While eating alone at a coffee shop, Lana is approached by an arrogant man who introduces himself as Craig, whom she coldly dismisses. Craig’s companion, Logan Bennett, observes the interaction and, intrigued, pays for Lana’s meal. Annoyed, Lana confronts Logan outside his SUV to pay him back. Logan, an FBI agent, profiles her with unnerving accuracy, identifying her detachment, painful past, and loneliness. In turn, Lana correctly deduces he is with the FBI. He gives her his card and says, “If you ever want help feeling alive, call me. I could use some life as well” (5). His assessment of her leaves Lana feeling vulnerable and exposed, but she is thrilled by the encounter.

Later, Lana prepares for her next murder. After driving to a remote house, she dons a disguise and weighted gear to alter her footprint, then stealthily enters. She ambushes her target, Ben, as he emerges from the shower, slicing his Achilles tendon to immobilize him. She reveals that she was the 16-year-old girl he and his friends assaulted 10 years prior. Though Ben attacks her, Lana easily overpowers and chokes him into unconsciousness. She tells him she will torture him for three days, taking three pounds of his flesh as retribution.

At the FBI office in Quantico, Logan Bennett reviews the gruesome crime scene photos of the latest victim, Ben Harris. He discusses the case with his colleagues, Elise and Craig. The killer, whom they refer to as the “unsub,” always paints a wall red with the victim’s blood and subjects them to prolonged torture, including castration. The team’s profile suggests the killer is a large, physically fit male sexual sadist, though whether the unsub is gay remains uncertain given that all five victims were straight.

All five victims are from the same small, religious town, Delaney Grove, but were killed across different states. The unsub enters their homes without force, suggesting the victims knew and trusted their killer. Suspecting a key link lies within the town, Logan sends Elise and Leonard to investigate. Soon after, Logan receives a call from an unknown number; it is Lana. They flirt, and she tells him her name is Lana Myers and that she runs an online trading business. After arranging to meet for coffee, Logan has a colleague, Hadley, run a quick, clean background check on her. He goes home to sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of Lana’s “haunted” eyes rather than the murder case.

Lana meets Logan at the same coffee shop, reflecting that her interest in him stems from a desire to feel human again after years of feeling dead inside. Logan arrives late, and they have a brief, flirtatious conversation. He admits that his habit of constantly profiling people has negatively impacted his dating life. Lana partially lies, saying her parents died in a car accident, to explain her past without revealing the truth. Logan shares that he is 29 and lives in his late stepfather’s house. Their meeting is cut short when Logan receives a work call and has to leave abruptly, ending their date with an awkward wave from Lana.

While exchanging flirtatious texts with Logan, Lana is at the home of her next target, Tyler, planting hidden cameras for surveillance. She learns his wife will be out of town, which will provide the perfect opportunity to strike. She also notes that her tech-savvy best friend, Jake, will handle any security systems. A text from Logan about his work triggers a flashback to Lana’s assault 10 years earlier, when Tyler held her down. She reflects that the memory no longer incapacitates her but instead fuels her mission for revenge.

At the FBI office, Logan’s colleague Elise teases him for smiling at his phone while texting Lana. They discuss the mutilation case, noting that the police in Delaney Grove are uncooperative and offended by the suggestion that the killer could be a gay man from their town. Elise warns Logan that their demanding jobs make relationships difficult.

Later, Craig reports that the Delaney Grove sheriff was dismissive and bigoted, reinforcing Logan’s theory that the town’s repressive atmosphere is a “breeding ground for serial killers” (31). Logan explains to Craig that to solve the case, he must enter the killer’s delusional mindset. Meanwhile, he continues texting with Lana, trying to schedule a date around their conflicting work commitments.

Lana finds her days now center on two phones: a cloned one for surveillance and her personal one for Logan. She and Logan continue to text, sharing humorous work stories. Logan sends a message saying, “I should have kissed you” (36), and Lana agrees. She reflects on how he makes her feel like a person again after years of feeling broken. Although she recognizes the danger of their relationship, she feels addicted to the positive feelings he inspires. She knows she cannot abandon her kill list, which still contains many names, even for him.

Logan briefs his team on the mutilation case, noting the killer is smart and meticulous, leaving a trail that is quickly going cold. As he works, he texts with Lana, and their flirting continues. He spontaneously invites her to dinner the next night. Their banter escalates until Logan asks, “Is it wrong that I’m tempted to ask where you live so I can subtly swing by tonight with the excuse I was in the neighborhood and thought I saw someone too close to your house?” (40). Lana playfully says that she hopes he will find her address and show up that night. Taking her seriously, Logan uses his FBI privileges to find her home. He drives there, reflecting on his own loneliness and acknowledging that he wants someone in his life who would notice if he went missing, unlike many of the victims of the crimes he investigates.

While monitoring her target, Tyler, Lana learns he is cheating on his wife. She speaks on the phone with Jake, who expresses concern that her new “peppy” attitude means she is losing focus, unaware it is because of Logan. Jake worries that her methods, particularly the castrations, are too specific and could lead investigators back to their hometown. Lana reassures him by explaining her forensic countermeasures—using weighted backpacks to fake a large male footprint and strangling victims on the ground to disguise her height—and insists the investigation will not lead back to her.

Their conversation is interrupted by a knock at the door. It is Logan. Lana quickly hides her gun and lets him in. He immediately kisses her passionately, and they move to her bedroom. When he sees the scars on her body, she lies and claims they are from a car accident. They have intense sex, and for the first time since her trauma, Lana feels comfortable letting a man take the lead. Afterward, they cuddle, and Lana realizes she must be more careful about hiding her weapons and her “murder room” from him. The chapter also reveals Lana’s true backstory: Born Victoria Evans in Delaney Grove, she was left for dead and assumed the identity of wealthy orphan Kennedy Carlyle, later legally changing that name to Lana Myers.

The next day at the office, Craig correctly guesses that Logan spent the night with a woman. Feeling that Lana is too good to be true, Logan runs another background check on her, discovering she has no living relatives. His colleague Hadley Grace warns him that he is just in the “honeymoon phase” of the relationship.

Logan has a major breakthrough on another case—a rape-and-murder serial killer targeting women—realizing the killer selects victims with symmetrical faces to cast da Vinci-inspired bronze sculptures from their likenesses. A lead sends his team to New York. He calls Lana to cancel their plans, but she is surprisingly understanding, telling him to “go be awesome” (62). Impressed, he promises to survive and come back to her.

Lana is in New York, tracking her target, Tyler, who has made an unscheduled trip. She suspects he is meeting another target, Lawrence. Her partner, Jake, is furious that she is dating an FBI agent but shows up in disguise to help her. At a restaurant, dressed as a vision-impaired man and a blonde bombshell companion, they use a listening device to eavesdrop on Tyler and Lawrence. The men discuss the recent murders of their friends and wrongly suspect another member of their old group. Lawrence also reveals he kept the remorseful group member, Dev, silent by threatening to harm Dev’s sister Melissa—explaining why Dev is not on Lana’s kill list. Tyler and Lawrence refer to Lana’s deceased brother with an antigay slur and call her a “rapist’s whore daughter” (69). Enraged, Lana and Jake decide to kill both men together. As Lana and Jake leave their table, Lawrence grabs her wrist and hits on her. She smiles but feels disgust. 

As they exit the building, Lana is shocked to see Logan and Craig on the sidewalk; they are in town for the Boogeyman case. She overhears Craig ask Logan snarkily, “Back home to the Ice Queen?” (72), and Logan replies, “Yeah. Don’t be jealous” (72). Just then, Logan calls Lana’s phone, but she is forced to ignore it as Jake pulls her away.

Logan’s colleague Hadley reveals she illegally accessed Lana’s financial records and discovered she is extremely wealthy. Logan is surprised, as Lana’s house is modest. Later, Lana calls, and they arrange to spend their two days off at his house.

When Lana arrives, she finds the Boogeyman case file on his kitchen island. Logan asks for her opinion, and she provides a brilliant profile, theorizing the killer is a custodial worker with a compulsion for using specific cleaning products—a detail Logan and his team missed. Impressed, Logan calls Hadley with the new lead, telling her his “genius” girlfriend provided it.

Lana feels a hypocritical satisfaction in helping Logan catch a killer while he proudly credits “his girl” for the lead. She talks to Jake, who agrees to help her abduct their next two victims but still worries about her relationship with Logan. Lana explains that Logan gives her hope for a future beyond her revenge.

She and Logan spend a passionate night together, talking and sharing details about their pasts. However, their time is cut short when Logan gets a call that the custodial service lead has yielded two names with priors. He must leave for Boston to pursue the suspects. As soon as he is gone, Lana calls Jake to tell him their own mission is back on: She will abduct Lawrence while he takes Tyler.

In a dark New York City alley, Lana waits for her target, Lawrence. A single thug approaches her with a knife; she disarms him, breaks his arm, and stabs him with his own knife. Disguising herself as the blonde bombshell from earlier, she positions herself on the sidewalk where Lawrence will see her. As predicted, he approaches her. She easily lures him into a deserted parking garage, dismissing his arrogant belief that he can “handle” her.

Lawrence awakens chained and suspended in an underground cellar. Hidden in the shadows, Lana torments him by playing creepy children’s music. Jake arrives, having sent Tyler tumbling down the stairs; Tyler’s legs are broken. Jake chains Tyler up opposite Lawrence. Lana finally steps into the light. She quotes the taunts the men used during her assault 10 years ago, causing them to recognize her with horror. A flashback reveals Lawrence straddling and mocking her while her brother screamed nearby. After Lawrence taunts her, Lana informs them that their planned torture will now last a full week, then begins by slowly cutting into Lawrence’s thigh with a dull knife.

Logan and his team have identified the Boogeyman killer as Gerald Plemmons, but he has escaped. While texting with Lana, she warns that Plemmons, emboldened by the media attention, might target Logan. Days later, with no new leads, Logan returns home and goes directly to Lana’s house. He finds her just out of the shower, and they have passionate sex.

Afterward, he questions her about a man named Jake, who she says has a key. Lana explains Jake is her bisexual business partner and is like a brother to her. Logan then finds blood in her hair. She first claims it is paint, then lies that it is Jake’s from a minor injury. Logan apologizes for his jealousy, and Lana apologizes for lying, feeling that he is too good for her. He finally takes her on their long-promised lobster and wine date.

After a perfect date with Logan, Lana feels guilty for lying about the blood in her hair, which actually belonged to her two latest victims, Tyler and Lawrence. She realizes Logan nearly caught her covered in their blood when he arrived unexpectedly the day before and resolves to be more careful.

Jake calls with alarming news: The Boogeyman, Gerald Plemmons, has resurfaced in Washington, DC, where he murdered a judge’s wife. He left a chilling message carved into the victim’s chest: “Boogeyman” and “Logan Bennett.” Jake theorizes Plemmons will now target Logan’s girlfriend—Lana—to torment him. Lana resolves to kill the Boogeyman herself. Just then, a woman from Logan’s FBI team, Hadley Grace, arrives at Lana’s door. Hadley holds up a file and demands to know why Lana has stolen the identity of a dead girl.