Ellen walked softly down the prison corridor, glancing upwards to confirm the cameras were still off. She knew what had to be done - the world saw this man as merely a criminal, a man with sordid secrets, but he was so much more. The wiliest of Russian agents, a Kremlin asset with a voice as American as apple pie, and a life of luxury to make any billionaire blush. With a word and a smile and a twinkle in his eye, he could effortlessly hypnotise America's best and brightest, forcing his innocent victims to do dark deeds against their strongest will. How easily he could make them spill the nation's secrets straight to Moscow, turn them into his unwilling puppets. But no more.

For years she and her husband had played a deadly game of chess with him, insinuating themselves into his inner circle, putting on her smiling diplomatic face as she visited his ranch each year, making smalltalk with his partner at her own daughter's wedding. It made her shudder with horror even being near him, and she reassured herself it was all for the good of the nation, a nation that would never understand her sacrifice. But now it was time for the endgame. She rounded the corner and took in the sleeping guards, the unlocked cell door, the sheet dangling like a rope. With a deep breath, she unbuttoned the jacket of her pantsuit and cracked her knuckles. Queen takes king. Checkmate.