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Nate nodded. “She’s unnaturally calm for a woman who was kidnapped and about to enter the world of sex trafficking. She hasn’t talked about it at all?”

“Nothing,” I said flatly. “She’ll talk about the facts, but her emotions are never engaged. She needs to heal emotionally. Maybe that will just take time. But if she needs to talk about it, she’ll need a sounding board. Someone who understands what she went through.”

“You’re right,” he conceded. “She probably needs to stay. It looks like she and Sara are connecting, and we’ll be here for her if she needs more friends. She’s probably better off here for now.”

I couldn’t be upset with Nate for questioning my decision at first.

He didn’t want to see Jenna get hurt, and we had the same objective.

Nate might keep his emotions on lockdown most of the time, but he had a heart.

“I’m not planning on hurting her, Nate,” I told him gruffly.

“I know that,” he replied. “I’m just a little worried about that mutual attraction between you two. We all suck at relationships. I wonder what happened to all of us sometimes. There was a time when we all wanted the chance at a good relationship when we got out of the army. Maybe we got jaded, but none of us have even thought about a serious relationship since we got out of Delta.”

I shrugged. “That was when we first got into Delta. We were all in our twenties back then. We definitely got cynical and disillusioned. Maybe I saw one too many failed relationships in special forces. We all learned better than to get involved while we were in Delta. By the time I got out, I was convinced that I wasn’t cut out for relationships. I guess I like my freedom too much, and I put a lot of my free time into Last Hope. I can’t see any woman wanting to put up with my crazy life. I think I’m better off alone. I’m too set in my ways, and I like my life.”

“Same,” Nate verified. “But do we feel that way because we don’t have the right person in our lives or because we really don’t want a relationship? Look at Marshall. Who would have thought that he’d find something or someone more important than Last Hope? But he’s made it perfectly clear that Emma and Wren come first for him now.”

“The same thing happened to Hudson, Jax, Chase, Cooper, and Wyatt,” I considered.

Nate grinned. “Maybe there’s still hope for us,” he joked.

I was pretty sure that Nate would put Sara first if she’d give him the chance at a relationship with her.

There was definitely hope for him if she ever changed her mind about what she wanted.

The rest of us?

Maybe…not.

I’d never met a woman who had tempted me to give up my freedom…until now. And the woman I was interested in lived across the damn country from me.

Gage knew a lot of people in this town, and he’d never shown any interest in the single women here.

And Seth thought he was completely broken because of a mission gone wrong when we were still in Delta.

Some of his scars were visible, but many of them were not.

Having a woman in his life seemed like the last thing on his mind.

He was still trying to recover from that fucked-up operation that seemed to haunt him, even though none of it had been his fault.

“Do you think I’m crazy because I want more time with Jenna?” I asked Nate.

He shook his head. “No. I think she got to you as soon as you saw her picture and read her bio. You two have your history in foster care in common, so I think you understand each other. I probably should have thought about that before. I think that’s why you were a little off the day we got the kidnapping information from Marshall. If anyone can understand the shit she went through as a child, it’s you. I think it’s a good idea for you to be her advisor, but it might end up being a conflict of interest if you end up wanting more than her friendship.”

“Seriously?” I scoffed. “Marshall was Emma’s advisor.”

Nate nodded. “And it was a conflict of interest. I’m not saying that it won’t work. I’m just saying that you won’t be able to be impartial.”

Hell, I probably hadn’t and never would be objective when it came to Jenna.

“I think she’s had enough impartial people in her life,” I said, my tone impatient. “If she needs impartial, I’ll find her a counselor. It’s time that Jenna has someone in her life who actually gives a shit about her. She deserves that.”

Nate cocked a brow. “Has it occurred to you that she may not seek out those relationships?”

“Maybe not,” I said tersely. “But she still deserves it. Someone should be there to watch out for her.”