Pretty Things Bleed

Three

HANNA POV

The next week was a blur.

Case files. Witness statements. Coffee that tasted like burnt rubber and desperation.

I didn’t sleep much. Maybe three hours a night if I was lucky. But I didn’t need much sleep. Never had.

My nightmares kept me up…. It drove sleep on a long vacation

Right now what I needed was a pattern

And slowly, it started to come together.

The first four victims all taken from public places late at night. A bar. A gas station. A street corner. The killer knew how to move without being seen. How to be invisible.

The last three victims were different. They were taken from places where people should have been watching. A parking garage. A building. A park during daylight.

He was getting bolder.

Or he didn’t care anymore if people saw him.

“You’ve been staring at that wall for three hours,” Sarah said from her desk.

I looked at her. She was right. I had been.

“I’m thinking,” I said.

“You’re obsessing,” she corrected. “There’s a difference.”

I didn’t argue with her. She wasn’t wrong.

Marcus came in with more files. He always had more files.

“Got the photos from the original crime scenes,” he said. “The ones they didn’t digitize. Physical copies.”

I stood up and took them.

The photos were bad. Faded. Some of them were grainy. But I could still see the victims. Still see what was left of them.

“He leaves them where they can be found,” I said quietly. This bastard intentionally displayed them.”

“What do you mean?” Logan asked. He was eating a sandwich. He was always eating something.

“Most serial killers, they hide the bodies. They don’t want them found,” I said, spreading the photos out on my desk. “But these? They’re left out in the open. Where people can find them. Where the police can find them.”

“So he wants to be caught?” Sarah asked.

“No,” I said. “He wants to be seen.”

Marcus understood. I could see it in his eyes.

“He’s showing off,” Marcus said.

“He’s sending a message ,” I corrected. “Whatever it is, I don’t know yet.”

My phone buzzed again.

Another text from an unknown number.

*“Hanna it's been a while.”*

I deleted it like I always did.

The whole week went by quickly with no clue. And today Friday was the department dinner.

A big thing. All the detectives, all the firefighters, all the brass who liked to pretend they gave a s**t about the people who worked under them.

I hated these things.

But Gomez had made it clear. I needed to go. I needed to be seen. I needed to show the department that I was part of the team now.

So I went.

I wore a black dress. Nothing fancy. Soft fabric that clung to my waist and hips just enough to show my shape without trying too hard. The neckline dipped slightly, showing a hint of skin, and the thin straps rested against my shoulders. The dress stopped a little above my knees, simple.. but it made me feel prettier like a badass that I am.

My hair fell loose down my back in messy waves, still a little damp from the shower, framing my face naturally. No heavy makeup. Just lip gloss and an eyeliner saying don't mess with me.

The ballroom was on the 40th floor of a building downtown. The kind of place that made people feel important for one night.

I stood near the bar and watched people.

That’s what I did best. I watched.

Watched the men who laughed too loud at their own jokes. Watched the women who smiled like they were supposed to. Watched the politics play out in small gestures and careful words.

“You clean up nice, Roberts,” Marcus said, appearing next to me with a drink in his hand.

“I don’t like these things,” I said.

“I know,” he said. “That’s why you’re here. Gomez wants you visible. Wants people to know you’re the one running the case now.”

“His just trying to show off,” I said.

Marcus smiled slightly. “Yeah, his trying to get into politics. So you just focus on the case. That's what's important to you right?”

He was right. I cared about the case. I cared about the victims. I cared about being the one who figured out what everyone else missed.

I didn’t care if people liked me. Neither did I enjoy anyone's company

“Come on,” Marcus said. “At least try to look like you’re having fun.”

I wasn't. But I followed him anyway.

He introduced me to some people. A lieutenant. A fire chief. Some women from dispatch who knew more about the cases than the detectives did.

Sarah was there, talking to a group of behavioral analysts. She looked like she belonged in this world. Like she understood the politics and the game.

Logan was by the food table. Of course he was.

What a pig.

And then suddenly I felt it.

That feeling. The one that made the back of my neck tingle. The one that said someone was watching me.

I turned.

There was a man standing across the room.

Tall. Dark hair. Expensive suit that fit him like it was made for him. He was talking to someone, but his eyes were on me.

And when our eyes met, he smiled.

Just slightly.

My stomach dropped.

Because I knew that face. I froze.

Those same blue eyes I have sketched for ten years

“Who is that?” I asked Marcus, trying to steady my voice.

Marcus followed my gaze.

“Don’t know,” he said. “I don’t recognize him. Maybe he’s with the fire department?”

I kept my eyes on him..no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't take my eyes off him.

The man excused himself from the conversation he was in and started walking toward me.

Slowly. Like he had all the time in the world.

My chest felt tight. My mouth went dry.

This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real.

In the next second, he stopped in front of me.

Up close, and he looked the same… exactly the same

The blue eyes. The sharp jawline. The mouth that never quite smiled but somehow looked like he was

“Hanna,” he said, and his voice was soft and gentle.

I froze how did he know my name?

My breath hitched as he kept staring at me.

“You don’t remember me, do you? ” he said.

“I don’t know you,” I said. My voice came out flat.. Even though inside me was trembling.

He stepped closer. Just a little.

“I'm glad I finally found you,” he whispered.

And that’s when everything went quiet.

The noise of the party. The music. The laughter. It all disappeared.

It was just me and him.

And the face I’d been looking for my whole life.

Standing right in front of me.