The Edge of Honour

Chapter 39

Morgan's POV:

His words continued in a never ending rush, but it was difficult for me to concentrate. I watched as his mouth opened and closed, forming syllables, words and sentences that I did not hear.

The pain was radiating throughout my body. I could feel it spreading out from the most affected areas of my body, where I had been hit hardest. The memory of the night before replayed in my head over and over. I wanted to scream. 

As I looked around at the many criminals surrounded the table, I wondered if any of them cared about what I had gone through. They could all see the marks, the evidence of what happened, but nobody questioned it. Their heads nodded in mutual agreement to the boss's proposition. Not one of them asked a question as he spoke- they seemed to be only able to absorb the information, without having any input into the final decision.

The whole organisation was a dictatorship. Each person knew what had happened to me. Whether it was because they did not care or they were too afraid to speak out, nobody did. As I contemplated how the whole organisation was run, I wondered if these people had chosen to be here. Many of the faces around the table were young, their faces glazed over. As I studied them further, I noticed that some of them looked hurt, scared and afraid of this world. That was when I realised that they had not all chosen this life, they were prisoners in it. Like me the previous night, they had no viable means of escape, they were trapped. Stuck in a world that they did not belong in.

I tried my hardest to focus on how I could change the fates of those around me, but the pain continually over powered me. I should have been checked out by a doctor, but it was evident that that was not going to happen.

Gorran's eyes were staring at me and I could see the pity in his eyes. I knew that he would blame himself for what happened to me, but it was necessary. His pained expression only served to upset me further. After what my father did, I felt that everything was my fault, but it wasn't. Some things are beyond our control and that is something which I have come to understand and respect over time. If only I had a second to explain that to Gorran.

Suddenly, he raised his head in a rapid motion that I hoped nobody else would notice. It did not take me long to realise that something was wrong from his expression. 

He mouthed a word in my direction, but I could not figure out what he was trying to say. His expression changed to one of annoyance as he tried to explain his situation to me. He pulled the sleeve of his jumper over his hand and then held it slightly above the table. He pointed to the space where his hand would have been. It took me a few seconds to realise what he meant, but then it struck me. He was becoming invisible.

If only I had been able to come up with an excuse to get him out of that meeting, I would have. I was acutely aware that his power could spread rapidly, especially when he was angry.

His coughing echoed around the room as it got increasingly louder. Somehow, he managed to make it sound hoarse and he began to make movements, suggesting that he was about to be sick.

"Ray," the boss shouted with annoyance. "Leave the room if you must continue with that deafening coughing. You are interrupting the meeting." With a subtle smile on his face, Gorran stood up and left the room. His coughing grew quieter as he exited. I could only hope that a few minutes outside of the room would be all it would take for him to stop his invisibility power from taking over.

Once he had left, I found that I was more able to concentrate on the presentation. It was lucky that I choose to pay attention when I did because the boss was just about to explain his plan for their next plot.

"Firstly, I have chosen four of you to be the main men in this operation. If you fail on this, we will not be there to help you. The four of you will be on your own to face the law, so it is of the utmost important, that you do it exactly as I say," he explained. "Now, the team I have chosen, comprises of Javier Fernando, Ray Allen, Emilia James and Jamie Frier."

I was in complete shock as he announced our names. I was about to complete the bidding of a criminal organisation and I had to pretend that I was happy to do it. Failing to complete the task was not an option as it would raise too many questions which I could not afford. Gorran and I would have to complete whatever plot had been hatched for us with the dedication we would give to our training with April or Jet.

"Now, the plan is really quite simple," he began as he continued to talk about the intricate plan which we were expected to follow to the letter.

We were being tasked with stealing one of the most prized and expensive pieces of work from The Louvre Gallery. The plan itself showed that the group had complete disregard for anyone except themselves. They were working for the French Government who owned the museum, but at the same time they wanted to earn extra money on the side by targeting them.

We would enter the gallery that night when most of the staff would be at home and we would only have a few night security guards to contend with.

"They will be armed, but the majority of them will not put up a fight once they know there is a robbery. The paintings mean nothing special to them and they will get their pay cheque nevertheless. The minority of them will be committed employees who will take their job more seriously than you could imagine. I am sure however that the four of you will be able to come up with a master plan to overpower them."

It was clear what the meaning behind those words were and it caused a shiver to run down my spine. We would have to seriously injure or kill the minority of night guards as he called them.

Gorran quietly reentered the room and I was glad to see that he was still visible. The time away had managed to calm him down adequately so that the change stopped. However, I was worried that what he was about to hear could restart it.

"The painting you are going to steal is located in a locked room, one of you will have to get the key first, or find a way to enter the room. Remember however, that there are sensors everywhere and you only have five minutes to steal the piece before la police show up."

I could see the confused expression on Gorran's face and he did not yet know that he was part of the team chosen for this objective.

"The details of the piece you are going to steal is not important, its value is however. I have information that once it is in our possession, we will be able to sell it for at least twenty-eight million euro. A picture of the piece will be shown to you later, I do not want any other work except this one," he said. It was clear that he was already plotting how he would spend the money in his head.

"Emilia, Jamie, Javier and Ray, you will be collected from here in two hours. You should spend this time getting ready. The four of you can plan your objective when you are in the jeep as the museum will be another two hours away."

Only then did Gorran realise that he was one of the team members for this plot. His reaction would have been comical, if the situation had not been so serious. 

Once everyone had left the meeting, Gorran rushed over to my side.

"Please tell me that he was talking to two different people," he begged. The worry was clear as day on his face.

"I'm sorry Gor, but we are Jamie and Ray," I whispered in return. I tried to look like I wasn't worried, but inside I was falling to pieces. Nothing was going right for us since we arrived here. Agreeing to work within the organisation was the biggest mistake that either of us had made in our lives.

Every movement I made hurt ferociously. I could feel the bruised areas beating against my skin as the warm blood pooled underneath. My muscles ached from the beating they had received and the many areas of broken skin were busily trying to heal themselves. Yet, I was expected to complete one of the biggest museum heists that the world had ever seen. I honestly did not believe that I could achieve it.

The one factor on our side was that if we did fall, the police would be called. After, we had been questioned and they learned that we were really undercover agents they would let us go or so I thought.

I was about to try and steal a painting which was worth millions of euro for a criminal organisation which I loathed more than I could explain. This world had consumed us and for now neither of us had any route of escape. We just had to stick with it and see how the plan worked out.