All Wallace could do was shake his head as he and Irina rested the last goon on top, noting the other two and their stone-cold faces. He and Irina exchanged a knowing look before shutting the crate, keeping all of Sonny's goons tightly inside.

"Child's play," Wallace scoffed, "Disappointing."

"How low does he think of you?" Irina sighed.

"It's not that he thinks poorly of me, it's that he thinks he's smarter than me."

"Planting a fake scandal certainly doesn't give any credence to that, does it?"

"Not at all," Wallace pulled her into his arms, kissing her gently, "Neither does everything else he's pulled."

"Everything else?"

He pulled back, eyes wide. She raised an eyebrow, staring him down. He backed off, turning his attention towards the crate.

"Wallace," her voice boomed, "talk to me."

"He's…definitely tried his best to decimate my family."

"You had Dexter spy on him, right? Did something happen?"

He doesn't reply, giving her a look he knew she'd despise, and despise she did.

"...What happened? What did he do to my baby?"

"Torture."

"That bastard," Irina hissed, slamming her fists on the top of the crate, "That depraved, evil bastard!"

"He…" Wallace took a deep breath, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair, "strung Dex up on a meat hook and held him hostage in a freezer."

"Why?"

"He somehow figured out that Dex worked for me. I doubt Dex left him any clues, and the man isn't smart enough to figure that out on his own."

"He has help."

"Most likely."

"Did you rescue Dexter?"

"I certainly tried. I showed up to where Sonny had Dex and tried to reason with the guy to let him go, but…Victor beat me to the punch."

"And that led to…" she gulped, wincing as a pair of memories flashed in her mind. Wallace opened his mouth to speak, but her raised hand cut him off, "Don't. I know how sorry you are."

"Good."

"If I may?"

"No permission needed."

"Why did you decide to pursue Sonny Corinthos in the first place?"

"In a word? Chaos."

"Chaos?"

"Don't get me wrong," Wallace took a seat on the cushioned chair closest to the crate. Irina slowly approached him, "I do love Seattle. I run the business here, I raised Dex here. As far as I'm concerned, it's home."

"But?"

"I can only do so much in one place. I have no intentions of ever leaving, but I don't want the business to remain stagnant."

"So you wanted to expand?"

"Yes. The only issue was where, and lo and behold, Sonny's knucklehead of a son put out a formal request for a mole."

"I see," Irina nodded her head, getting closer to the man. He pulled her in, perfectly perching her on his lap, "and now look what's happened since you took that ad."

"Sonny may not be the brightest, but he's made things fairly interesting for me.

"It's be more interesting if he were more savvy in conflict."

"It would, but I won't deny how I enjoy his lack of intelligence."

"Neither will I," Irina kissed Wallace's cheek, then looking at the crate, "So, are we ready to send this back to Port Charles?"

"Not yet. We need a response."

"This isn't adequate?"

"No. This is a courtesy. We could've easily disposed of these bodies in the woods."

"Sending them back to Sonny is a statement."

"It is, but not enough of one."

"What do you propose we do, then? What would count as proper retaliation?"

"Hm," Wallace rubbed his chin, "I'm not sure."

"I think sending the bodies back is enough. Sonny will respond however he likes, and we'll match it."

"No," he shook his head, "we have to do more. I promise you, Irina, doing more is better for us."

"...Okay," the woman sighed, turning her back to Wallace, her eyes rolling. She then shut them, doing her best to brainstorm. It hit her almost instantly. She looked his way once more, "Dearest?"

"Yes?"

"Do you happen to have any further intel on Sonny's business?"

"In terms of…?"

"Employees."

"All I have is the fact that a sizable majority of his employees are bodyguards and goons."

"But he has to have some kind of inner circle, right? Wasn't Dexter inching his way into it?"

"Sort of," Wallace pulled out his cellphone, "The information on that is limited; Dex didn't get all that much on it."

"But he still got something, right?"

"Yes," Wallace swiped on his device until he located a file, passing it to Irina for her reading pleasure, "Frank is Sonny's personal bodyguard and is in charge of the subordinates in that circle-"

"And Brick is the main source of intelligence information," she stated, her focus locked into the contents on the screen, "which makes him our main point of attack."

A smirk spread on Wallace's face, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Irina mirrored him perfectly, "Let's shut that man down."


"Of course it's you. You're at the scene of the crime when something goes wrong."

Anna's eyes darted between Robert and Valentin, and she wasn't sure whether to roll her eyes or bite her bottom lip. Felicia rested a hand on her friend's shoulder, donning the latter expression.

"Nothing's gone wrong," Valentin scoffed with a smirk, "not this time, anyway."

"You have direct ties to the WSB's new, last-minute approved director. How can I not think this has to do with you?"

"Brennan and I haven't spoken since we were partners. That was decades ago."

"And yet he's in charge right when your nephew and my granddaughter enter the academy."

"It's certainly a striking coincidence, isn't it?"

"Valentin," Anna snapped, gritting her teeth, "stop."

"I'm sorry, darling. I just couldn't miss an opportunity to be a thorn in your ex-husband's side."

"You believe him?" Robert asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...I do. In fact, when Emma told me Brennan was now in charge, he didn't take it well."

"Brennan's always been a loose cannon agent; giving him this much power will prove disastrous."

"I don't disagree. He certainly has an agenda with his usurpation."

"Any idea as to what it is? Did Dex or Emma mention anything?"

"No, and no."

"We're not involving them," Anna stated hastily, "They need to focus on their studies."

"What studies? With Brennan's track record, there's probably barely any curriculum left!" Robert replied, "And even then, they can help us."

"The last thing Dex needs is something to tank his health, and the last thing you'd want is for Emma to get into trouble."

"I don't dispute that, but they know Brennan becoming the director wasn't cut and dry, right?"

"Yes."

"If they can let us know what they see and hear, we can get somewhere."

"I actually agree with Robert on this one," Valentin nodded, "Emma's a smart, resourceful young woman, and Dex is much stronger than you're giving him credit for. The more they can help, the better it is for all of us."

"You're sure about this?" Anna asked softly, "Both of you?"

"Yes," they said in unison, prompting an exchange of bitter glares.

"...Okay," she sighed in defeat, "The next time Emma calls, I can bring her in."

"Does that apply to you and Dex?" Robert kept his eyes on Valentin.

"He and I don't talk much. I'm sure Emma can ask Dex on her own," Valentin looked to Anna, who nodded.

"Lovely," Robert sighed, looking at Felicia, "Any thoughts?"

"I echo what these two said," she pointed her thumbs at Valentin and Anna, "If we can get Dex and Emma involved, we'll have a leg-up on just how and why Brennan is the director."

"You said Frisco was fired last-minute?"

"Something like that, yes. There was no notice or warning and no rationale behind the decision. If he were a litigious person, I think he'd have a solid employment lawsuit."

"Maybe we should start there: figure out why Frisco was removed so ceremoniously."

"The only logical explanation would be a formal complaint. The board knows that firing Frisco with zero foundation will get them in trouble, so there had to have been something tangible they used to do it."

"There's only two reasons a director would be dropped like that: misconduct and corruption."

"There's no way it's for misconduct," Felicia shook her head defiantly, "Frisco would never."

"All he did was attend meetings and stay in his office," Anna nodded in agreement, "so that means the allegation was for corruption."

"Wouldn't that not work either?" Valentin questioned.

"You'd think, but he had advisors and assistants," Felicia answered, "Maybe one of them is compromised?"

"If that were true, we would've seen some kind of change in the direction of the bureau," Robert said, "Nothing's changed. And why do we think the claim is even true?"

"Robert's right," Valentin followed with, exchanging looks with the man beside him, "Frisco was removed to put Brennan in, and we already know the reputation he has."

"Looks like we have a starting point then," Anna nodded, "We need to figure out what Brennan did or said to get Frisco removed, and that'll hopefully lead us to how he was appointed and what his plans are."

"Right," Robert nodded, Felicia mimicking him.

"What's our first move?" Valentin asked, a smirk on his face.

"Well, we'll have to call Emma and Dex and get them involved-"

"Anna," Robert raised a hand, noticing her reaching for her phone, "I think Valentin should take the lead here."

"Take the lead?" Felicia raised a confused eyebrow.

"He said earlier that he and his nephew don't talk all that much. I think he should change that."

"Robert-"

"It's fine," Valentin released a heavy sigh as he reached for his phone, dialing Dex's number. It rang a few times before clicking.

"Voicemail, great," Valentin muttered under his breath, shaking his head, "Dexter, it's me. There's something I'd like to discuss with you. Give me a call back once you hear this message. Thank you."

"At least you tried," Felicia offered a smile, prompting Robert to roll his eyes.

"I'll call Emma," Anna got to her feet, searching for her granddaughter's contact on speed dial as she walked out of the living room.

Robert turned his focus onto Valentin, "Good attempt."

"Hopefully he calls me back," the man stared at Dex's contact.

"If Anna gets ahold of Emma, he will," Felicia replied, "I'm sure he'll be happy to know he's needed for something as important as this."

"Mhm," Valentin nodded as Anna returned. He watched her walk back to her seat, "Is she on board?"

"My call also went to voicemail."

"They're probably just busy," Felicia stated, "They'll call you both back, I'm sure."

"They will, and once we loop them in, we can formally get started and restore what Brennan destroyed."

"Child's play," Wallace scoffed, "Disappointing."

"How low does he think of you?" Irina sighed.

"It's not that he thinks poorly of me, it's that he thinks he's smarter than me."

"Planting a fake scandal certainly doesn't give any credence to that, does it?"

"Not at all," Wallace pulled her into his arms, kissing her gently, "Neither does everything else he's pulled."

"Everything else?"

He pulled back, eyes wide. She raised an eyebrow, staring him down. He backed off, turning his attention towards the crate.

"Wallace," her voice boomed, "talk to me."

"He's…definitely tried his best to decimate my family."

"You had Dexter spy on him, right? Did something happen?"

He doesn't reply, giving her a look he knew she'd despise, and despise she did.

"...What happened? What did he do to my baby?"

"Torture."

"That bastard," Irina hissed, slamming her fists on the top of the crate, "That depraved, evil bastard!"

"He…" Wallace took a deep breath, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair, "strung Dex up on a meat hook and held him hostage in a freezer."

"Why?"

"He somehow figured out that Dex worked for me. I doubt Dex left him any clues, and the man isn't smart enough to figure that out on his own."

"He has help."

"Most likely."

"Did you rescue Dexter?"

"I certainly tried. I showed up to where Sonny had Dex and tried to reason with the guy to let him go, but…Victor beat me to the punch."

"And that led to…" she gulped, wincing as a pair of memories flashed in her mind. Wallace opened his mouth to speak, but her raised hand cut him off, "Don't. I know how sorry you are."

"Good."

"If I may?"

"No permission needed."

"Why did you decide to pursue Sonny Corinthos in the first place?"

"In a word? Chaos."

"Chaos?"

"Don't get me wrong," Wallace took a seat on the cushioned chair closest to the crate. Irina slowly approached him, "I do love Seattle. I run the business here, I raised Dex here. As far as I'm concerned, it's home."

"But?"

"I can only do so much in one place. I have no intentions of ever leaving, but I don't want the business to remain stagnant."

"So you wanted to expand?"

"Yes. The only issue was where, and lo and behold, Sonny's knucklehead of a son put out a formal request for a mole."

"I see," Irina nodded her head, getting closer to the man. He pulled her in, perfectly perching her on his lap, "and now look what's happened since you took that ad."

"Sonny may not be the brightest, but he's made things fairly interesting for me.

"It's be more interesting if he were more savvy in conflict."

"It would, but I won't deny how I enjoy his lack of intelligence."

"Neither will I," Irina kissed Wallace's cheek, then looking at the crate, "So, are we ready to send this back to Port Charles?"

"Not yet. We need a response."

"This isn't adequate?"

"No. This is a courtesy. We could've easily disposed of these bodies in the woods."

"Sending them back to Sonny is a statement."

"It is, but not enough of one."

"What do you propose we do, then? What would count as proper retaliation?"

"Hm," Wallace rubbed his chin, "I'm not sure."

"I think sending the bodies back is enough. Sonny will respond however he likes, and we'll match it."

"No," he shook his head, "we have to do more. I promise you, Irina, doing more is better for us."

"...Okay," the woman sighed, turning her back to Wallace, her eyes rolling. She then shut them, doing her best to brainstorm. It hit her almost instantly. She looked his way once more, "Dearest?"

"Yes?"

"Do you happen to have any further intel on Sonny's business?"

"In terms of…?"

"Employees."

"All I have is the fact that a sizable majority of his employees are bodyguards and goons."

"But he has to have some kind of inner circle, right? Wasn't Dexter inching his way into it?"

"Sort of," Wallace pulled out his cellphone, "The information on that is limited; Dex didn't get all that much on it."

"But he still got something, right?"

"Yes," Wallace swiped on his device until he located a file, passing it to Irina for her reading pleasure, "Frank is Sonny's personal bodyguard and is in charge of the subordinates in that circle-"

"And Brick is the main source of intelligence information," she stated, her focus locked into the contents on the screen, "which makes him our main point of attack."

A smirk spread on Wallace's face, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Irina mirrored him perfectly, "Let's shut that man down."

"Of course it's you. You're at the scene of the crime when something goes wrong."

Anna's eyes darted between Robert and Valentin, and she wasn't sure whether to roll her eyes or bite her bottom lip. Felicia rested a hand on her friend's shoulder, donning the latter expression.

"Nothing's gone wrong," Valentin scoffed with a smirk, "not this time, anyway."

"You have direct ties to the WSB's new, last-minute approved director. How can I not think this has to do with you?"

"Brennan and I haven't spoken since we were partners. That was decades ago."

"And yet he's in charge right when your nephew and my granddaughter enter the academy."

"It's certainly a striking coincidence, isn't it?"

"Valentin," Anna snapped, gritting her teeth, "stop."

"I'm sorry, darling. I just couldn't miss an opportunity to be a thorn in your ex-husband's side."

"You believe him?" Robert asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...I do. In fact, when Emma told me Brennan was now in charge, he didn't take it well."

"Brennan's always been a loose cannon agent; giving him this much power will prove disastrous."

"I don't disagree. He certainly has an agenda with his usurpation."

"Any idea as to what it is? Did Dex or Emma mention anything?"

"No, and no."

"We're not involving them," Anna stated hastily, "They need to focus on their studies."

"What studies? With Brennan's track record, there's probably barely any curriculum left!" Robert replied, "And even then, they can help us."

"The last thing Dex needs is something to tank his health, and the last thing you'd want is for Emma to get into trouble."

"I don't dispute that, but they know Brennan becoming the director wasn't cut and dry, right?"

"Yes."

"If they can let us know what they see and hear, we can get somewhere."

"I actually agree with Robert on this one," Valentin nodded, "Emma's a smart, resourceful young woman, and Dex is much stronger than you're giving him credit for. The more they can help, the better it is for all of us."

"You're sure about this?" Anna asked softly, "Both of you?"

"Yes," they said in unison, prompting an exchange of bitter glares.

"...Okay," she sighed in defeat, "The next time Emma calls, I can bring her in."

"Does that apply to you and Dex?" Robert kept his eyes on Valentin.

"He and I don't talk much. I'm sure Emma can ask Dex on her own," Valentin looked to Anna, who nodded.

"Lovely," Robert sighed, looking at Felicia, "Any thoughts?"

"I echo what these two said," she pointed her thumbs at Valentin and Anna, "If we can get Dex and Emma involved, we'll have a leg-up on just how and why Brennan is the director."

"You said Frisco was fired last-minute?"

"Something like that, yes. There was no notice or warning and no rationale behind the decision. If he were a litigious person, I think he'd have a solid employment lawsuit."

"Maybe we should start there: figure out why Frisco was removed so ceremoniously."

"The only logical explanation would be a formal complaint. The board knows that firing Frisco with zero foundation will get them in trouble, so there had to have been something tangible they used to do it."

"There's only two reasons a director would be dropped like that: misconduct and corruption."

"There's no way it's for misconduct," Felicia shook her head defiantly, "Frisco would never."

"All he did was attend meetings and stay in his office," Anna nodded in agreement, "so that means the allegation was for corruption."

"Wouldn't that not work either?" Valentin questioned.

"You'd think, but he had advisors and assistants," Felicia answered, "Maybe one of them is compromised?"

"If that were true, we would've seen some kind of change in the direction of the bureau," Robert said, "Nothing's changed. And why do we think the claim is even true?"

"Robert's right," Valentin followed with, exchanging looks with the man beside him, "Frisco was removed to put Brennan in, and we already know the reputation he has."

"Looks like we have a starting point then," Anna nodded, "We need to figure out what Brennan did or said to get Frisco removed, and that'll hopefully lead us to how he was appointed and what his plans are."

"Right," Robert nodded, Felicia mimicking him.

"What's our first move?" Valentin asked, a smirk on his face.

"Well, we'll have to call Emma and Dex and get them involved-"

"Anna," Robert raised a hand, noticing her reaching for her phone, "I think Valentin should take the lead here."

"Take the lead?" Felicia raised a confused eyebrow.

"He said earlier that he and his nephew don't talk all that much. I think he should change that."

"Robert-"

"It's fine," Valentin released a heavy sigh as he reached for his phone, dialing Dex's number. It rang a few times before clicking.

"Voicemail, great," Valentin muttered under his breath, shaking his head, "Dexter, it's me. There's something I'd like to discuss with you. Give me a call back once you hear this message. Thank you."

"At least you tried," Felicia offered a smile, prompting Robert to roll his eyes.

"I'll call Emma," Anna got to her feet, searching for her granddaughter's contact on speed dial as she walked out of the living room.

Robert turned his focus onto Valentin, "Good attempt."

"Hopefully he calls me back," the man stared at Dex's contact.

"If Anna gets ahold of Emma, he will," Felicia replied, "I'm sure he'll be happy to know he's needed for something as important as this."

"Mhm," Valentin nodded as Anna returned. He watched her walk back to her seat, "Is she on board?"

"My call also went to voicemail."

"They're probably just busy," Felicia stated, "They'll call you both back, I'm sure."

"They will, and once we loop them in, we can formally get started and restore what Brennan destroyed."