Five Weeks (Seven Series #3)(95)

“You know, you’re about as warm as a block of ice.” I moved around him like a cyclone and headed for the backyard.
The moon lit up the outdoor concrete with a sharp glow. God, I hated that yard. My wolf was a dirt roller and would have loved playing in a yard with grass. I knelt, examining the flat stones near the door to see if any were loose. I could see Hawk doing something stupid, like burying them in the mud. Nothing looked suspicious, so I removed the cover from the hot tub and peered in.
I flipped a few switches until a blue light illuminated the pool of water. Jet nozzles spun around, causing the water to noisily bubble and circulate. It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to gasp for breath. Someone had pushed me in headfirst.
Someone was holding me under.
The motor hummed beneath the water, and the edge of the tub pressed against my stomach. With the lower half of my body still outside the tub, I thrashed and wildly kicked.#p#分页标题#e#
Calm. Stay calm, Izzy.
I steadied myself with one arm extended to the bottom and reached around with my right. But I couldn’t grab a hold of anything. A hand fisted the back of my shirt and kept me under.
Oh my God, I was going to drown. Panic set in. My heart raced and my lungs began to constrict, aching for oxygen. I writhed, trying to pull my whole body in so I could turn around and get the upper hand, but whoever was holding me down had pinned himself against the back of my legs.
Then my hair tangled in one of the jets and I screamed underwater.
I gripped the ends of my hair when his weight suddenly vanished and I was free.
But I wasn’t free.
A set of hands tried pulling me out, but met with resistance. A larger chunk of hair threatened to rip from my scalp if he kept pulling. When he let go, my entire body slipped underwater.
Dark shoes splashed in front of me and Wheeler dunked his head in. I frantically tugged, pleading at him with my eyes.
A butterfly knife appeared and sliced off a chunk of my hair. He hooked his arm around my waist and yanked me up.
“Gahhh!” My lungs wheezed as I gasped for air. I coughed immediately, having sucked in some water.
A loud splash sounded when Wheeler jumped out of the hot tub and paced around the yard, dripping all over the concrete. “Fuck. He got away. Took off just as I came outside.”
“Who was it?” My voice strained, and I began coughing up water.
He flipped his knife around until it closed and then tucked it in his back pocket. “One of Delgado’s men. I’d bet my fucking right arm on it. Persistent SOB.”
“I’m okay. I don’t need any help,” I said sarcastically as I pulled myself out of the water and swept back my sopping wet hair.
“You should have shifted,” he said, peeling off his shirt and wringing out the water.
“It happened too fast and I panicked.”
“Your wolf doesn’t have long hair, so she would have been able to turn around and bite that asshole. You have to learn to trust your animal enough to protect you.”
“I know, Wheeler. I’m just not used to men trying to kill me. Real nice town you have here.” I glanced down at my dress, and it clung to my body. I squeezed out the ends and found my shoes scattered next to the hot tub. “Why would he want to kill me? Then he won’t get his stuff. Humans aren’t very smart.”
Wheeler turned off the hot tub and threw the cover back on. “To scare the nightmare out of you. That’s a real threat that makes someone comply. Delgado thinks you’re full of shit and you know where the money is. I’m sure he’s wondering what the hell happened to the man he sent after you at the festival.” Wheeler raked his fingers through his wet hair and wiped off his face. “He’s fucking with one of us now, so he better watch his back. I hope he tries it again.”
“What?” I gasped. “You want him to come after me again?”
A dark look crossed his face. “This is the kind of mud that sticks to a boot, and I can get a footprint. Evidence. Reason to take care of this malignancy of a man the legal way, if I can’t strangle him with my bare hands. And believe me, if Delgado ever crosses me personally, I will dig a grave and bury him myself.”
“I’ve lived a pretty crazy life, Wheeler, but not until I moved here have I had people trying to kill me. No offense, but don’t even think about using me as bait. I have no intention of allowing that human to get the upper hand with me again.”
We headed back inside.
“Right. ’Cause you’re a badass.”
I yanked him back by his shirt and gave him a frosty glare. “My wolf emerged to save April’s life. A human. I’m not a violent person by nature, but my wolf is aggressive and relentless. I’m not going to talk about what she did to a Shifter in Topeka seven years ago who tried to rape a woman in an alley by knifepoint, but let’s just say he’ll have scars for the rest of his life, and deservedly so. I have to balance things out with my energy, so forgive me if I’m not putting on spiked boots and twirling a knife in my hands. I don’t know how to prepare myself for someone shoving me headfirst into a tub of water.”