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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BILLIE REGRETTED her overreaction. The silence among the group spoke volumes, each of them grappling with guilt that she had inadvertently stirred. She realized she should have simply let the matter pass instead of causing a scene.
Billie worked in silence alongside Will, aiding Benny below and supporting Santiago and Tom above as they pulled the bags up the rocky mountain. Her only interaction with Will was occasional eye contact, fleeting moments amidst their shared concentration on the demanding job.
Then, he shattered the quiet.
"I started it," he said.
"What?" Billie slowed her pace, glancing up at him.
"The argument," he clarified. "I am sorry."
"No," Billie waved it off, resuming her tugging at the rope. "It's fine. I overreacted."
With Will's injury slowing him down, Billie stood by him, offering her assistance.
"Are you sure you want me to get rid of the mules?" Fish's voice echoed from below.
Tom's reply from above came seconds later. "Yeah, it's on us now!"
"Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!" Billie chuckled as Frank spooked the mules, urging them away as they hoisted the final bag.
"All right, come on up!" Santiago's booming voice called from the summit.
"Coming up!" Will called back before he glanced down at Billie, motioning for her to climb before him. "Go on."
With a nod, she gripped the rope tightly and began her ascent.
Santiago and Tom awaited her at the top, extending their hands to help hoist her up. Once she was on her feet, she dusted off her hands and observed as they assisted Will up as well.
As Benny and Frank climbed up, Santiago took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Billie. "You alright, Bee?"
Billie glanced back and nodded before meeting his gaze, observing him as he watched her. "I'm alright," she assured him, shivering slightly in the freezing breeze atop the mountain.
The cold soon got lost in the heat of their bodies as they had to carry more than ten bags down the mountain to the other side.
"You could freeze an Eskimo's asshole out here," Will sighed as they dropped the last bags. They each collapsed, using the pile of bags as makeshift backrests.
"I demand a fire," Benny declared from beside Billie, who sat between him and Tom, rubbing her hands together in an attempt to warm them.
