Read On the Hunt for Free Online

was one thing to be plagued with constant thoughts of the man she’d loved since she was a teenager, and another to actually feel his presence.
    Which meant she was losing her mind—a very real possibility—or Mika was near.
    Smoothing her hands down the casual yellow sundress she’d slipped on after her shower, Bailey sucked in a deep breath and forced her heartbeat to slow from hypersonic to a speed just below turbo.
    Then, pulling open the back door, she stepped onto the porch and allowed the fragrant darkness to wrap around her.
    Nearby she could hear frogs croaking and the cry of an owl as it hunted the small critters that scurried through the thick foliage. Farther away was the distinctive sound of a boat heading out of the swamp as the fishermen finished up for the day.
    But there was no indication of an intruder.
    Predictable.
    Sentinels were not only trained to move in silence, but they had the ability to “will” others not to see them. Not that they were invisible. Not entirely. But a person had to make a deliberate effort to search for their presence.
    It was only because Bailey was hypersensitive to anything related to Mika that she’d known he was nearby.
    Searching the shadows, she at last caught sight of his lean form leaning nonchalantly against a tree at the edge of her shield.
    Her breath was squeezed from her lungs as she took in the sight of his finely chiseled features that were perfectly outlined in the moonlight. His glossy hair had been pulled back and held at his nape with a leather string, and his dark eyes were locked on her with that unwavering focus that used to make her melt in pleasure.
    Now it . . . oh hell, it still made her melt in pleasure, she acknowledged with a stab of annoyance.
    She planted her fists on her hips, trying to match his detached composure when inside she was trembling from head to toe at the sight of him.
    “What are you doing here?”
    “I need to speak with you.”
    His expression was impossible to read.
    “It’s late.”
    “And?”
    She bit back a curse. “And I want to eat my dinner and go to bed in peace.”
    There was unexpected silence, Mika’s expression suddenly softening with some inner thought.
    “Tell me, Bailey, do you still kick the covers off in the middle of the night?” he asked in a low voice.
    She flinched. How the hell did he remember such a small detail of their all-too-brief time as lovers?
    Somehow she’d assumed that he’d simply forgotten about her after she’d left. And why wouldn’t he?
    It wasn’t like he’d tried to follow or even contact her.
    “Is that why you’re here?” she asked. “To ask if I still kick off the covers?”
    “Not entirely, but I’ll admit that it’s a question that’s bothered me over the years.”
    Bothered him? She frowned. “Why?”
    “When we were together I could pull you into my arms and keep you warm.” The dark gaze slowly skimmed down her body. “I didn’t like the thought you might be cold and alone.”
    A soft sound of distress was ripped from her throat.
    Damn him.
    It’d taken her years to repair the damage done to her heart by this man.
    Was he trying to rip open wounds that were barely healed?
    “I . . .” She halted, forced to clear the lump from her throat. “Why are you really here?”
    Something that might have been regret tightened his features before he was reaching into the back pocket of his jeans to pull out a folded piece of paper.
    “This.”
    “What is it?”
    “A map I found beneath Jacob’s bed.”
    Okay. That was strange. Why would anyone hide a map beneath their bed?
    “A map to where?”
    “To the spot he was nearly beaten to death.”
    It took her a second to realize just what he’d revealed.
    “Beaten?” She tried to look innocent. “But you said—”
    “Bailey, the boy might be in trouble.” Mika abruptly straightened from the tree, his expression somber. “Let me in.”
    She hesitated before heaving a resigned sigh.
    Mika was right.
    It