Free Blind Hearts and Silenced Passion by Anya Byrne Page A

efficient.
    To Baqir's surprise, it didn't take Dread long to meet with
him. He must have already been in Paris, which had implications Baqir didn't
want to think about. The twinkle in Dread's green-blue eyes told Baqir he
hadn't been completely successful in hiding his unease.
    "I didn't kill your men, if that's what you're worried
about."
    Baqir didn't bother to deny his wariness. He was already
beginning to regret summoning the man here, since the last thing he wanted was
to draw attention to Remy. But Remy had proven to be much better at
disappearing than Baqir had expected, and since contacting Remy's pack had not
worked, his choices had been limited at best. Meanwhile, yet again, Dread came
through for him. He slid into Baqir's car and passed him an envelope, which
turned out to contain stills from a CCTV camera.
    The stills displayed Remy's departure with his companion, a
woman Baqir didn't recognize. Dread apparently did, because he pointed at her
figure and said, "Blanchefleur. Argent Hull's mother."
    Ah. Baqir should have known. He'd heard about her
reappearance and the fact that she'd left Russia for her own investigation, but
he had not realized she was in contact with Remy. He was irritated that Alpha
Maximoff hadn't mentioned it, but then, it was his own fault, since he himself
had made it clear that he preferred to stay as far away from the rest of them
as possible.
    Shaking himself, Baqir looked at Dread again. "So he's
not at risk?"
    Dread shrugged. "I suppose it depends on what you mean
by that. I don't think she would hurt him, but she has been known to frequent
the underground as of late."
    Baqir narrowed his eyes at Dread. "What do you
know?"
    Dread's grin should have been threatening, but somehow
managed to look playful as well. "Oh, I'm loving this. You have no idea
what you stumbled onto, do you?"
    Baqir might have thrown all caution to the wind and punched
Dread in the face had he still not needed information from the other werewolf.
"Stop playing games. I'm not in the mood for it."
    "Clearly." Dread cleared his throat, but he didn't
seem offended. "Just drive. I know where you can find the little
pup."
    Baqir was alarmed at Dread's words, since he couldn't fathom
why Dread would have a nickname for Remy. In truth, he had not expected Dread
to know his mate at all, but apparently, he'd been mistaken.
    He also realized all too well that Dread only answered
questions when he wanted to, and right now, the answers Baqir needed were at
the end of this drive. Dread unerringly led him through the streets of the
city, all the way into an area that seemed obscure even by silencer standards.
Everything was quiet and dismal, the only sign of life a few stray dogs that scuttled
through the dark.
    Or at least, so it seemed at first glance, because the closer
he got, the more Baqir became convinced that they were in the right place. He
might have not bound Remy to him, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel his
mate. And he might have been unable to track Remy in the city—his price for
being a coward and not claiming what was his—but he could definitely sense his
lover here.
    Dread didn't provide him with any explanation. Indeed, once
they entered the area, he seemed content to just lean back against his seat and
wait. What little emotion he'd displayed during their encounter so far had
completely faded, leaving behind the familiar mask of the warrior who had once
torn apart three very unwise silencers with his bare hands.
    Baqir ignored him. It was probably not a very wise thing of
him to do—Dread was a threat even on a good day—but right now, each and every
one of his senses was completely focused on finding his mate.
    Their destination turned out to be a warehouse of sorts. Like
everything else here, it seemed in complete disrepair, but appearances were
deceptive. Beneath the surface of crumbling brownstone and rusty metal, a few
details stood out, but only to Baqir's trained eye. The locks were new, and,