Anna's text was short.
Just one name.
Betty Ross.
The moment Hawk saw it, he knew.
Daughter of Thaddeus Ross.
Wife of Bruce Banner.
Yes—wife.
That had been in the papers when the semester began.
The Daily Bugle, always obsessed with gossip, had run a piece with a photo of Bruce Banner and Betty Ross registering their marriage at New York's City Hall. Peter had brought the paper to school; it was one of the small perks of his part-time job at the Bugle.
Hawk had skimmed it and dismissed it at the time.
After all—his enemy was Thaddeus Ross, not Betty.
Like with the Hulk.
He had killed the Hulk, but spared Bruce Banner.
Debts should fall on those who owed them. No need to drag others in.
That was how Hawk had once thought.
Now?
Now he understood.
The phone rang. Anna's voice followed the text.
"Hawk, sorry it took some time. The money trail led through a black-market broker, but we got him to talk. The employer was Betty Ross."
"Are you sure?"
"Certain. Five days ago, Betty Ross wired two hundred thousand into the broker's account. He contacted Daevon Simmons from there. We even have recordings of their calls. Want them?"
"No. If you're sure, that's enough."
"Absolutely sure. I also sent you Betty's current address in Jersey City."
"Thanks."
"Anytime."
He pocketed the phone, his expression calm.
Lesson learned.
He had once believed in fairness—no collateral vengeance.
But Betty Ross had shattered that illusion.
If he hadn't recently ignited the Dragon constellation, if his cosmos hadn't evolved and granted him that glimpse of the Sixth Sense, Gwen would have been taken before he even knew what was happening.
And if he couldn't get her back?
That thought alone chilled him.
No more.
From now on—family sticks together, all of them.
As he walked out of the building, Peter approached, but froze when the killing intent radiating from Hawk made every hair on his body stand on end.
Hawk suppressed it with a smile. "Peter? Still here? Where's Mary?"
"She went to check on Gwen."
"And you?"
Peter hesitated, then said, "I was going to offer help. But you probably don't need it. You've already figured out who's behind this, right?"
Hawk nodded.
Peter sighed. "Alright then. If you need me, call. I'm heading to see Harry. He's… not himself lately."
Hawk raised a brow. "Harry? Didn't he say Felicia Hardy helped him secure Oscorp?"
"Who knows. He sounded… off."
Peter gave a wave. "Call if you need me."
"Sure. Keep in touch."
"Keep in touch."
Peter vanished into the trees, then moments later Spider-Man swung skyward on a strand of webbing.
He hadn't asked what Hawk would do about Betty Ross. He already knew.
She was as good as dead.
Hawk understood. If anyone had tried to kidnap Aunt May, Peter would have done the same.
No exceptions.
Hawk smiled faintly, then flagged down a cab.
"Jersey City. Lincoln Park."
"Got it."
The cabbie grinned in the mirror. A good fare. He floored it across the Hudson.
Forty-five minutes later, Hawk stood before Lincoln Park, eyes shifting to the upscale apartment building across the street. Betty Ross's residence.
The phone buzzed again.
"Hawk, Victoria Hand, S.H.I.E.L.D. This situation—"
"Fuck off."
He hung up without waiting.
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York command center, Victoria Hand scowled at the cut connection and immediately called Maria Hill.
"Hawk's already found Betty Ross."
"So soon?" Hill's frown deepened. "Didn't I tell you to keep her under watch so she wouldn't do anything stupid?"
"She's been quiet since moving to Jersey City. Her account's in Stark's banking system. Without Tony's new authorization codes, we couldn't check transfers. We thought she'd let it go."
Hill pinched her forehead. "Where's Hawk now?"
"Upstairs."
Hill shot to her feet, her voice cracking. "Betty?"
"At home."
"And Bruce?"
"Still at the lab."
"…."
Hill fell silent.
"Do we just watch him kill her?" Hand asked tightly.
Hill exhaled slowly. "Can we even stop him? And don't forget—it was Betty who struck first. Ross came after him, and he killed Ross. Now Betty's turn."
Hand clenched her jaw.
Hill's tone hardened. "S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps the peace of the world, not the peace of one family. Hawk's lived quietly since Quantico. If Betty Ross stirred this, I won't risk S.H.I.E.L.D. playing chicken with someone who follows one rule: don't provoke me, and I won't provoke you."
Hand said nothing. She couldn't argue.
Meanwhile—
At the Lincoln Park Apartments, Hawk reached the tenth floor. He stood before Betty Ross's door.
He raised a hand to push it open.
And the door swung open from inside.
…
(End of Chapter)
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