Chapter 46: Chapter 46: The Arsenal of Peace

Marcus stared at the heavy black pistol sitting on the bar counter.

Then slowly shifted his gaze back to Alexander shaking his head with a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

"Come here" said Marcus gesturing for Alexander to follow him.

Alexander picked up his weapon tucked it back into his waistband and stepped down the hallway.

Given everything he knew about Marcus’s wild unhinged lifestyle his mind automatically braced for the worst.

He fully expected to walk into a den of leather straps heavy chains deep red velvet walls whips and melted candles—the classic lair of a sadomasochistic sexual predator.

But as Marcus threw the bedroom door open Alexander stopped dead in his tracks.

The room was absolutely pristine bordering on a zen sanctuary.

There was no clutter no dark energy and no chaotic mess.

The large bed was made perfectly with crisp snow-white sheets and the walls were painted in a soft calming pastel blue that stood in stark contrast to the dark romantic wood paneling of the living room.

It felt less like a den of sin and more like a room designed for pure absolute peace.

Marcus marched straight toward a wide custom wardrobe built into the far wall.

He grabbed the handles and pulled the heavy doors wide open.

Inside the calming atmosphere completely vanished replaced by a cold terrifying display of high-tier military destruction.

Racked neatly along the reinforced backing were two tactical M4 carbines combat shotguns a high-caliber sniper rifle a dozen various 9mm handguns a polished Desert Eagle and a compact submachine gun.

Below the firearm racks sat crates of military-grade flashbangs fragmentation grenades and hundreds of tightly stacked boxes of armor-piercing ammunition.

"Things only get more interesting from here if you want my honest opinion" said Marcus leaning against the edge of the wardrobe with a smug casual grin.

"Holy shit... are those actually real?" asked Alexander his eyes wide as he stared at the classified arsenal.

Alexander instinctively reached his hand out his fingers drifting toward the textured grip of one of the tactical M4 rifles fascinated by the sheer machinery of it.

"Don’t touch them" commanded Marcus his voice instantly dropping its sarcastic edge replaced by a sharp authoritative tone "If any weapon carrying your unique fingerprints happens to surface in an inappropriate location down the line you could find yourself in a hell of a lot of trouble with the agency."

Alexander pulled his hand back immediately nodding as he absorbed the piece of good-faith advice.

"Have you actually had to use any of these?" asked Alexander looking back at his friend. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"The network doesn’t hand out expensive toys unless it’s strictly necessary to deploy them" replied Marcus closing the heavy wardrobe doors to conceal the weaponry once more "Though I have to be completely honest with you... you shouldn’t even be holding a mission assignment that requires firearms yet. You are a complete rookie man. How the hell did you manage to get mixed up in this kind of heat so fast?"

Alexander rubbed the back of his neck leaning against the bedroom wall as the exhaustion of the night briefly caught up to him.

He quickly explained how everything had unfolded—how a powerful high-society woman had apparently selected his profile completely at random and how a simple escort assignment had rapidly devolved into a high-stakes tactical extract.

He kept it vague enough to protect Victoria’s identity but emphasized that while it felt like a dangerous game to her the intensity was entirely real for him.

"Wait a minute... did you actually run into the legendary Victoria Kingsley?" asked Marcus his jaw dropping in absolute shock as he connected the pieces "Shit... now I am incredibly jealous. Whatever you have to do man you need to make sure you win her over completely. There are wild corporate rumors about her influence in the network."

Marcus turned around and began walking back toward the living room bar throwing a playful punch at Alexander’s shoulder.

"Come on" said Marcus while laughing deeply "You’re going to need another double shot of whiskey to process that one."

"How the hell did you know it was her?" asked Alexander stopping mid-stride as they walked back into the living room.

"The golden box man" replied Marcus while shaking his head in disbelief "I had absolutely no idea she was actively looking for a guy. Holy shit that redhead is drop-dead gorgeous bro. When you finally get to fuck her it’s going to feel out of this world. There are literal rumors floating around that her pussy tastes like pure gold."

"You are an absolute idiot you know that?" said Alexander letting out a dry irritated laugh.

"I am completely serious bro!" insisted Marcus pouring two more heavy shots of whiskey onto the counter "She is fiercely monogamous when it comes to her assets. She only wants one guy to fuck her right and she isn’t the jealous type so she won’t restrict what you do on your own time. But as long as you keep her satisfied she will throw more cash at you than you’ve ever seen in your entire life. I’d heard whispers that the way she picks her man is by targeting total rookies throwing them into completely unhinged dangerous situations and judging their worth right there on the field."

Marcus slid the glass across the bar his expression suddenly shifting into something much more serious.

"The only part nobody seems to know is why she eventually discards her toys so you need to watch your step" warned Marcus locking eyes with Alexander "I don’t know exactly how crazy a woman has to be when she has enough money to buy half the damn country but you’re playing with fire."

"I didn’t exactly go looking for her you know?" muttered Alexander taking a slow sip of his whiskey.

"I know bro but she found you" said Marcus leaning closer over the counter with an intense curious look "Just tell me one thing... did she give you a bonus? Any word of approval? Any hint no matter how insignificant that she actually liked you?"

Alexander hesitated for a second staring into his amber glass as he recalled the chaotic sequence of events.

"Well... she grabbed my dick the second she saw me and said I had potential" revealed Alexander with a slight shrug "And when the whole thing was over she told me I had done a good job and that she’d see me later."

Marcus froze for a beat his eyes widening to the size of flying saucers before he suddenly erupted into a loud booming laugh that shook the entire kitchen.

"You fucking did it bro! You hit the goddamn jackpot!" shouted Marcus slamming his palm against the bar counter "I honestly don’t know whether to give you my congratulations or my deepest condolences. Which one do you prefer? Hahaha!"