Honey Trapped

Chapter Fifteen

Pria sat at the kitchen table, eating yet another lonely meal, because nothing had changed. Mr. Borks laid at her feet, hoping she'd share some of her food. She did. Who else was there to share it with? Not that she was actually eating. Fighting off a cold for the last few days had kept her appetite to a minimum.

Giving up, she pushed her plate away. A bit of immaturity spurred her to leave her plate on the table, knowing it would annoy Drew and his OCD tendencies. Mr. Borks followed her to the door. The burn of the winter wind stung her cheeks, but she was already sick, so she ignored it and sat on the back steps as he sniffed and relieved himself.

Tony came over to check on her, but she waved him away.

He ignored her dismissal. "You look like hell, Pria. Go inside. I'll watch him and let him in when he's done."

Rising to her feet, she asked, "Do you know when Drew will be home?"

Tony shook his head sympathetically and ruffled her hair in a brotherly fashion. "I don't."

Pria smiled wanly. "Lock up before you go, please?"

"Will do. Get some rest."

Pria went back inside. A shiver racked through her, followed by a wave of body aches. Head pounding, she went to bed, curling up on her side. She woke up several hours later, barely able to open her eyes due to the sledgehammer taking up residence in her brain. Swallowing made the rocks in her throat prick and scratch.

Getting up made her muscles scream in pain as she headed into the bathroom. The faucet squeaked before water began to flow and she cupped her hand to sip from it. It didn't help. Another shiver convulsed through her, then a wave of heat so intense, she plopped down on the cold, tiled floor, pressing her cheek against the soothing squares. When the shivers returned, she stood and went back to bed.

The sound of the front door opening echoed through the apartment. Drew walked into the darkened bedroom, steps silent. He rummaged around in the closet. The light from the bathroom was faint in the bedroom, but it was enough for her to see him pull out a bag and begin packing some clothes.

Pria sat up. "What are you doing?"

He jerked, then stuffed more clothes in a bag. "My mom is sick. I need to go see her."

Pria bit her lip. I'm sick too. "How bad?"

Drew turned on the light. "Bad enough I want to go see her."

Pria rose from the bed, ignoring the ache it caused. "When do we leave?"

Drew studied her face and frowned. "We don't. You look a little under the weather yourself. I don't need you making her worse."

"It's just a cold. Nothing serious. Don't you think it's about time I meet your family?"

Drew rolled his head from side to side. "Now's not the time to fight about this. She's sick and I won't risk her health just because you want to have a hissy fit."

"A hissy fit? You think that's what this is?" Pria marched over to him. "I haven't met your family or any of your friends other than Tony. Are we together or not?"

"I'm not arguing about this. Are you really that selfish that you'd risk her health just so you can feel better about us? Get real."

The tears pricked instantly at his harsh tone. "Is she really that sick?"

"I don't know, but I'll find out when I get there."

"How long will you be gone?"

He shrugged. "You know she's been sick for a while."