Alex Grehan: a seasoned killer who has spent most of her life training under the watchful eye of her handler N. However, after N's mysterious disappearance 5 years ago, the protagonist has worked odd jobs for and against the law, struggling to contain the bloodthirsty instinct that still pumps in her veins. Two years ago, a disturbing trend of celebrity murders began: after several weeks of receiving cryptic letters from an unknown individual who signs off as "The Bitch," recipients are subject to exactly thirty-three hours of near-death experiences, gradually escalating in intricacy and cruelty, before being found days after rotting under the base of their house. Alex is arrested at first as a suspect, but as the situation grows more desperate, is eventually commissioned to act as the bodyguard of The Bitch's next victim: Asa Butterfield.