Killian (Hope City #8) - Kris Michaels Page 0,12
Duke had him trapped in one of the storage containers on the premises by the time Killian made his way out of the construction trailer where he was working.
He dropped his hand to the dog’s head and gave it a pat. It was funny to watch the guy when the cops opened the container door. Evidently, Duke was fearsome when on the business end of his teeth. The cops had charged the guy with trespassing, and when they located his truck outside the fenced-in area, he was charged with theft—but not from Killian’s job site. Copper wire and a small generator stolen from another site down the road were shoved in the back of the small truck.
His radio crackled. “Killian, come in.”
He snapped the portable communication off his belt and turned to look toward the construction trailer. “Go ahead.”
“You’ve got a visitor.”
He frowned and responded. “Say what?”
“A lady is here at the entry point. She says she has a ten o’clock appointment with you. What’s your name, ma’am?” Killian heard Bekki give her name and rolled his eyes. How could he have forgotten the Ice Princess? Jeff, his entry control and logistics guy, came back with her name.
“Tell her I’ll be there in a minute.” Or ten. He returned the radio to his belt and looked down at his dog and sighed. “Ready to head back, buddy? Be warned though, we will probably have to call an ambulance when she breaks a nail or an ankle.” Duke stared up at him, panting, happy and not at all put out by the woman’s arrival. “Yeah, you’re right. That wasn’t nice, but don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. She’s trouble, this one.” Duke cocked his head at him and then woofed as if prompting him to move. “All right, all right. Don’t get pushy.” Killian set off with his dog at his side.
He rounded the corner and came up short. Bekki King stood beside Jeff as the man explained the check-in and container assignment process that Killian had developed. She was wearing old jeans, a pair of grass-stained tennis shoes, an oversized t-shirt that was tied at the side, and a Hope City Marauder’s ball cap that looked like it had been run over by a bulldozer. “That is a lot of work. And you do this for every piece of equipment?”
Jeff nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Equipment and supplies. When the supplies are needed, we use a scanner to scan the barcode we put on the container and then we scan out the materials themselves. This shows who used it, when it was taken out, and what material, if any, came back in. We have live representation of all of our products. Killian developed this system six years ago and has tweaked it to make it work for this business. There is a lot of work on the front end, but let me tell you, there is no waste in this company. We don’t have to pad our estimates to cover supplies and equipment walking off the build.”
She smiled at Jeff. “That is exceptionally astute. He should market this technology.”
Jeff shook his head. “Nah, that would be counterintuitive. We do this so we can keep an edge on our competitors. Giving this to them? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I agree with Jeff,” Killian said from where he was leaning against a fence post.
Bekki spun around and smiled. “Hi. I’m a bit early, but I was excited to see everything.”
He nodded. “I see you dressed appropriately.” And damn, did those jeans hug every inch of her long legs and pert ass. Killian jerked away from the fence once he realized what he’d just thought. “Ready?” He spun and headed into the compound. He could hear her jogging to catch up with him.
“I have about a million questions—whoa, that is a big dog.” She skittered to a stop beside him.
He glanced over at Duke, who’d taken a detour and a time-out for a drink from the pail he kept full of fresh water. “That’s Duke, my dog. Duke, this is Bekki.” The animal padded over and shoved its head under Bekki’s hand. She dropped down into a squat and Duke gave her his seal of approval: a tongue bath. Bekki laughed and landed on her butt in the dirt. Duke squirmed and danced around her, encouraged by Bekki’s peals of laughter. He called off the dog and couldn’t help laughing, too. Killian extended his hand and helped her up.
“Whoa, I already had a shower,