KJ slapped my hand and we shook up the way he liked, like he was one of the guys. Then he ran off to go play with Royal and the other kids like nothing happened.
Rhythm looked at me, smiling hard. “You about to cry?”
“I’m not,” I said.
“Youare,” she teased.
“I’m not.”
We were still laughing when Legend walked up on us with his face way too serious. “Both of y’all need to come to the office.”
Rhythm’s smile faded. “What’s wrong?”
My stomach dropped. My mind went straight to the project, some new problem trying to pop up too soon.
“What happened?” I pressed.
Legend didn’t answer. “Just come on.”
Rhythm stood with me, and we followed him through the house. My head was already running through worst-case scenarios.
When we stepped into the office, I stopped short. Everybody was in there; Legend, Icon, Saint, Big A, Reek, and the women too. Aria was in the corner in a plush chair, bouncing her new baby boy on her lap. Major was in a little outfit that looked expensive and soft, and Aria was smiling at him.
My confusion grew.
I looked at Legend, asking again, “What happened?”
Icon spoke before Legend could. “Nothing happened to the project.”
I stared. “Then why—”
Legend stepped forward. “You have been vital to this organization, and you proved that in a lane most niggas can’t even stand in.”
Icon nodded. “You are a gangster in your own right. You deserve to be a true part of this. Not adjacent. Not ‘our man who handles the legit side.’ You earned your place.”
My throat got tight again, and this time I didn’t look away fast enough.
Legend’s voice dropped. “Get on your knees.”
The room went quiet.
Rhythm’s hand found mine for a second, then she let go and gave me a look that told me to take it in.
I stepped forward and knelt in the center of the office.
Icon moved in front of me holding a Cartier medallion chain in his hands. It was the same iconic chain they wore, the same one that meant you weren’t just family by blood or love; you were family by loyalty.
“From this day forward,” Icon started, “You are officially part of this family and this empire. You carry this name with pride, and with it, the weight of what it means to be a Cartier. Do you accept this responsibility?”
My voice came out rough. “I do.”
Icon nodded once. “Stand up, Sincere.”
As I stood, Icon held the chain up again. “Repeat after me.”
I swallowed hard and repeated it. “I stand on the foundation of our codes. I give my loyalty and pledge to protect all things that bind us together. I will honor my brothers and stand on the shoulders of our Allegiance. No disloyalty, insubordination, or perfidy will be tolerated. I accept any consequences for those acts. Flesh of my flesh. Blood of my blood. I give my life for the Inc., and I’ll die for the Inc.”
Icon stepped closer and draped the chain around my neck. It felt heavy for reasons that had nothing to do with the metal.
