A Dissection of the Heart

Crash

Rosalind shot him a frown before bending to retrieve the dropped clamps, still gripping the discarded flesh. One by one, she gathered her bloodied tools and dispensed them into the sink. She grabbed the nearest kettle, flipping it off before emptying its contents onto her instruments. She repeated this five more times until all the kettles were off and emptied and her tools were once again a shiny silver. She flipped the faucet on to a warm temperature and let the water run for a moment as she looked around. Her eyes landed on a plain, dark blue bucket. Rosalind grabbed it and placed it under the running tap.

She could hear the shuffle of feet as men came in to collect the body, whispers could be heard on the other side of the room. The hushed speaker finished their conversation and made a quick exit as Rosalind lifted the bucket, pouring the water over her chest. Reddened water ran off of her and pooled at her feet as she refilled the bucket. “The boss was impressed,” Speciale said with his usual lopsided smile, suddenly at Rosalind’s side. “Oh is that who you were speaking with?” She asked, trying to seem as disinterested as possible. Splash. Speciale lifted an arm to block the water splashing off of her body.

Rosalind couldn’t help but chuckle at him as she tossed the bucket to the side and turned off the faucet. Carefully, she picked up her tools and walked back to her case, neatly filing away all her little friends before closing and locking the case. “Yeah, so he wants to talk to you over dinner actually,” Speciale ventured as he followed quietly behind her. “Well,” Rosalind sighed, “He’s going to have to be disappointed. I’m not interested in any other jobs.” He just shrugged as he followed her to where her clothes were hanging, secure in their bag. He took in the sway of her a.ss as she walked, disappointed that it’ll soon be covered.

“He’s not usually the one to take ‘no’ gracefully…” He warned as she began dressing. “Well if he has an issue with my answer he can go f***k a cactus for all I care. I told you, ONE job. I’m done, I’m retired, I’m sure as hell going to enjoy my retirement.” With that, she smoothed her coat over her shoulders, turned on her heels to collect her case, and sauntered out the room. “Come on,” she commanded over her shoulder, not waiting to see if Speciale was actually going to follow before heading upstairs.

Speciale shook his head at her retreating form, jogging behind to keep up. Rosalind marched down the halls and out the front door, not minding the large men in suits milling about who gave a few quick greetings to Speciale as he passed. By the time he made it out the front door, she was there in front of his parked SUV. Her toes tapping out the rhythm of her annoyance. Her arms were crossed across her chest as she waited, though her face softened as she saw him exit the manor. “About time!” She laughed as he fished the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door with the click of a button.

“Sorry, but you wouldn’t have had to wait if you didn’t tear out of there like no tomorrow.” Speciale said, sliding into the driver seat. “Yeah, well high’s over. Now I’m ready to go home, I didn’t come out to socialize.” She shot him a small smirk as he cranked the car and started down the driveway. This feeling, this emptiness eating away at her being, was part of why she retired. There would always be a high while she was working, like she was untouchable, but sooner and sooner after each high she would crash and be left empty. She felt like a husk and it terrified her.

Speciale knew better than to pry at her as she stared out the window. He could feel her slip away more and more in the year before she retired and went under the radar. He had hoped that finding her again after five years of searching was a sign he could bring back the radiant, crazy woman he knew all those years ago. He frowned, pulled out of his thoughts, as he pulled up to the gate. The gate that was not opening to let them pass. He rolled down his window for the speaker.

“Oy, what the f***k? Open the gate!” He yelled out into the little silver box. Rosalind raised a brow and gazed at him, curious. A moment of silence passed before Speciale’s phone began ringing insistently in his pocket. He took it out, brows furrowing as he read the name on the screen. Riiiing. His eyes darted around, trying to scope out the area around the vehicle in the darkness. Riiiing. He motioned for Rosalind to get into the glovebox. She already knew that he wanted her to grab the handgun stashed there as he reached for another hidden beside his seat. Riiiiiing. Speciale swallowed, debating for a moment what he should do before accepting the call.

“Hello.” His answer was short, tense. He listened for a minute before he whipped his head to Rosalind with eyes wide in shock. He pulled the phone away from his ear, looking at the device uncertainly. “It’s… It’s for you, Andi…” He said, turning back to her, his expression riddled with worry. He hesitated for a moment before extending the phone out to her. She frowned at it, taking it from him as if it would turn into a snake and bite her. Lifting it to her ear with her free hand, she took a deep breath. “Hello?”