Grady (The McCade Dragon #3)(3)

 

"I didn't order all this. I mean, I ordered some of the inventory here, but not in the quantity that I've gotten." Kenton looked in the back of the trailer and asked him what was his. "All of it, according to the inventory sheet. And even though there is about ten times the amount I actually ordered, the prices are all wrong. Like, instead of charging me seventy dollars for something, it's seven cents. Someone messed up."

 

"Did you call the company?" He nodded at Dalton. "And I'm assuming by the look on your face that not only did they tell you that they don't make mistakes, but to unload the truck and put your shit away. What did they tell you to do now that you've pointed it out to them?"

 

"Well, not quite like that, but that's pretty much what they said. I tried to point out to them that I was charged only one percent of the cost of each item, and the guy hung up on me. Didn't even try to make it right. And every time I called back to get this figured out, they told me that they don't make mistakes. Who says shit like that? Everyone makes mistakes." Grady looked into the dark truck again. "I can't afford this much equipment if they ever get off their asses and figure this out."

 

The driver, a big burly man, came toward them. He had a phone to his ear and paperwork in his other hand. Grady warned his brothers to not breathe if they could avoid it, but he laughed when Kenton backed up. The man had not bathed in what Grady thought was at least a month. He was a nice guy, really, but stank to high heaven. The man closed his phone with a loud snapping sound and grinned at him.

 

"I got ahold of the shipping department. They said to tell you that they don't make mistakes like that. I told them I was looking right at the paperwork now and that they had, and they told me just to unload and get on back to the shop." The man laughed. "I don't know about you, buddy, but I'd sure like for someone to make a mistake like this in my favor. You got yourself a deal of a lifetime, I'd say."

 

"I can't afford this if they decide to check and find the inventory is missing." The guy told him it wasn't his problem. "Not mine either. What happens if I take this entire load, as you said, and it comes up that I stole it? Then what?"

 

The driver was shaking his head even as Grady finished speaking. "See the inventory on this here sheet?" Grady nodded and so did his brothers. "Okay, I'm to deliver to you this list. It's all got numbers on it, each and every box, that corresponds with the number on your packing list you got from me. And on this list, it has a breakdown of each piece, like how many you are getting and the price you gotta pay them for the privilege of getting it. I don't care about the cost … not my department. But what I care about, and this is something you should be aware of too, is that you sign that you got what's on here at this price. It's in writing. And so you know, each and every call that goes in that place, good or bad, is recorded at a third location. You covered your ass well by calling and trying to get some help."

 

"So you're telling me to shut up and take this." The man nodded and jumped into the truck. No small feat either, seeing that the man was at least sixty or so and had more than a little belly. "I really am not equipped to take this much right now. Does that matter?"

 

"Nope. You'll take it or I'll have to take it back to the warehouse. Once it's there, what do you think is going to happen to your future orders?" The man nodded when Grady said he'd not get any more orders, no matter that it wasn't his fault. "That's about right. Heard tell of a guy who didn't want to take a shipment because he was painting the walls in his back room or some shit. Well, there were no more shipments to his place, and about a month or so later, he was done. They went and messed up, but they can be right vicious when they get their asses handed to them in even the littlest of ways."

 

 

 

        

          

        

         

 

There were other companies that he could order from, Grady knew this. Some of them were closer than this company had been, but none of them were as good. Nor as reliable. Usually reliable anyway. Their ratings on their products were top notch, and he had really gotten a good price. Well, a better one now, but they were inexpensive even before this fuck up.

 

Instead of saying anything else-not that he knew what he'd say-he helped unload the truck, and Dalton and Kenton pulled some of the inventory off as well. The billing should have been about ten thousand dollars on just what he'd ordered, but as it was, he'd only been charged one hundred and eleven dollars. For nearly ten times the number of things he'd expected, too. Grady was either going to have one hell of a profit or was going to go to jail for theft.