A Trail of Smoke and Smugglers (Santi/PopexReader)

Coincidences

[A/N: Hello my lovelies! Thank you for being patient with me! Here is the next chapter for you all! I did something slightly different with this chapter, and you'll notice that I've put two songs in parentheses within the story. It's your choice if you want to listen to them during this chapter (and they're both in the playlist!). I hope you don't mind how I've been spacing the chapters, but you've all been anticipating tomorrow's upload. I love you all and hope you enjoy! -K 🖤]

[🌿This chapter contains swearing and angst.🌿]
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Several hours had trickled slowly by the time we had reached the partial flatlands of the mountains. After finishing the smuggler's trail that wrapped around the mountains and elevated our positions, we found ourselves in between changing climates.

The unbearable heat of the jungle had transitioned into bone-chilling temperatures. Santi had directed that we all add our heavier jackets as a precaution. He was also the one to first one to suggest that we pack them in the first place, as the weather could be temperamental, as was previously witnessed.

Due to my situation, I didn't have a winter jacket of my own. The day before we left for Brazil, Tom had searched his closet and had found an identical jacket to the one he was currently wearing: bright, annoyingly orange and difficult to miss.

As our journey progressed, I found myself becoming more ill as the hours passed. My fever had thankfully dissipated, but the continuous cough was relentless.

"There you go. Stay there." Santi ordered as I pulled myself up onto the ridge. Tom grabbed my outstretched hand and assisted me the rest of the way.

"No, I can help. I can do it." I defiantly returned, standing beside Tom and preparing to operate the pulley system that the guys had devised to properly transfer the bags up the face of the cliff.

Frankie was unloading the mules down below while Will and Benny were attaching the bags to the bottom ropes. The plan was that the rope would be pulled from several angles, bringing the money upwards in a reoccurring cycle until every bag had been transported from the bottom of the cliff.

"(Y/N). As your brother, I'm asking you to sit this one out. This isn't because we don't believe you can do it. I know you can. You definitely can. But you're not feeling well, as much as you don't want to admit it, and I don't want you to overexert yourself, okay?" Tom softly held my wrists and prevented me from grabbing onto the ropes.

"But, I can-" I covered my mouth and coughed harshly into my elbow. Tom suspiciously raised an eyebrow and gently held onto my shoulder, steadying me as I struggled to breathe deeply.

He tiredly sighed and licked his cracked lips. "When I look at you, I see an independent woman. A warrior. My hero." He smirked, replaying my previous confession to him earlier. "But I also see my little sister that I love dearly. And right now, I think my sister has pneumonia." He stated, lightly patting my back as I cleared my throat.

I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip. "I'm... God, I'm a fucking failure, Tom. I get this far, and I get a stupid head-cold, and suddenly I can't do shit anymore?" I focused on some of the buttons that had come loose on his jacket and re-buttoned them before sliding my hands down the front of his jacket to flatten the wrinkles.

"Hey. You're not a failure. Don't say that shit. All of us know that you're stronger than any of us. You're also stubborn as hell." He chuckled and playfully rubbed the top of my head to which I swatted his hand away. "Ask Pope what he thinks."

Santi finally made his way onto the upper portion of the cliff and finished securing the lines of connected ropes. "Ask Pope what?" He curiously questioned, rubbing his gloved hands together to warm himself.