The Edge of Honour

Chapter 40

Gorran's POV:

The four of us entered the white van, each of our heads swarmed with thoughts and fears. This was the first test for each of us. Morgan and I at least were safe in the knowledge that if we were caught, we would must likely be able to tell the authorities the truth. We were innocent and trying to prevent crimes like this from happening. The other two unfortunate souls would not have a similar tale to tell. They were likely to have chosen this life for themselves. If they got caught, they would be in dire straits and would spend many years locked up in prison, wishing that they had chosen a better, more honest life for themselves.

I was still angry that we had been chosen. Yes, he wanted to try us out, a sort of initiation test, but there were many other new members whom he would have had more trust in. We had agreed to infiltrating the gang and working undercover, but I never thought that it would lead to something like this.

To tell the truth, I was discussed that I was going ahead with it. My great hope was that Morgan and I would be able to sabotage the mission and bring down the organisation at the same time. Albeit, that required a huge amount of planning and that was a luxury which we did not have. If my only option was to participate in stealing the priceless painting I would do. My body would be filled with immense disgust for my actions, but it was probable that that would be my only option and I would have to do so.

Then the discussions began. We had been given all the necessary maps of the building and we had seen the picture of the beautiful painting. To an unskilled eye the piece would look simple. It was a scene set at the seaside on a bright Summer's day. There was little details, but the craftsmanship and skill required to create the piece was unquestionable. I recognised the name of the painter, which meant that he was indeed very famous as I knew almost nothing about art.

We had to decided who was going to take the lead on the task, order the others and most importantly make the decisions.

"Anybody want to take on the role. It would be a great start to your career," I said, trying to entice one of the other two team members to take it on.

"I think you should do it," Emilia answered. Her hands twisted in her long blond hair as she made small plaits. I grimaced at her response. Being part of the plan was bad enough, but being responsible for it would make everything so much worse.

"I am sure that someone else would rather perform the role. I am not very good with making split second decisions." They continued to deny my requests, despite my multiple attempts. After much effort, I was left with no choice. I may have been given the responsibility, but I never accepted it, so I would instead choose not to perform it.

After, I had been forced into the role, there was still more matters to discuss such as how we would get in, how to attack the security guards and how we would get the painting. I feigned my interest in the subject and delighted at the ideas that were given to me. Once, the other team members were certain that would not have the responsibility of leader, they were quick to come up with suggestions as to what we should do.

We would enter through a side entrance which was normally reserved for staff. We would wait to see how the staff reacted before we decided what to do with them. However, we had no weapons at our disposal and neither I nor Morgan were planning on using our powers, so we would most likely have to beat them up. No matter what happened in there, I would never do as much damage to them as had been done to Morgan. The thought alone sickened me.

The journey lasted a long time. The arrival at our destination was both a delight and a horror to me. I was delighted to be finally standing on ground again, but I was terrified of what was ahead of us.

As we approached the building, I was amazed by its beauty and architecture. It was now eight o' clock at night and the museum had been closed for over two hours.

The grounds were silent, but bright spotlights shone everywhere as security cameras twisted and turned covering every possible area. Even if we did pull it off, we had not been supplied with disguises or balaclavas. At some stage if we did get away, the footage would identify for us and the authorities would be certain to hunt us down.

The famous pyramid at the front of the museum reflected the moonlight splendidly. We were not here to admire it though or the large old building with its tall stone pillars that we were about to enter. There was so much riding on how we acted in the next couple of minutes. I still had not decided what would the best outcome for me. A part of each conclusion would have a huge negative impact. I could only hope that it would that whatever happened inside the building's walls, that it would be the best outcome for Morgan and I.

The security shift ended in five minutes after we reached it, meaning that the personnel would be changing over. Thankfully, due to this they had left the side door open for the incoming staff. After assuring that there was nobody else around, we calmly entered through the door. A guard was posted near the door, but his back was to us so we made our way quietly behind him. We then positioned ourselves in a quite corner of the room. There were no artworks there, which meant that the guards would check it less regularly. There were a few close calls, but thankfully none of the guards bothered to examine the area that we were hidden in.

We waited until all the new staff had entered and the door was locked behind the previous ones before we put our plan in to action.

This was it. The chances of this ending in disaster were high, but we could only hope for the best outcome at the end of the day. As long as Morgan and I made it our unscathed I would be happy. I knew that if I saw her in danger at any point, I would jump in to save her. She had become a sister to me and there was nothing which I would not do to protect my family. I just hoped that that protection would not be necessary.

Upon my command, the heist began.