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  The Lost Connection

  The Raven Sisters

  Jen Talty

  Copyright © 2020 by Jen Talty

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  The Lost Connection

  A Note from Jen Tatlty

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Terminology and Definitions

  The Collective Order

  The Global Alliance Coalition

  About the Author

  Also by Jen Talty

  The Lost Connection

  A COLLECTIVE ORDER NOVELLA

  book 4 of 4 in the RAVEN SISTERS series

  USA Today Bestselling Author

  JEN TALTY

  Praise for Jen Talty

  "Deadly Secrets is the best of romance and suspense in one hot read!" NYT Bestselling Author Jennifer Probst

  "A charming setting and a steamy couple heat up the pages in a suspenseful story I couldn't put down!" NY Times and USA today Bestselling Author Donna Grant

  "Jen Talty's books will grab your attention and pull you into a world of relatable characters, strong personalities, humor, and believable storylines. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll rush to get the next book she releases!" Natalie Ann USA Today Bestselling Author

  "I positively loved In Two Weeks, and highly recommend it. The writing is wonderful, the story is fantastic, and the characters will keep you coming back for more. I can't wait to get my hands on future installments of the NYS Troopers series." Long and Short Reviews

  "In Two Weeks hooks the reader from page one. This is a fast paced story where the development of the romance grabs you emotionally and the suspense keeps you sitting on the edge of your chair. Great characters, great writing, and a believable plot that can be a warning to all of us." Desiree Holt, USA Today Bestseller

  "Dark Water delivers an engaging portrait of wounded hearts as the memorable characters take you on a healing journey of love. A mysterious death brings danger and intrigue into the drama, while sultry passions brew into a believable plot that melts the reader's heart. Jen Talty pens an entertaining romance that grips the heart as the colorful and dangerous story unfolds into a chilling ending." Night Owl Reviews

  "This is not the typical love story, nor is it the typical mystery. The characters are well rounded and interesting." You Gotta Read Reviews

  "Murder in Paradise Bay is a fast-paced romantic thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. You won't want to miss this one..." USA Today bestselling author Janice Maynard

  A Note from Jen Tatlty

  I highly recommend that THE RAVEN SISTERS series be read in order. This is book 4, so if you haven’t read THE LOST SISTER, THE LOST SOLDIER, or THE LOST SOUL, you might want to consider it. The series follows the four sisters who find their soulmates while uncovering a massive plot by a man who betrayed his brothers-in-arms and his country. The plot unravels slowly between the four books as each sister finds her soulmate.

  In this particular book, we also learn of A NEW ORDER, which is a spin off series that will be released in the fall.

  Prologue

  Gabe Underwood held his mother’s hand. “Please, Mom,” he begged. “Let me call Alexis. She can heal you. I know she can.”

  “No, son, she can’t,” his mother said.

  “Her powers are strong. I’ve seen them. I’ve felt them. She can do it. Trust me, Mom. You’ve got to let me call her.”

  His mother shook her head. “You know it’s time. We’ve talked about this for months. For years. I fulfilled my destiny. Now it’s time for you to fulfill yours.”

  He swiped at his eyes. “I’m not ready to let you go.”

  “You have to be,” she said. “We’ve prepared for this.”

  “No.” He shook his head and closed his eyes tight. He concentrated on Willow’s positive energy and strength as he broke through the psychic barriers. Willow? I need your sister. My mom needs your sister. Please. My mom is in a bad way. I can’t just let her die.

  I know. Alexis can feel it, and she’s trying to heal her again. But her cancer is strong.

  “Oh no.” His mother gasped. “You didn’t.”

  “I had to, Mom. I can’t just let you die.”

  She grabbed his chin. “You have to. It’s the only way for you to become the man you were destined to be.”

  “You keep saying that, but I don’t understand.”

  My sister is so weak. Your mom’s cancer is draining her to the point she has to break the connection. I’m so sorry.

  Just tell her to please try. Gabe knew Willow and her sister would do what they could, but he also understood Alexis, as powerful as she was, might not have the ability to cure his mom. A fact he had to accept.

  “A great woman, your birth mother, asked me to take care of you until it was time for you to begin your journey. That time is now. It’s going to be long and hard, but the reward will be great, and Willow will be part of that someday in the future, but only if you let me go, and let me go now.”

  “I really don’t know what all of that means.” He cradled his mother’s head in his lap. At eighteen, none of this made sense. He was supposed to be in the prime of his life. While he had no problem staying home and taking care of his dear mother, he wished she would give him a reason why she wanted to toss in the white flag. Why she refused cancer treatment when the doctors told her she could prolong her life by a good year. And as long as her quality of life could be guaranteed, he hadn’t a clue as to why she wouldn’t try.

  “I want you to do what that gentleman that was here the other day asked you to do.”

  “You want me to join the Navy?” he asked with wide eyes. “This is crazy, Mom. You’re delusional.”

  “No. I’m not. I’ve been waiting for this moment for your entire life. It’s what I was tasked to do. It’s what has given my life meaning.” She reached out with a shaky hand and cupped his cheek. “Before you came into my life, I was a lost soul and wanted to die. And then I met your birth mother. She was scared and she needed help, and for the first time in my life I could do something good.”

  “Mom. You’ve done a lot of good things, and there will be many more.” He swiped at the tears burning his skin. His mom had always told him how he’d saved her from a life of drugs and prostitution and how he’d been her little angel. Her savior.

  He wanted to be that for her.

  “The Collective Order. It’s all that matters now and what I’ve neglected to tell you was that you’re one of the quadruplet brothers.”

  “Excuse me?” Gabe jerked his head back. He swallowed. He’d grown up listening to stories about a woman named Riley Jacobs, a book she was writing, and her thoughts on the psychic realm. His mother patted his cheek. His entire life his mother had told him stories about how special his birth mother had been and that she had been part of the Collective Order, which explained his abilities. He always accepted that and embraced them. While the rest of the world probably thought he was a freak, thanks to Willow and her family, he knew there were others like him, and even though it was best if he kept his talents to himself, he didn’t feel alone. “Next thing you’re going to tell me is that Willow and her sisters are the quadruplets’ counterparts.”

  His mother arche
d a brow and smiled. She held a ring in her hand and placed it in Gabe’s hand. “And Willow will be your true love. Your only love.”

  He coughed. “She’s eleven.” While he had a special bond with the young girl, she was exactly that.

  Young.

  A child.

  And he was a man. But he tucked the ring in his pocket, which should feel weird, but oddly, it didn’t.

  Her two oldest sisters, Hazel and Savanah, were more his age, but he wasn’t interested in either of them. They were sweet, kind girls, but not his type. Not that he knew what his type was since he hadn’t really dated any young ladies. Between work and taking care of his mother, he hadn’t any free time.

  “And in seven years, she’ll be eighteen and an adult and you’re going to find her in an interesting place and you’re going to know she’s the one and you will give her that ring, which was my mother’s.”

  “This is crazy talk.”

  “If it were so crazy, you wouldn’t be looking at me as if deep down you knew this were all true.”

  “How do you know this?” In all of his life, his mother had never lied to him. Never. So why would she start now?

  “Your birth mother told me.” His mother let out a long breath. Her eyelids fluttered over her tired eyes.

  “What else did she tell you?” Gabe’s heart squeezed. His mother had never kept his birth mother from him and always told him how much she had loved him and only wanted what was best and that someday he’d understand why she had to give him up.

  “That a man would come to recruit you into the Navy and that would be when my cancer would return.”

  “Return?” His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. “You knew about this?”

  She closed her eyes and her head slumped to the side. “Trust General Mallard. No matter what happens or how painful it is, do what he says. In the long run, it’s the only way to save you, your brothers, and the Raven sisters.”

  “I’m not going to blindly follow someone I don’t even know.”

  His mother’s breath turned cold. Her chest rose slowly up and down with a wheeze. “He’s not just anyone. He’s your birth father.”

  “What?” Bile smacked the back of Gabe’s throat. He’d been raised with an open mind, but even this was too much for him to handle.

  “I know. It’s a shock.”

  “You have no idea.” Gabe cradled his mother’s head. He had a million questions and he knew none of them would be answered.

  “But you can’t tell anyone, especially not Willow. She can’t know any of this, yet. She’s not ready. None of her sisters are ready either.”

  “Not to mention it would probably get me arrested,” he said.

  “Promise me you will call Mallard as soon as I take my last breath.”

  “Mom. This is nuts.”

  She reached up with a shaky finger and pressed it over his lips. Her hand fell to her side; she was so weak she couldn’t hold it up. “The next few years will be hard on you, but I’ve seen what your future could hold if you and your brothers are reunited, and the only way that happens is if you call Mallard. Promise me, son. Or my death will be in vain.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut tight, squeezing out a few tears. “I promise,” he managed.

  “It’s time for me to go.”

  “Mom,” Gabe said, blinking his eyes open. “I don’t want you to leave me. I will miss you so much.”

  “Don’t worry. You will see me again on a different plane.” She shook her head slightly when he opened his mouth. “In time you will understand what that means; just trust me that we have a tight connection that will only be lost for a short period of time. I love you, Gabe,” she whispered. “Do me proud.”

  “No, Mom. Stay with me. I need you.”

  His mother’s body went slack as the life inside lifted from her skin. Her aura filled the room, swirling around his body, filling him with all the love she’d given him over the years.

  Willow. Are you there?

  Yes. But it’s not good. Alexis is crumpled on the floor, moaning. I don’t think she can help.

  Gabe placed his fingers on the side of his mother’s neck.

  No pulse.

  Her essence lifted to the ceiling and slowly disappeared, leaving him an empty shell of a man.

  Tell Alexis thank you, but my mother is gone.

  Carefully, he slipped from the couch and made his way to the kitchen. He found the recruitment card on the table. He picked it up and stared at the name.

  General Ross Joseph Mallard.

  If this was supposed to be his destiny, then there was no way in hell he’d let his mother die in vain.

  Chapter 1

  Fourteen years later…

  Show yourself, you fucking asshole. Willow Raven sat on the park bench. She could smell Gabe’s fresh pine and vanilla scent. The fact he still carried the aroma of the good guys made the hair on the back of her neck stand tall.

  Take your finger off the trigger and I will.

  She scanned the open field. A group of young men playing Frisbee in the far right corner laughed and pounded their chests while a group of girls sitting on a blanket giggled while they watched. A group of moms pushed their kids on swings while others stood around the sandbox.

  But there was no sign of Gabe.

  She took her hand off the butt of her weapon and tucked it in her backpack. Try anything funny and I’ll kill you. And don’t think that just because you and I once danced naked under the stars means anything sentimental to me. I won’t think twice about putting a bullet in your back.

  I’ve always loved it when you talk dirty to me.

  Don’t be a dick.

  But you like my dick.

  Liked. Past tense. I’ve found better. A total lie. No one did her better than Gabe, but she was never going to give him that satisfaction.

  That’s mean.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement in the trees by the tetherball court.

  She exhaled as Gabe emerged from the trees. He wore a dark T-shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. His sandy-brown hair touched the nape of his neck, and it appeared he hadn’t shaved in a few days.

  God, she loved that look on him, and he still had the ability to take her breath away.

  She stood, tossing her backpack over her shoulder. It had been three years since she’d seen or heard from Gabe. Suspecting he was one of the quadruplet brothers was one thing.

  Knowing it to be true made her heart beat a little faster.

  Gabe single-handedly held the power to destroy them all.

  Or save them.

  “Never thought I’d see you again,” she said with resentment dripping off every word spewing from her mouth. She tried to swallow but couldn’t. The bitterness of betrayal lingered in her gut. “And I’m shocked you so easily agreed to see me, considering.”

  “Let’s walk and chat.” He looped his arm around her shoulders.

  She shrugged it off. “Don’t touch me.”

  He held his hands up as if she were holding him at gunpoint. “Okay. But I guess Mallard hasn’t had the chance to fill you in on some important details.”

  Willow laughed. “That man has been the biggest secret keeper I’ve ever met. Well, next to Riley Jacobs. If they weren’t the quads’ parents—”

  “My parents,” he said with a stern tone. “An important fact we should not lose sight of.”

  She swallowed her heartbeat. Her cheeks burned. Memories of her and Gabe walking through this very park after his mother died bombarded her brain. He’d been so confused by all the things she’d told him about his past, but Willow hadn’t understood it all at the time. She’d been too young, and obviously he’d left out some key details.

  Even so, she couldn’t deny the realities of the Collective Order and her role in it.

  Which meant Gabe was her soulmate.

  A very sore sticking point in her current situation.

  She followed him out of the park and down the
street in the direction of her home, and his childhood house. She wasn’t sure what to make of that, but for now, she’d go with it.

  “How long have you known that the eight of us make up the Collective Order?”

  “Since the day I enlisted,” he admitted.

  She sucked in a deep breath. “Fuck you,” she whispered. “How could you?”

  “What of my many transgressions are we discussing?”

  “So, you’re not going to lie about them?”

  He pressed his hand against the small of her back, guiding her around the corner.

  Immediately, heat crawled across her skin. Every night for the last three years, before she drifted off to sleep, she remembered how his hot lips felt across every inch of her body. No matter how hard she’d tried, she couldn’t erase him from any part of her memory.

  However, every time she tried to reach him telepathically, she got crickets instead, so he had no problem forgetting about her and all they’d been through together.

  “At this point in time, I no longer have to lie to you about anything.” He gave her a playful hip check, like he used to do when they would go for long walks when she’d been in the Navy.

  She glared.

  He shook his head. “Not that you’re going to believe anything I have to say right now, but for the sake of our family, you’re going to have to open your mind and heart.” He turned down their street and stopped in front of his home. He waved his hand out in front of them.