Chapter 10: Far Away

I should have said no.

I should have faked a sudden illness.

But no, I agreed and let Sarah drag me straight to the ~Hunger Rothschild games~ where I definitely didn’t volunteer myself as tribute.

So here I was, freezing my ass off on this lawn, clutching a cricket bat like it was a weapon.

And mentally insulting Thomas as I took his advice and wore a white uniform two sizes smaller than my usual, my ass so tight in these trousers they would rip if I had to bend forward.

“This is bullshit,” I huffed under my breath.

“Just go with it,” Sarah whispered, far too at ease with this whole situation.

“The Rothchilds take these games seriously.”

That much was obvious.

Every single person around us looked like they’d been preparing for this moment since birth.

There was a certain ease in the way they moved—muscle memory from generations of playing aristocratic sports.

I had zero muscle memory for this.

A low, amused voice sent a shiver down my spine.

“Tell me, Olivia,” Darius said, standing beside me. “Do you even know the rules of the game?”

I turned to him, gripping the bat tightly.

We all had the same white uniform, but somehow, on him it looked like a Ralph Lauren ad.

I lifted my chin.

“Obviously, it’s basically baseball, but British.” Honestly, I had zero idea how to play, but it’s not like I could ask Darius—I would starve myself first.

He let out a short laugh.

“Oh, this is going to be fun.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” he said as his gaze dropped to my lips before looking back up.

Before I could formulate a response, Sarah’s voice rang out.

“Ollie, your turn.”

I swallowed hard.

I adjusted my stance and prepared to shock them all, in a good way. ~A girl can only hope.~

The bowler, not the pitcher, sent the ball flying and I swung.

And missed.

Badly.

The force of my swing threw me off balance, and before I could correct myself, I slipped on the grass.

Time slowed and several things happened at once.

The bat flew out of my hands while I tried to regain my balance and, to my horror, I failed.

Falling flat on my face.

Silence.

Laughter.

I wanted to die.

I wanted to dig my face further into the grass and maybe, maybe all my shame would go away.

“You alright there?” Darius asked, amused.

Groaning, I pushed myself up onto my elbows but I refused to look at him.

“I’m fine.”

“You sure? Earlier I thought you wanted to take a swing at me, but now, I’m worried you can actually hurt someone.” He crouched down, way too close.

“I slipped,” I scowled at him.

But he was spot on with me wanting to take a swing at him.

“I think you panicked under pressure.”

“Oh, shut up.”

He smirked, not the full-on smile he gave his mother yesterday.He was clearly enjoying seeing me in the dirt.

“Come on, you are delaying the game.”

Before I could protest, his hands were on me—one gripping my arm, the other at my waist as he pulled me up effortlessly.

His touch was brief, but suddenly I was burning where his hands were.

I swallowed hard.

“You’re blushing,” he said, far too smug.

“No, I’m not.”

“You are.”

“Dude, I fell on my face.”

“True.” His gaze went to my mouth again. “Funny, it’s the same blush I saw yesterday in the bathroom.”

I opened my mouth, but before I could tell him off, Sarah swooped in, flanked by Alexander.

“Oh my God, Ollie! That was…” She glanced at Darius, giving him an almost apologetic smile. “She’s, um… enthusiastic. Maybe put less energy into that swing?”

Darius smirked.

“Yes, she is very enthusiastic.”

This motherfucker.

I straightened, ready to rant at this asshole, but Sarah gave me a look, her ~please try-to-get-along~ look.

I exhaled slowly.

Forcing a polite smile.

“Actually, Darius has been so helpful.”

I could ~feel~ Darius’ eyes on me.

“Oh Darius, thanks for helping Ollie! She has never been good with sports,” Sarah explained.

Darius kept his eyes on me, as if silently calling me out.

He must think I’m delusional.

But I was relieved that he didn’t call me out in front of Sarah and his brother.

Maybe yesterday’s threat was only extended to me; he has only been polite with Sarah so far.

“I think Darius should give you some coaching advice,” Alexander declared.

Damn it, I hated being on Darius’ team.

“Oh, I’d love to.” I forced a smile, ignoring the heat creeping up my neck as Darius’ eyes glinted with amusement.

Sarah beamed, clearly pleased with my cooperation.

“See? You are fitting right in!” she whispered in my ear before hurrying off to watch the next in line.

The moment she was out of earshot, Darius leaned slightly, lowering his voice.

“You’re such a liar,” he murmured.

I huffed.

“You have no idea.”

“You claim you’re not playing games, Olivia,” he murmured, his voice low and edged with something that gave me goosebumps.

The words echoed the ones he’d thrown at me during our bathroom break yesterday—a reminder that, in his eyes, I was just another pawn in whatever unspoken game Sarah and I were caught in.

But he was wrong.

I was playing a game—just not the one he thought.

I wasn’t here to toy with him or anyone else.

I was here for Sarah, to make an effort, to prove that I could be there for her, even if every second in this beautiful bastard’s presence made that infinitely harder.

Not that it mattered.

Because with a man like him, first impressions were set in stone.

And mine? Well, mine was a disaster from the start.

Darius watched me for a beat, eyes gleaming with amusement.

Then his mouth curled into a smirk.

“I would say this is going to be fun to watch,” he said, voice dripping with certainty, “but you are on my team.”

Now Alexander was the bowler.

“Come on, brother. Let’s finish this quick,” Alexander said, picking the ball from the field.

Yes, Darius’ team was losing because of me.

Anna didn’t look too entertained either.

Maybe I should just miss this swing and make the game finish quicker.

Darius stood behind me while I grabbed the bat.

His body close, too close, as his hands touched mine at the edge of the bat.

“You don’t have to teach me like that,” I said.

“Come on coach!” Vivian whistled.

“Eyes on the bowler, Olivia,” he instructed me.

He flexed his knees, making me flex mine as we both stood ready to hit the ball.

Well, he was doing all the work.

I was just standing in front of him like a puppet, already feeling the heat of his body.

“We are going to hit the ball, and you, Olivia, you are going to run. You are going to run as fast as you can. Far away, far away…” he continued speaking in my ear as the bowler got ready to bowl. “…just as your sister will tonight, away from my family.”

“Asshole,” I gritted, already feeling his hands tightening on the bat.

The ball was coming toward us, toward my face.

He wanted to murder me?

His grip on me was too strong for me to even try to break free.

I closed my eyes, ready for the hit, and felt how his strength guided me in a powerful swing.

The clash of the bat gave a hard pop as the ball soared up and up into the sky in a perfect arc, far away from the wicket.

“Run,” he said.

“Run, Olivia!” Sarah exclaimed, all excited.

“Fucking run!” Vivian snapped, making me aware of my duties.

Shit! My legs started working.

One lap, two laps.

I could see Anna and Edmund running on the field, and Alexander’s laugh before he spoke.

“Cheater,” he said to Darius.

I stopped at the end of the second lap, panting at the finish.

Darius stood with his arms crossed.

“Already giving up?” he said in a mean tone. “Come on, little girl, you can hit one more.”

~Little girl?~ This fucker.

Oh, I ran again.

Like I was running for my life, and I could hear Darius’ family cheering me on.

For the first time, his family was cheering me on.

I could see from the corner of my eye how Alexander had the ball back.

Fuck.

I ran as if Forrest Gump was being chased by zombies.

I pumped my legs, ignoring the sudden pain in my chest.

I just kept running.

I heard the cheering in the distance, I heard Sarah calling my name.

I saw Darius, and I zoned him out.

I was the bull and he was my target, so I just ran at him—I wanted to run him over.

But I didn’t think my plan through that well, because at the last second he moved, and I, being Olivia Summer, tripped and went flying face first into the grass.

“At least she completed the run,” Vivian said, laughing her ass off.

“Giving up yet, Summer?” Darius smirked as I cleaned the dirt off my face.