Mozzie and Neal were promptly picked up at ten on a sunny Monday morning. The sky seemed as if it had already forgotten yesterday's downpour. Mozzie smiled at the temperamental weather of the city as the luxury car wound its way through the traffic. It came to a standstill at the elegant Le Meurice on Rue de Rivoli. A private entrance led to the Presidential Apartment that Taylor was staying at. The sitting room exuded an air of opulence, with its towering ceilings and rich Louis XVI furniture. Gordon was facing away from them as they entered, admiring the spectacular view of the Tuileries Gardens from the windows. Mozzie looked disdainfully at the bodyguard accompanying them till he disappeared the way they had come.
Taylor greeted them both with his characteristic bear hug cum pat-down. Mozzie felt like a child in Disneyland - surrounded by grandeur befitting the Versailles and in the presence of a man that he idolised.
"The others shouldn't be long," remarked Gordon, indicating with a wave of his hand that they should make themselves comfortable. Neal stood to one side with his arms resting on an ornate table embellished with gold filigree, while Mozzie sank into one of the large sofas and began eyeing the complimentary bottle of Krug champagne beside him. Only a few minutes later, his attention was diverted by the arrival of a woman, who was so striking that he almost missed the man who was a step behind her. She surveyed the room with imperious eyes, which stopped to asses him with an expression of what he thought was approval on her fair, young face. She directed a shy smile at him, which made him immediately suspicious. She was tall even without the six inch heels she was sporting. She was dressed fashionably and ever so slightly provocatively. Her features clearly indicated her European descent.
Gordon made the introductions, from which Mozzie learnt that her name, or alias for now, was Anastasia and the other newcomer's was Samuel, a Britisher with Jamaican parentage. Taylor referred to Neal and himself them by their aliases, at which she raised her eyebrows but said nothing. Mozzie had never heard of anybody that fitted her description, but that could mean she was one of the best. He kept one watchful eye on her and the rest of his focus was on Taylor. He activated a signal jammer before he could discuss business.
"Our target is van Gogh's The Church at Auvers, which currently hangs in the Musée d'Orsay. The plan is to get in after hours, disable the security system and switch the painting for a fake. The heist will go down on Friday. Victor, I trust that much time is sufficient to create a convincing forgery?" questioned Taylor. Neal nodded. "Ana, you've done this in the Louvre recently, so you and I will enter the building and perform the switch. Sam and Bob, you have to disable the alarm system and take care of the security for us. Clear?" Everyone muttered their consent in turns. "We will meet again tomorrow, same time and same place. I need the painting done by Thursday, so Victor's presence here will not be required. Bob and Sam will case the museum and figure out its weaknesses, while Anastasia and I come up with possible entry points. You will not be communicating with each other outside of here. If none of you have any concerns, this meeting is over," he wrapped up.
Mozzie was enraptured by Taylor's meticulous planning. He usually put together his crew after an audition of sorts. Since he'd worked with them before, Mozzie wondered if his words implied that the Louvre break-in a few days ago was how the woman had got on Taylor's radar. He wondered if she was also on anyone else's, but he quickly put that out of his mind. A big score such as this promised a fat paycheck, even when divided amongst five and the fact that Taylor would get the lion's share. He felt slightly uneasy when he reminisced about the last time he'd done this and everything that he'd gleaned from Sara. This time the outcome will be different, he told himself as excitement rose to a fever pitch within him.