Chapter 1

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Swirls of smoke plod through the already thick air of the room, partially clouding the older woman's features. Her face is the vivid image of indifference, while her feet rest carelessly on the small table on front. It's a bit intimidating to say the least.

"It's been a while since she stopped by".

An unyielding answer, ambiguous enough to be useless.

Piper knows it, and carefully ponders her next question, taking a glance around the stuffed room. The crammed piles of boxes almost reach the ceiling, and the only light-source is a half-opened window just above her. It is quite an unconventional setting for an interview, one that has become increasingly familiar after these couple of months.

She tries again, this time with a more open question.

"Could you describe her for me?"

A derisive scoff is all she gets for an answer.

Once again an irritating silence fills the room, only interrupted by a rusty ventilator which is definitely not fulfilling its purpose. Piper can feel the perspiration building in her forehead and neck. There's a million things she wants to and could say, but the information needs to come from the other end. She is about to articulate yet another question when the distinctive Russian accent interrupts her.

"She's a... Voltchitsa ".

Right. English falls short when it comes to these matters. The blonde is about to completely lose her patience, evident by the tone her voice carries.

"A what?"

"A wolf".

Piper bites her bottom lip, pinching the bridge of her nose. She's wasting precious time that could be easily spent tracking credit cards, or bank accounts or cell phone calls... Except those methods have already proved useless, in front of the mystery persona they are chasing.

That's why she's here, in the storage room of a well known mini market in Queens, tracking primary groups and behavior, connecting dots with people that might allow her a small chance of succeeding in what has gradually replaced the title of job, and is now becoming an overwhelming life.

To her surprise the woman straightens in her chair, putting out her cigarette against the already full ashtray, as if what she is about to say contains utmost importance.

"There's an legend in Russia, told in the city of Chechnya. One winter, a couple and their six month old child were crossing the forest in a sled. It was dark and cold, when a pack of wolves surrounded them. They said: "To save ouselves, we throw the child". They did it, but the wolves kept attacking them. The next morning villagers found the gnawed corpses laying on the sled. The baby was laying just a couple of meters further, untouched and alive".

For the first time in the evening their gazes locked, and the woman uttered her next words with indisputable conviction.

"Alex grew alone. Her father left, her mother was barely around. She did what she had too. Among the wolves, she survived".

Then the woman lays against the beaten sofa one more time, as if she has given Piper the most conclusive answer, but the blonde is not ready to let this rest.

"Are you excusing her life choices Miss Reznikov?".

"Don't be ridiculous".

Galina's voice echoes through the room, making Piper flinch in surprise.

The blonde senses the woman's uneasiness. Her moral rigidity is being questioned, but apparently no amount of cognitive dissonance is going to make her yield in her posture, clearly indicated by her next words.

"I don't endorse smuggling of any kind, but there are certain things... that can bypass my judgment. Specially when I've witnessed so much of Alex's life".

Piper pushes through the hermetism, perceiving the woman's subtle inner conflict.

"What she's doing is ilegal, it doesn't matter how well you try to romantize it. Galina, I suggest you start cooperating with useful information that can actual-

"Why are you here?"

The question throws her off balance, especially when is formulated with a calm that she didn't thought possible a few seconds ago.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't have the slightest clue on where to find Alex. Your people are desperate, and that's why you come to me as if I were a little Russian doll containing all the answers. Because you think that sending her to prison is going to magically solve every problem in this hellhole".

Piper doesn't hide the dry smile that crept to her face. It's no secret that the task at hand has proven demandingly difficult. What she fails to understand is why people are so resolute in protecting this Alex. Fear? Respect? Money? What does Alex have that produces such effect?

Galina's voice cuts through her thoughts.

"You Chapman, you're one of those people who wants the world to be perfect but you're not willing to lift a finger to help it along. For you, confinement is the supreme solution to every moral tragedy".

The blonde takes a deep breath, runs a calmed hand through her hair and articulates the same question she asked twenty minutes ago.

"Was Alex here yesterday?"

Unsurprisingly, she gets the same answer.

'It's been a while since she stopped by".

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AN: Hey! Just dropped this here. Short because I want to know if you guys are interested. I know a few readers still remain. Should I continue?