"We got eyes on the shelter, sir."
Sonny nodded his head as he viewed the scene through his goon's camera, Brick to his right. The right-hand strapped each one on their shoulder, the lens subtle enough to blend into the bulletproof vest, before they left, watching their every move as they took off from New York to Washington. They now sat on opposite ends of the target home in question, the camera picking up on its dilapidated structure. The walls were a rusted gray, meshing with the matching black roof. The windows, while darkened, were clean enough to get glimpses of the interior.
"Good, good," the kingpin remarked, "Where are you and Leonard?"
"Roughly ten miles from Seattle," the goon, deduced as Hoffman, responded, "He situated his home base in a fairly secluded area of the greater woodland."
"I see," Sonny then turned to Brick, "Whatcha got?"
"Nothing yet. Drake picked up a view of Wallace's car within the city limits and has been tracking that."
"Where is the car?"
"In some café by Town Hall. Too risky to catch him while he's in a public setting."
"Well, that's why you have Drake as the decoy, right?"
"Right," Brick sighed, "I still don't think a fake story will work on the guy."
"It doesn't need to work, per se, it just needs to get us into his home. Once he's in, then we can strike."
"And we're sure that Wallace lives alone in that house?"
"Well, Dex is in Switzerland, and Dex's mom has been dead for years. Unless Wallace is seeing someone, it should just be him."
"Okay…" Brick shook his head before turning back to the decoy goon. He switched on his headset, "Drake, any changes?"
"None yet…" the man replied, "I see him at the café counter…now he's moving…okay, he's sitting down."
"That's your cue," Brick nodded, and Sonny pulled himself closer to the monitor. They observed Drake walking towards Wallace, his sleek loafers clicking against the tile flooring.
"Excuse me-" the goon began, immediately catching Wallace's attention.
"Can I help you?" the elder man asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, actually. I work for an up-and-coming candidate on their grassroots campaign-"
"What candidate?"
"I'm sorry?"
"You said you work for an up-and-coming candidate. Which one?"
"...Brooks Yeager."
Wallace blinked at the goon for a moment, processing the information, "...Okay."
"Yeah, uh, so I was wondering if we could count on your support."
"I'd have to look into this candidate before I'd commit to something like that."
"Oh, well, if you have some time right now, I can give you the rundown of his positions."
"Well, right now, I'm trying to enjoy a moment to myself with my cup of black coffee."
"Maybe we can meet somewhere else once you're done? We could really use your help-"
"Don't rush me," Wallace snapped, sipping from his drink, "You want my support, don't you?"
"Y-Yes…"
"Then be considerate of my time," Wallace got to his feet, "Stay here; I'll be right back."
"O-Okay," Drake nodded, watching Wallace turn the corner by the café bathrooms. He awkwardly ducked his head down towards the camera lens, masquerading as a pin on his navy business suit, "He's pretty intense."
"'Intense' is an understatement," Sonny shook his head.
"There's no way he bought the fake candidate," Brick mirrored his boss, "I don't believe it."
"There's only so much I can make up, sir," Drake stated, "I'm not sure how much more I can do."
"Do what you can. If we're lucky, he'll bring you to his home base and that's when Hoffman and Leonard will strike."
"Don't let him intimidate you," Brick followed with, "Stay calm. Stick to the plan."
"I'm ready."
Sonny and Brick watched as Drake swung around, Wallace reappearing in the camera frame.
" Where are we going? " the man asked as he and the kingpin exited the café.
"My office."
"Good…" Sonny nodded, his voice quiet enough to not be picked up by the speakers, "good…"
"Oh, okay, uh, where in town is that?"
"It's not in town."
"You work from home?"
"Something like that," Wallace nodded as he extended his arm out. A car pulled up to the establishment soon after.
"You ordered a rideshare?" Drake questioned.
"How many questions are you going to ask me?" Wallace replied, "Get in."
"Do what he says, Drake," Sonny answered as Brick tapped in with Hoffman and Leonard. The right-hand caught the kingpin's attention immediately, "What?"
"There's someone else."
Sonny and Brick checked out the second monitor, looking through the two cameras on the secluded men. They spotted a woman with long blonde hair in a white silk robe crossing by a set of windows near the front door.
"Who the hell is that?" Brick asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Looks like Wallace has some company," Sonny muttered, "I'm surprised any woman would want to put up with him."
"What do you want to do, sir?" Leonard questioned.
"Nothing yet. Not until we figure out who's in the house," the kingpin answered, focusing on Drake's camera.
"I appreciate you squeezing me into your schedule," the goon said.
"Well, I like to stay politically active. I take pride in it."
"My boss will love your support."
"Is that so? Why is he so keen on getting my support specifically?"
"Uh…" Drake stopped himself when he saw Wallace pull his phone out, clicking a speed-dial number.
"Liebling," the elder man greeted, "it's me. Are you home?"
"Get eyes on the house now," Sonny commanded, to which Brick followed suit. The posted goons stayed locked onto the woman passing by the windows, and Brick zoomed in enough to see her on the phone.
"I have a guest coming over to discuss an endorsement," Wallace continued, "Are you able to set everything up?"
"The woman's an assistant?" Brick asked out loud.
"We're approaching the woodland right now," Wallace nodded, "Yes, in my office. Thank you, liebling. I love you; see you soon."
"It's a joint business?"
"Excuse me?" Wallace turned to Drake.
"You asked someone to set up your office. I didn't know that you had a partner."
"She's not some random business partner."
"No, I know. You said you love her; is your work a husband and wife business venture?"
"The less questions you ask, the better," Wallace muttered as the car pulled up to their destination. Drake stepped out, his loafers hitting gravel as he followed Wallace inside, the blonde woman coming into frame.
"Who is she…?" Sonny asked as he and Brick focused on the monitor.
"Hi," Drake greeted the woman, shaking her hand, "you must be Mr. Heller's partner."
"Indeed," she smiled, "Irina."
"Irina?" Sonny raised an eyebrow, prompting Brick to step away, his eyes on his phone.
"I was speaking to Mr. Heller about the candidate I work for."
"Who?"
"Brooks Yeager."
"I'm not familiar with them," Irina shook her head, her smile stuck in place.
"They're up-and-coming. It's a very…grassroots campaign."
"I see, and you'd like our support?"
"Yes."
"What's Brooks's platform?"
"Very big on…equality and fair pay."
"Fair pay for what? Do they want to increase the minimum wage?"
"Yes! Yes."
"What about housing? Or groceries?"
"Lower costs for both. I mean, obviously there's the…the big game of supply and demand and how the economy works, they want to fix all of that mess."
"What about social causes?"
"Oh, uh, is that a big deal to you guys?"
"The economy matters to my partner, social causes matter to me," Irina nodded, "After all, I think it's in everyone's best interest if the world was more accepting of everyone. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I…I would, yes, and so does Brooks."
"Seems like Brooks is a stand-up politician," Wallace nodded, "When can we meet them?"
"I…uh…"
"Oh, yes," Irina nodded, "that would be great! Where is his office located?"
"I can call the candidate and have him come here…if that's okay?"
"Send us the address and we can get a driver ," Wallace got to his feet, "I'll be right back."
Drake and Irina sat in silence while the man walked around the couch, heading off to the right. Sonny did his best to meet the woman's eyes, a small pit forming in his stomach.
Brick returned just in time, "Irina Cassadine."
"What?" Sonny turned his way.
"That's the woman with Drake."
"Cassadine…" Sonny glanced between his right-hand and the monitor, "She's…She's Dex's m-mother."
"Didn't you say she was dead?"
"Irina," Wallace appeared on the screen, "it seems there's something going on outside. Do you think you could go check it out?"
"Of course, dearest. I'll be right back," she got to her feet, planting a kiss on his lips before exiting the house.
"What's going on outside?" Drake asked, shifting in his spot.
"Well, it appears that we have an intruder."
"Oh…uh…does that happen often?"
"Depends. Sometimes it's the wildlife around here, and we just try to lure them off the property."
"Is that what's happening right now?"
"No."
In a split second, both monitors glitch. A cascading sound of yelps and grunts exited Brick's monitor, turning into rabid static before turning off. Sonny's monitor is luckier, a loud bang preceding the camera tipping upwards. Wallace's face appeared in the shot, a freshly-used gun in his dominant hand.
"What the hell…?" Brick growled as he and Sonny stood stunned by the working monitor.
"You know, Corinthos," Wallace detached the camera from Drake's body, holding it in his free hand, "I find it rather insulting that you believe I'm dumb enough to fall for a plant."
"Son of a bitch," Sonny swore, shaking his head.
"I know you can see and hear me, so I'll make myself nice and clear. When I said that I was politically savvy, I meant it. Trying to best me in my territory earned you nothing but three fresh corpses awaiting shipment back to Port Charles."
"Of course…" Brick pinched the bridge of his nose.
"At this point, I'm sure you've healed from your gunshot wound, so you're healthy enough to face me like a man. Or would you rather hide behind your goons and right-hand admins so you don't stain your hands?"
All the men could do was stare at Wallace's image, his expression smug and his eyes sharp.
"Whatever you opt to do, I'd like it if your organization exercised even the slightest bit of intelligence in retaliating against me. I love a good challenge; planting a fake candidate with a group of goons not fit enough to change a lightbulb is a cakewalk. Step it up."
"I'll get you, you slimy bastard," Sonny hissed, "It'll only be a matter of time."
"I look forward to hearing from you soon. Ciao!"
The camera immediately went black, the glass and chips breaking apart under (presumably) Wallace's fist. Sonny and Brick exchanged looks, unsure of what to say.
"...You were right," the kingpin mumbled, "We need a Plan B."
Brick nodded solemnly, half-expecting his boss's response, "Any ideas?"