Having left her past life behind, Billie has not anticipated a reunion with her former unit in a South American heist four years after they drifted apart. The idea of reconnecting was far from her thoughts, however, as events take an unforeseen turn...
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THE CURRENT WAS STRONG, and as Billie dipped her fingers into the water, she confirmed it was cold. "It's freezing," she remarked. "Do you guys even have spare clothes?"
"Nope," Benny replied, focused on securing the bags tightly onto his mule.
"Do you?" Santiago inquired.
"Yeah, I do," Billie nodded.
"Classic," Benny commented with a grin. "Always prepared for the worst, Bee."
"We'll have to strip down to our outer layers," Tom commented. "Put them in a bag on top of the mules."
Santiago didn't need to be told twice. He began unbuckling his vest, and the others followed suit, except for Billie. She stood away, assessing the rushing current and weighing their options.
Feeling the weight of their gazes as they shed their clothing, Billie took a deep breath. "I think we can find a shallower spot upstream," she suggested, pointing to a calmer section of the river. "It might take a bit longer, but it's safer."
Tom, now shirtless and focused on shoving his shirt into one of the bags, shook his head. "No, we don't have much time to waste."
Billie glanced back to find the three other boys already shirtless, their vests placed on top of the mules. "I feel cold just looking at you guys," she remarked, noticing Will shiver, the wound on his muscular abs causing him discomfort.
"Why are you even looking at us?" Santiago teased, taking hold of the rope attached to his mule and leading it forward.
Billie rolled her eyes. "Enjoying the view," she quipped, following suit and taking hold of her own mule's rope as the Benny and Will snickered behind her.
Santiago glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow. "You're sure about soaking your clothes?" he asked.
"I'm definitely not going to strip in front of you guys," she replied firmly, her teeth chattering slightly from the cold water. "And besides, you're all getting soaked anyway, so what's the point?"
With a soft chuckle, Santiago began to swim across the river, his movements slow and careful. Meanwhile, Billie tightened her grip on the mule's rope, pushing aside the chill seeping into her bones as she prepared to guide the animal through the water.
As the water rose to her jaw, Billie felt the powerful pull of the current and the mule, dragging her sideways against her efforts. Her height and weight didn't seem to help. "Uh, Tom?" she managed to utter above the water, but before she could finish her sentence, she was submerged beneath the surface, the weight of her soaked clothes dragging her down.
Panic surged within her as she fought against the current, struggling to maintain her grip on the mule's rope, frantically, kicking her legs and reaching out until she felt a pair of strong hands grasp hers. Gasping for breath, she emerged from the water, coughing and sputtering as she was pulled to safety by Tom and Santiago's firm grip.
