he wrapped his bare hands around Mammy’s throat.
The old, plump woman struggled against him, but it only made General’s grip stronger.
He was more powerful being free from that bedroom, free from Dr. Colson’s orders.
No one would manipulate or control him again.
He was in full control now, draining the life from Mammy’s body as her very own angel of death.
Mammy’s eyes widened as she croaked, trying to take one more gulp of the air General stole from her.
She kicked and squirmed beneath him, and General pressed and pressed until her body gave out.
He smiled, looking down at her lifeless eyes.
Then he walked away, his veins thrumming with more power than ever.
Revenge starts now.