Anatoly had hardly dared to hope that Freddie would actually spring for his obvious trap and had several strategies waiting in the wings to account for that. But fall he had, and therefore, there was only one response he could make to this turn of events.

This was it. He'd been waiting for this moment for two years and the long wait made it all that much sweeter. He moved his bishop decisively, placing Freddie's king in checkmate.

Decorum prevented him from jumping up and causing a commotion, but oh, how he wanted to. It wasn't only Freddie who he'd defeated, it was everyone who would conspire to use him for their own purposes.