A Drone over New York
Chapter 21

Max was outside when the bright yellow orb that was the morning sun began to pierce the edge of the horizon. It brought with it a freshness and clarity after the night’s storm. It would be short lived. New York was already buzzing with people, and the next wave of Brooklyn’s finest were on their way to their daily grind.

But the morning above was still quiet enough. The traffic in the skies overhead would only have just started. A few hundred drones would be above him, making the first deliveries of the day. Max knew it would be too risky for an unauthorized drone to be out at this time of day, especially after a storm. He would be safe as long as he walked quickly from the station.

As he finally climbed the steps of the apartment, he saw telltale signs that meant it was safe to assume that Rachael had not yet left for work. Max reached out and rang the doorbell. The noise didn’t seem so loud at this time of the morning. He heard her soft feet patter down the hall, and then the door opened widely, welcoming him in.

As he stepped through the threshold, he breathed a sigh of relief. He would be safe for another day.

Rachael stayed hidden behind the door, still in her pajamas. She gave him that morning cheery smile that he used to love. She seemed much happier to see him this time around.

“You okay?” she asked as soon as she door closed.

He realized how tired and exhausted he must look. It was hard to imagine she had no idea the sort of night he had.

“Yeah, it’s just the illegal thing I told you about,” he said, trying to keep his voice even despite the fatigue washing over him. “It’s big. I know a guy who works at the Associated Press. He wants the footage.”

“Wow,” she said. “You serious? How much is he offering? Do you want to give it to him instead?”

Max felt shattered and knew his mind wasn’t running full speed, but he had to be careful with what he said. “Well, I’ve just spent the night working that out. Trust me, I would rather be sleeping.”

Rachael showed Max back to the kitchen and poured him a cup of coffee from the machine. She added the cream, but didn’t even offer sugar. She remembered how he liked it.

He raised the mug to his face and inhaled the aroma. The first sip of coffee in the morning was a special ritual. The welcome of a new day washed over him, and the day let him know that everything was going to be alright. He was going to survive.

Rachael stood there, letting Max enjoy the moment. She was great like that. He felt like she really understood him.

Eventually he lowered the cup and magically granted the world to continue to spin, and Rachael to finally talk.

She gave a small smile. “I stayed up half the night thinking you weren’t coming back.”

Max returned a small smile of his own. “I spent half the night thinking I wasn’t either.” Coffee like this made Max calm. “This has taken an interesting twist.”

“Max, what’s this illegal thing you keep talking about?” she asked in that gentle tone that also said she wanted the truth. “What is it?”

Max had been trying to work out a way to tell her, to show her everything. It was going to be better if she knew everything that was going on. If all else, just so that she could up the bids and get them both more money. Or she might just tell him he was being stupid, and that they should turn it into the FBI or something. All Max knew was that her reaction would be interesting.

“First let me show you a clip of the video. Then you might understand.”

Her eyes went wide as he pulled out the phone she had loaned him. Max had almost forgotten what it was like to see the video for the first time. The excitement he’d felt. The anticipation of what was to come while he stood under that bridge.

She slid onto a bar stool next to him, leaning in a little closer than she needed to so they could both see the small screen. He started the video clip. Max glanced at Rachael as she watched the footage for the first time. He had forgotten how graphic it was. Rachael looked to be blushing like a twelve-year-old being caught watching porn. He must have been the same. It was still crystal clear.

Max paused the video after the descent.

“Wow,” she said. “I don’t know what to say.”

She looked genuinely shocked at how much it showed. He himself had found it nice to see the footage again. It made him forget about everything else the video contained, at least for a few minutes. He could just enjoy it for what it first was.

“Just watch the rest of this part, so at least you can say you’ve seen everything,” Max said.

She watched the footage after the drop with the same wide eyes as the first part. This part of the footage really confirmed it was Tyell. It was also the section that had the full frontal nudity. This part alone was worth a fortune, but when combined with the first section, it was priceless.

Max could almost see her mind ticking, thinking of the value of the footage.

“That’s gold,” she finally said. “You’ve got everything Martha is going to want. All in HD too. It’s the original drone footage, isn’t it? I mean, you’ve somehow managed to get the feed from Enexup? Right?”

Max nodded.

Eyes wide and smiling now, Rachael almost couldn’t contain herself, it seemed. She somehow had lifted herself from the bar stool and was now embracing the joy of the moment.

“Wow! And you said there is confirmation on who the guy is?” she asked.

Max enjoyed the moment. Rachael this happy, jumping around her apartment in her pajamas. It was infectious. It made him smile.

“Yep,” he said, trying not to be smug. “I’ve got a copy of the readout in my inbox.”

She nodded. “Good. Let me talk to Martha today. There is another party that I think I can use to push up the price a little. I should have the final offer by tonight.”

“Great. And what’s the offer at the moment?” Max asked.

“Four million. Max, that’s four MILLION! Martha is going to pay big-time!”

“Oh, wow. That’s great. And funny you should say that. I ran into Kate on the subway this morning. You remember Kate? She told me they offered four and a half.”

Max watched Rachael’s face turn a shade of red. She had been caught. And then came a small pause before she said anything.

“Four and a half?” Rachael said. “Wow. That’s … awesome. I’ve not got that yet.”

But her red face and slight hesitation had betrayed her.

Now this would go one of two ways. Rachael would either offer Max her email, showing him that she had not gotten that offer yet. Or she was going to try another lie. Max didn’t care to waste time with either option.

“Rachael, don’t give me that BS. I know Kate, and she told me that they offered four and a half last night.”

Without hesitation this time Rachael said, “They mustn’t have sent it through yet.”

“Can I see your inbox?” he asked.

Now Rachael hesitated again. In that moment Max knew that Rachael knew he had caught her red-handed.

Max could just cut and run now. Ditch Rachael and move on. But she knew too much already and he had nowhere else to go. For better or worse, she was meant to be his partner. He had to give her a way out if this was going to work. He had already proven his point, so there was no need to rub it in.

“Listen, I thought we were going to be partners on this,” Max said. “I’m going to hear from Kate what they paid, so you’re not going to be able to skim anything off the top without getting caught. I need you until the money is in my hands. Then I transfer you your cut and we never have to deal with each other again. But we need each other until I transfer you your cut. You know I never promise anything I can’t deliver on. And you need me until then too, so let’s try and be honest with each other. We’re business partners, Rach.”

Rachael smiled and gave a small nod. “We don’t have to leave it there, Max” she said sweetly before she came over to him and put her arms around him.

Then she leaned in and gave him a kiss.

“Why don’t we be more than just business partners,” she said in that honey voice that Max always loved.