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“No, I got it,” Lauren said.

He waited until she was buckled in and ready then he started the truck and headed back to Mobile.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The drive back to Mobile seemed to take no time at all. Lauren wasn’t sure if it was because she was in shock or because she was just so glad Cypher had found her when he did.

“How you doing?” Cypher asked shortly before they reached the city limits. “You need to stop for anything?”

“No.” The last thing she wanted was to be seen like this. To risk running into anyone she knew while wearing only his shirt and a blanket. She wouldn’t fight going to the ER, because she knew it was best, especially since she needed x-rays and to have her nose set, not to mention blood work to see if whatever they’d used to knock her out would do any lasting harm. Besides. There were few businesses that would let her in barefooted, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to go barefoot in the places that would let her in without shoes.

She took a deep breath and turned to look at Cypher. She watched his face in the flickering light of oncoming traffic for a moment before speaking.

“I don’t know how I’m doing. I feel numb, but at the same time, everything hurts.”

“I think that’s normal, sweetheart.” He reached across the folded seat that served as a console and laid his hand face up and open, offering it to her but not forcing or pushing the issue. “I want you to think about something for a bit. You don’t have to answer right away but think about it.”

She frowned at him, wondering what he was about to suggest

“What?” she asked when he didn’t say anything right away.

“Consider coming to stay on the compound for a while.” He paused, then continued. “It doesn’t have to be forever, but I would feel better if you were inside our gates. We have decent security and there are people around all the time. If you need help, with anything, there’s someone close who can lend a hand.”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to be a burden. And I like my independence.”

“Sweetheart, I’m not trying to take away your independence. That’s part of what I love about you. And I don’t want to hamper you at all. But being a burden? Not an issue. If you’re on the compound, you’re behind the security we already have in place. If you want to stay home, I’ll assign men to keep an eye on you, to make sure nothing like this happens again.”

She was quiet for a while as she contemplated his words and their implications. If she did as he asked, and went to stay with him on the Savage Warriors compound, then it would be less of an inconvenience for them than if she stayed home. But she wasn’t sure she could handle living in the tiny bed/bath apartment where he did. They’d spent a couple nights there over the last few weeks and she always felt …suffocated. As if there were too many people in the building and not enough space to stretch out. It wasn’t bad during events or for a short time but to stay there day in and day out for who knew how long. She didn’t know if she could handle it. But how could she say that without upsetting him?

“You’re tense, sweetheart. Share with me what you’re thinking?”

“I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” she said after a moment.

“Sweetheart, you’re not going to hurt my feelings. I want to make sure you’re safe and that we have everything we can in place to make sure you’re protected.”

She turned to look out the windshield, hoping that if she didn’t look at him, it would be easier.

“I don’t know if I can live in the clubhouse. It’s okay for a night or two here and there, but there are just too many people around all the time.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge his reaction.

“If you’re not used to living packed together, it can be overwhelming. Most of us have come out of the military where there are often fifty or more men in one room. Having a bed and bathroom to ourselves, with no roommates, is more than enough for most of us. But you won’t have to live in the clubhouse. Hex said we can use one of the houses at the back of the compound.”

Lauren turned and looked at him.

“Really?”

“Really.” He squeezed her hand and eased his hold.

She fell silent again thinking about it. Could she stand to live on the compound? What would that mean if she got a call at 2 a.m. and needed to go see a client? Granted it wasn’t something that happened often, but would they try to stop her if she lived behind those gates?

Before she’d come to a decision, before she could work her mind through all of her concerns, Cypher pulled the pickup into the loading zone outside an emergency room she recognized as one of the hospitals in Mobile. He put the truck in park and got out.

“You can’t park here,” she said when he opened the door next to her.

“It won’t be for long. I’ll get Chase to move it once we’re inside.”

Her stomach churned at the thought of going inside. She hated the thought of people seeing her like this, of what they would say. Would they think Cypher had done this to her? That she would stay with someone who would do this to her? Well, Bones would know better, but what about everyone else?

“Come on, babe. Hex would have called ahead to let Bones know we’re on the way.” He reached across her and hit the release on her seatbelt then scooped her out of the seat, blanket and all, before carrying her inside.