A Drone over New York

Max stood at the top of the exterior stairs. He stared at the door for a moment. He wasn’t really sure if he was up to it, but he had little choice. It was this, or give in. He reached out and pressed the doorbell of the apartment. It rang loudly for the time of night. God only knew why he was here, but the list of people he trusted had run desperately low. If this didn’t work … His mind drew a blank beyond that.

He watched the hall light turn on and heard the soft footsteps come down the hall.

The door opened slightly, and Max watched as Rachael’s face turned close to the same red as her hair. She was dressed for bed, but it wasn’t getting up that had made her angry.

She didn’t say a word and just slammed the door shut in his face. The noise rang through the night.

It had gone better than he had expected.

Max pressed the door buzzer again. It didn’t seem so loud now.

“Fuck off, Max,” said the voice behind the door. He could tell it was hiding frustration.

“Rachael, I’m in trouble,” he responded, trying not to seem to loud. Luckily the downstairs neighbor was practically deaf. The people across the way, though, were a different story.

“So? Why the fuck should I care?” she yelled back.

“Rachael, please,” Max said. “It’s bad. I just didn’t know who to … Can you just open the door and hear me out?”

The doorknob twisted and the door popped open slightly again. Max cautiously nudged it. Rachael stood a few paces back, in the center of the hall, with her right hand behind her back. Max knew what was coming next. There was a promise she had made a long time ago.

“Can I come in?” Max asked.

Rachael didn’t say anything as she stared him down. Those fiery eyes of her were unflinching. He knew what was coming, but he was just going to have to take it if they were going to talk.

“Look,” Max said as he stepped through the threshold, “can we just—”

Rachael moved like lightning and sprayed his face. Screaming in pain, Max collapsed forward, trying to shield his eyes. But it was useless. She had got him textbook style.

It burnt like crazy. His eyes remembered the pain from the last time she had used it on him. Her temper tantrums were always really bad. He knew from experience he just had to ride it out. Hopefully it was enough to get whatever it was out of her system. Hopefully now she would help him.

Mace was nowhere near as bad the third time around. He regretted giving it to her. It was a great Christmas present back in the day. She had been so worried about part of her commute back then. The first time she had sprayed him, it was to try it out. That pain was bad.

The second time was during a massive argument. Max probably deserved it that time. This time he wasn’t so sure.

Last time, as soon as Max curled over, she realized what she had done and she was so apologetic. This time there was no apology. Even without his eyes he could tell there was a feeling of satisfaction hovering somewhere above him.

“What the fuck?” said a man’s voice from somewhere down the hallway of her apartment.

Max groaned as the realization hit him. She had company. He should have guessed. The guy was probably a much better man than he ever was to her.

“This sack of shit is Max Overton,” Rachael said, sounding proud about her part Max’s current condition.

“Wait, you mean Max? Max? What’s he doing here?” the strange voice said.

She snickered. “He wants my help!”

The guy laughed. “So you Maced him?”

“He deserved it.” Max knew she was enjoying this a little too much.

By now Max’s eyes were starting to make a recovery. The large, bulky dark shape moved down the corridor and knelt over him.

“Hurt, don’t it?” he said as he put his arm around Max. He sounded like a nice guy.

The stranger helped Max to his feet and started guiding him down the hall. Max knew not to rub his eyes, but it was hard not to. The stranger was slightly shorter than Max, and Max could feel the lean muscles under his shirt. He helped Max stagger into the kitchen. The guy grabbed a small tea towel, led Max to the sink, and turned on the taps.

“Worst present I ever gave her,” Max said after the first pat of the wet towel.

The guy laughed. Laughter was the sound Max needed to hear. Somehow Max felt as though the guy had probably gotten it once as well. Knowing Rachael, this guy was probably crazy enough to ask for it, just to try it out. Like the first time Max did.

Rachael pulled up a stool at the breakfast bar. Max heard the guy walk out of the room to grab something.

“Who’s he?” Max asked, keeping his voice low.

“Thom, my boyfriend. He’s a tae kwon do instructor,” Rachael said, sounding as though she was enjoying this a little too much.

With Thom out of the room, this was his chance to tell Rachael what he needed to say. He needed her professional side rather than the personal side. Professional Rachael was brilliant at keeping things quiet. He had met the other Rachael at the door.

“It’s about the Tyell video sale,” Max said.

Rachael leaned in, looking like she was expecting more to the statement. But Max stayed quiet. Anton had taught him that knowledge acquired for oneself is far more valued than knowledge simply given. He had to stay quiet and let her work it out. Rachael didn’t say anything and stared at Max for a few moments. He hoped she got the hint.

Thom came back into the room holding a larger hand towel that he passed to Max. It was going to be much better than the tea towel.

Rachael said nothing and just continued to stare at Max. She was putting everything together in her head.

Thom went to grab a stool, and suddenly Rachael sprang back to life.

“Hey, Thom, I think this is going to be okay,” she said, trying to sound sweet.

“Wait, what?” Thom replied.

“I think this is going to be okay,” she said again. “I promised Max if he ever came here again, I would Mace him. Now he knows I was serious. But he and I need to talk about something in private. Work stuff.”

It was true about the promise she had made.

“What?” Max heard the hesitation in Thom’s voice. “This is the Max you were telling me about. Are you sure?”

Max could tell he didn’t like leaving Rachael alone with her ex-boyfriend. Especially after what Max had done to her.

“Yeah, look, this is work related,” Rachael said in her sweetest voice. It used to make Max melt when she used it. It was always saved for her personal life, and once Max discovered it, he was hooked.

Thom didn’t budge.

“You know I’m working on a big case right now,” she continued, almost pretending Max wasn’t in the room, “and sadly Max and the crappy company he works at have something to do with it. It’s really hard to explain, but if he’s here, then something is wrong and I need to help him. You know I’m working on something big right now, and I’m sorry to do this to you, babe, but this is serious. I have to help him.”

Thom gave Max a death stare.

Max tried to hide from it, but he had no way to escape. From the looks of things, Thom could probably kill him with his bare hands.

“Babe, this is one of those things I can’t talk about to people,” she said, trying to defuse the tension. “It’s going to take us awhile, so do you mind crashing at your place tonight?”

Thom gave Rachael a double take. If the roles were reversed, no way would Max leave her alone. But Rachael had a way of convincing people.

“What?” Thom said.

“I need you to crash at yours tonight. Babe, this is a work emergency. We are going to need to make some calls and can’t have anyone listening in.”

“You sure about this?” replied Thom in a deep voice, laced with uncertainty.

Max could still sense the hesitation. Why on earth Rachael would trust him, he had no idea, but her professional curiosity was coming out. That was what he’d been counting on.

“Yeah. Sorry, babe, but this is really important. Anyway, if he tries anything, I’ll Mace him again.” Rachael smiled as she said the last part.

The two exchanged a set of looks before the guy finally laughed. “Okay. You need anything, just let me know. If he tries anything, though, I call dibs on kicking the crap out of him.”

“Take a number and get in line,” Rachael said.

“The line is longer than you both think,” Max said, adding a little chuckle that didn’t feel very funny to him.

Thom gave him an odd look that Max couldn’t figure out, but then both he and Rachael gave a small laugh. Thom was wrapped around Rachael’s little finger.

Rachael and Thom left the kitchen, and Max could hear her walk him to the door.

“You sure you want to be alone with this guy?” Max could hear him whispering loud enough for Max to hear. “I know it’s a work thing, but I’m just—”

“I’ll be fine. He won’t try anything,” she said. “Besides, It’ll give me a chance to practice that lock you were showing me.” The last part was said a bit louder—to ensure Max heard, no doubt.

The guy chuckled as they exchanged a few incomprehensible words. Max heard her give him a kiss good-bye and then the front door closing.

The strong, powerful Rachael re-entered the kitchen. Max knew it was now time for the tough part.

“Alright,” she said in that matter-of-fact tone she used at work. “You said sale, not buy. Spill it.”

Max smiled. He knew she would put it together.

“I’m the seller.”

“What do you mean, you’re the seller?”

“I mean, I’m Themanwhoknewtoomuch. I’m the one with the footage. All of it. I’ve got the source feed from the drone. I posted the stills.”

Then came that stunned look on Rachael’s face that Max had only seen a few times. The last time, it hid the building rage within. This time, it was honest curiosity.

“Wait, you’re telling me you’ve got it, and trying to sell it to your own company?” she said slowly, as if trying to understand it herself.

“Yep,” Max said. “Crazy, isn’t it?”

A moment of silence ensued as Rachael came to the full terms of what Max was saying. It was hard to believe that someone would do something like this, let alone turn up at his ex-girlfriend’s, who also happened to be leading the buy side. But then again Max was Max, and Rachael of all people could probably have guessed he might do something like this. She would also understand the whole security issue too. That made coming here a wise move if he could get her on his side. If not, the entire sale would unravel.

The next thing she said was either going to make or break it. If she mentioned Jack, then he was in trouble. Jack was her boss, and she would be fully aware that if Max was the seller, he was putting a lot of people at risk. However, if she wanted to talk about the video, Max knew he could make this work.

“So where is it?” she said after apparently putting all the pieces together. “Can I see it?”

Max breathed a sigh of relief. He was going to be able to make this work. He said, “Not right now. It’s too dangerous. I’ve had to hide it.”

“Where?”

“Not telling. It’s safer that way.”

“So why are you here?”

Rachael was always straight to the point. Now it was time to work out if it had been worth getting Maced in the face.

“Someone has put all the pieces together already. They’ve already broke into my place, and I think they are the ones who got Jack. I got jumped on the street, and they knew I had the video. I need somewhere to lay low. Someone who understands what is going on and who has a secure connection.”

“Oh, and you think my place is safe?” she shot back. She knew the dangers of having him here. It was a risky move for both of them.

“Well, yeah. You know the drill. It’s better for both of us if I’m here. Anyway, you now have privileged access to the seller. It puts you in a great place for facilitate the buy. With Jack out, you’ll be able to step up nicely.”

That made Rachael think a little. She was ambitious, and wanted to progress. There must have been four or five people at MCW trying to close this deal. If word got out she had access to the seller, it would be career changing, and she knew it.

She bit her lower lip as she thought. “What’s in it for me?”

Luckily Max knew this has been coming, and was prepared for it: “A hundred k.”

“A hundred k? You’ve got to be fucking joking.” She laughed. “You’re going to make three million and you expect me to only get a hundred k?

“What do you want, then?”

“A million.”

“Now who’s being unreasonable?”

“I’m the one who is giving you the fucking money. With Jack in the hospital, I am the one stuck leading the buy side. If word gets out we are working together like this, I’m ruined. I’m not going to do something this crazy without a decent stake. I’ve talked to three buyers today, including Martha, and all are willing to trust me to manage the transaction for them. All of them are going to give me the money to give to you. I can snap my fingers, and you will have to sell it piecemeal through other channels.”

Max smiled. She had learnt a lot from Jack. This could work in his favor. She was also right about trying to sell it piecemeal. That was hard to do. Once the footage was out there, you had around ten minutes to close everything. He had watched it fall apart for people before, and had even been part of the problem, leeching the footage from other sites as quick as he could.

In the shady business of gossip journalism, this was an even shadier partnership. But it was perfect. If Max skipped the country with the money, it could never come back to him. It was a great way to secure the deal without going through the normal trust issues. Now all he had to do was haggle over price.

“Five hundred k.” It was a token offer. Max knew she wasn’t going to budge, so he had to play the game. Make her feel like she was getting a deal. Otherwise it would come back to bite him later.

“Read my lips, Max: one million dollars. Take it or leave it.”

“Okay, 20 percent. That way, the more money you get out of them, the more is left for you. Trust me, this is going to be worth it.”

Rachael’s eyes flickered as she thought some more—biting her lower lip as she did the math in her head. She was trying to work out how much she thought she could get.

“No, 25 percent,” she finally replied.

“No faith in yourself?” Max said.

She twitched slightly. Now he had her on uneven footing. Now they could truly haggle.

“You really think you can get five million for it?” she said. Yeah, she wanted that one million number badly.

“Rachael, I think with the two of us working together, that is the minimum I would expect.

“I still want 25 percent, Max.”

“How long will it take you to get the money?”

“Twenty-four hours. Do we have a deal?”

For the briefest moment Anton’s face flashed before Max’s eyes.

“One last thing. There is some side footage that I need for something else. Not to sell, but I need to use it for something.”

“You know the rules, Max. Exclusivity means it’s all or nothing. If there is something else in the footage, you need to flag it now, so we can move the price accordingly.”

Max smiled. Rachael was one of the smartest people he knew. Temperamental, bordering on crazy, but damn smart. She thought of things way before he ever did. While he was still worried about her cut, she was thinking about ensuring there was enough to go around.

“There is something illegal on it,” Max said. “There is someone being killed.”

“Even better,” Rachael responded with a smile. “That means another million at least. What do you know?”

“Not much. I’ve got a contact that says this might a mob hit, and may involve some police corruption. He’s not sure, though.”

“That’s fine. Rumors are fine. Give me the 25 percent and I will ensure the buyers know they are getting more than just the Tyell story. It could keep them going for months.”

Max could have kissed Rachael then. But he had to hold out.

“Rachael, we both know 20 percent is a good offer.”

She thought for a moment. “Terms?” she asked.

Max knew had her now. “Okay, 20 percent of the cash received. Not the final price. It is going to cost me a little to transfer everything into something useable. I’ll be transparent, but I will lose around 3 to 5 percent in fees.”

She held out her hand and they shook on the deal. He had a partner now. For better or worse he was stuck with her. Still, it was nice to have someone by his side, he had to admit. Anton would be a big help, yes, but it would also be nice to have someone who he could talk to about this—someone who understood his side of things.

“Max, Martha is betting big on this,” Rachael said. “There must be something going on at your company, because Martha wants this more than anyone I’ve ever seen. What the hell is going on at your office?”

“Don’t know. Wasn’t there today,” Max said.

Rachael gave Max a funny look. The fact that he still looked like he had just taken a beating meant Rachael was probably afraid to ask.

“You run facial recognition on the guy yet?” she said, changing the subject. “Who is he?”

Max smiled. “His name is Tobias Montgomery. He used to go by the name of Tracy Montgomery.”

“Wait, used to go by?” Rachael asked, looking a bit stunned.

It was the same expression Max must have had when he realized it last night.

“Yep, not only is she sleeping with a guy, but the guy used to be a girl. They knew each other from high school. Tracy was a few years ahead of Tyell, so it is a little hard to spot. Not sure how they reconnected yet, but that is something that I am sure Michael will be able to piece together quickly. I can’t do all the work for them.”

Rachael threw her head back in disbelief. “You serious?” she said finally.

Max nodded. “Yeah, 83 percent match,” he said, smiling.

Rachael shook her head; she really couldn’t believe it. “I need to see it,” she said, clearly trying to calculate how this news impacted her plans. “I can get you five million easy if you let me see the footage and the facial recognition confirmation. Where is it?”

“Had to hide it.”

“When can you get it? We both know I need to see it to make this work.”

Rachael was going to be a better partner than he first thought.

“I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime I need a shower and to check my email. Can I get online somewhere? I also need a phone. I’ve got a SIM I need to use.”

“Sure,” Rachael said, and she pointed across the bench to a tablet charging by the fruit bowl. “And I’ll grab my old phone for you.” And then she disappeared into the bedroom.

Max fired the tablet up, and he typed in Rachael’s old password. She already had the app he needed to ensure he wasn’t traced.

She came back in and handed Max an old iPhone. It would be perfect for what he needed.

He quickly inserted his SIM and waited for it to register.

As soon as it did, the phone jumped to life. The loud ringing filled the room, and Max saw that it was the only number it could possibly.

“Bucky, where the hell have you been?” Anton said as soon as Max picked up. “I’ve been calling you for ages. Listen, stop whatever you’re doing. We need to meet. I need to check something tonight.” His voice sounded a little shakier than normal. Something wasn’t quite right.

“What? You mean now?” Max said.

“Yes, now. I wouldn’t be bothering you if this wasn’t important, Bucky. This thing has just gone to another level. We need to talk ASAP.”

“Okay, where?” Max asked. Curiosity was going to get the better of him.

“Pete’s in an hour?”

Max remembered the place and agreed. Anton hung up straightaway.

Max looked at Rachael. How was he going to explain this to her? But if Anton said this was important, Max had to go.

But first Max needed a shower.