The Revenge of Devil | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 38

It broke your heart, but it also opened your eyes. Each coin has two sides. Now you have to choose whether to continue or do the right thing.

These words had been running through his mind for several days. He had an idea of what Teresa was up to. And he didn't like it. He no longer wanted to be part of her grand and insane plans. But how could he back off? Now that he knew too much? He was trapped, unable to move forward or backward. You got what you wanted, he thought bitterly as he walked through New York, his spring coat pulled to his body, his head down, and his collar pulled up until it covered half his face.

If he knew he could disappear discreetly, perhaps beyond the borders, he would have already done so. But he was not naive. He knew she would find him, not let him run away from her. He could talk, and that would jeopardize her plans. She would have to silence him forever, as she did with Quentin. So this was an escape route out of the trap he found himself in? Is a certain death awaiting him? Maybe in her case, it shouldn't surprise him that much. She killed without remorse. It would just be another name on her imaginary list. He would be on it before Stark.

He was a coward, of course. He always thought that the stronger and crueler the ally he chose, the safer he would be. But he was wrong. Paradoxically, he was in greater danger than if he were on the other side than she was. Because he was part of it all. And once you join such people, there is no going back. Well, it is. You can still choose to die. The only certainty. But Justin didn't want that. He had to get out of this somehow. But how? You can't just tell her you're done. Somehow it has to go...

He stopped at a crossing on the sidewalk and waited for the red lights to come up and the cars to stop. While waiting, his eyes warned the surroundings, as was his custom. The last few months have been surprisingly calm, but he has not been able to get rid of his old habits.

His attention was drawn to the man at the other end of the sidewalk. He approached him hastily. Hammer narrowed his eyes and buried his hands deep in his pockets. Of course, it could only be a casual passer-by. But he didn't like to risk this. Unfortunately for him, few people wandered around. Damage. He would merge better in the crowd, because if it was one of his enemies...

He hurried to the other side of the sidewalk and turned left. He was headed for the lab, but first, he had to find out if the man would be watching him or not. He didn't want to bring him to his destination that easily. And at worst... he'll fall into some deserted alley and get rid of him. His hands shook at the thought, and bile poured down his throat at the thought of killing someone. If possible, he personally avoided murder and left it to other people who had the stomach for it.

He continued on his way, and when he turned again and the man was constantly on his heels, he could no longer take it as a coincidence. He watched him. He knew about him. Justin decided. He finds a convenient place where not many people show up, and there-

But he was too preoccupied with his thoughts. The man was apparently a step ahead of him, literally. Suddenly he stood a few steps in front of him and Justin froze in motion. He pulled a pistol from his coat pocket and aimed it at the man in front of him, but he had done the same a second earlier.

"No sharp movements, Mr. Hammer," the middle-aged man told him calmly, motioning for him to lower his pistol. Justin disobeyed him, even though his hand was shaking. "We don't want to hurt you."

"Really?" Justin chuckled nervously. "Why should I trust you?"

"I'm Agent Chase," he introduced himself, briefly showing him his ID. "Mr. Hammer, either you come with me voluntarily or we will have to drag you out by force. If you will work with us, nothing happens to you. We have a few questions for you."

•••

"I wouldn't expect you here," Richard said dryly as he heard the rustle of grass, and the next moment a dark-haired woman with a hood over her head stood beside him.

"Well, even though she was terrible, she was still my mother," she replied gloomily, glancing at the tombstone engraved with Mary Fitzpatrick's name, and the date of birth and death beneath it. "Hell is empty, devils are among us. I miss this on that tombstone."

Richard raised an eyebrow. "Did she like Shakespeare?"

"No. She loved the suffering of others," she grinned, putting her hands in her pockets. "You act like you don't know her at all. You know how she always was. Or did you wear the rose-colored glasses of a lover? If I could, I'd take them off."

"You don't choose who you fall in love with," he said softly. "Was it so visible? When you were little? You never showed it. After she didn't come for Christmas once, you stopped being sharing."

"I may have been quiet, but not blind. Of course, I perceived all those things. Children are quite receptive. I wanted to talk about things. With you. With mum. I wanted to... but then I thought ... why? After all, neither of them would care. They wouldn't care. Sometime around that moment, I realized that in life, you could only rely on yourself. Pretend you trust others, but actually keep your distance. That's the rule I've been following my whole life."

"I noticed," Richard muttered. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. Yes, he certainly wanted to have a closer relationship with her, he saw her as his daughter. Then. Before she became this monster, similar to Mary. Maybe it was a good thing she kept most of the things to herself. He wasn't sure if he could take it.

"She was a useless mom. But I still promised to avenge her. Or rather... that I will avenge the little girl, her naive dreams, who lost her mother to the Starks. I used to wonder... if it would have turned out differently if she just hadn't Peter. But I won't think about it now. She probably just had it in her. Or rather she didn't. That motherly love. But that doesn't mean I'm throwing the whole plan behind me. I'll take it to the end, either with or without you," she told Richard firmly, squinting at the gloomy sky. "And I'll see my little brother again soon."