Page 123 of The Echo of Forever

I could hear my uncle’s voice between the sound of his trusty whistle.

We entered the gym from the left side of the room and posted up there, while fifteen new initiates stood in a circle with Etienne James parked dead center.

“Some of you didn’t work hard enough to be here,” he said, turning in a full circle just to meet each of their gazes. “And maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe this life ain’t cut out for you, and it’s best to move on now.”

Joining these ranks didn’t come easy, even for the initiates from families like mine and Carmen’s. In fact, they worked us harder, beat us down so bad to prove favoritism wasn’t a thing amongst the killers.

We were soldiers and treated as such, especially in this stage of the game.

“You know that’s easier said than done,” I chimed in, putting a little extra bass in my voice as I pushed off the wall and moved closer.

My uncle’s eyes lit up at the sight of me, but his response was anything but welcoming.

“Oh? And why’s that, Ms. James?”

I smiled and slipped into the circle, stopping directly in front of the man who was nothing like his brother and everything I wished he could be.

“You and I both know that legacy means not having a choice…” I cut my eyes around the room. “Raise your hand if you were born into this life.”

Ten went up, and I immediately excluded them from the chance to start on their first job today. It was tradition to give it to an initiate who was from a society family, revealing the truth about said favoritism.

“Those of you with your hands up, take a step back for me.”

They moved in unison, leaving the five remaining with curious eyes pinned in my direction.

“Raise your hand if you’re first in your family to cross over.”

One went up, and I moved in her direction. She was five feet nothing, fair-skinned, and covered in bruises. But her eyes were fierce.

She didn’t want this; sheneededit.

“What’s your name?”

I stopped in front of her until the tips of our shoes touched.

“Odessa Morris.”

“Ms. Morris, do you have family?”

She nodded, head still high.

“Two younger brothers in the system.”

I hummed, satisfied that I’d found exactly who I was looking for. With two siblings in the system, joining ranks meant thestate had to reward Odessa with guardianship after her first contract.

“You want them in your care, right?” I asked softly, only wanting her to hear.

“It’s the only thing I want.”

I took a step back and held my hand out, lifting it after Carmen placed the contract file against my palm.

“Congratulations, Odessa Morris, you’ve just earned your first contract.”

Low murmurs filled the room as I handed it off. Her target was low-risk, a basic elimination that would test her skills without throwing her into the deep end.

“You have seventy-two hours,” I added. “Success means your brothers come home with you early. Failure…” I met eyes with every initiate; the message for them as much as her. “Failure means you aren’t cut out to be a subordinate of mine. And I do hope everyone here understands that your life belongs to me now. Everything you do and say, the rumors you speak and bring to life, is a reflection of the Broker. Make me look bad and I’ll have every reason to make you look worse.”

I could tell who’d spoken on the rumors about the hearing request and those who were smart enough not to engage in politics they didn’t understand. Still, none of them looked away or cowered, and I liked that.