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What could I do? He was the boss. I sucked in a deep breath and trudged back over to the excavator. I started the machine but couldn’t do it. I knew I was right. How could I carry on about my business, ignoring those men putting their lives in danger because bosshole didn’t want to admit he was inept at his job?
Mind made up, I swung the excavator around, its engine growling, and positioned it between the crew and the unstable section of the trench.
“Hey!” I yelled above the noise. “We’ve got a problem! Clear the area! Now!”
Some of the crew members turned toward me, confusion etched on their faces.
“Move the fuck out now!” I shouted.
They must have heard the urgency in my voice and hurried in the opposite direction. I trained my attention on the vulnerable section I’d sensed in the excavation wall.
As I backed up my machine, the soil gave way, crumbling and collapsing with a deafening roar. The ground trembled, sending shockwaves through the site. Dust clouded the air, obscuring visibility. A cascade of dirt and rocks tumbled into the area where the men had been working.
As the dust settled, revealing the aftermath of the cave-in, my eyes met the gaze of the crew members who had listened to my warning. Jesus. I’d sensed it coming but hadn’t realized how close the danger had been. Thank fuck they’d listened, or we’d be digging them out from under the soil.
“Burke, what the fuck did you do?” Karl rushed toward me and came to a stop beside my machine.
“He just saved our lives, Karl,” Jenkins, one of the crew members, said.
“What are you doing taking orders from him? What does he know about construction? He was in the slammer for the past eighteen years.”
I hopped down from the truck and pulled back my arm. Scottie’s face flashed before my eyes.
I don’t like violence.
“Go ahead. Hit me, and I’ll sue the shirt off your back.”
I dropped my hand. Use your words, Griff, not your fist. “I told you to pull the men back, but you wouldn’t listen. Where are the inclinometers that should be set up?”
“You don’t tell me what to do. I—”
“This isn’t fucking kindergarten.” I shoved him in the chest. “Who gives a shit who tells who what to do if it’s the right thing? When you’re working at a construction site, you have to pay attention. Not live on your fucking phone like you work at Best Buy. You let your men down today.”
“Who the hell do you think you are? You should be grateful we even hired you in the first place.”
“Grateful? You think I owe you something? I did my fucking time. I’m here to do my job and ensure the safety of the people I work with while doing it. You might want to start doing the same.”
“Are you saying I’m not doing my job? You’re fired! How’s that for doing my job?”
The other men surrounded us. Someone pulled on my shoulder, trying to get me to stand down, but I’d had enough of this asshole. I drew the line at working for someone reckless enough to fuck with our life like we were in a game and would spawn back alive.
“Being the supervisor doesn’t give you the right to jeopardize the safety of the crew. If this is the way you do your job, then I have no problem walking away. We need proper leadership, not someone who thinks they can do as they please. If you’re slacking off now when we’re barely into the project, you’ll have the whole fucking thing collapsing by the time we start construction.”
“Get the fuck off my property,” Karl snarled.
“But it isn’t your property, now is it, Karl?”
That voice… Karl and I turned. The workers parted, and a medium-height man with linebacker’s shoulders stepped forward. He was dressed in a designer suit and wearing shades, which he slowly removed from his face.
“Mr. Coleman,” Karl said. “I didn’t know you’d be here today. I’m sorry you had to hear that, sir, but I had no choice in dealing with this worker. He’s been nothing but trouble since we hired him. We should let him go.”
“What happened here today?” Mr. Coleman asked. “Why am I looking at a pile of rubble where work should be happening?”
“It was caused by this troublemaker, sir. He was operating the excavator and caused the collapse.”
“Is that what happened?” Mr. Coleman asked me.
I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to lose my job, but I wasn’t gunning for Karl to lose his either. A man had to eat and take care of his family.
