Collaring Chaz (Dante's Infernal #2) - Joel Abernathy Page 0,48

paying you any more than they did when you guys were playing bars?”

“Well...no,” I admitted. “Not percentage wise.”

“I know you’re as loyal as a golden retriever, but that’s all the more reason you should be careful. We all have our masters, but if it were me and I had the chance to move from Drake to Sterling...well, I already did.”

“It’s not just Drake,” I murmured. “It’s the band. Dante and Raf and I go way, way back.”

“And that doesn’t have to change,” she said in a way that made me feel like I was hearing a sales pitch rather than getting advice from an old friend. “Friends are friends, but business is business.”

“But they’re not separate. Not for me.”

“Well, they are for Dante. Isn’t that why he had you replaced on the album?”

I cringed, but the painful reminder was even more of a shock than finding out my songs had gotten out. “What? How could you possibly know that?”

“It’s a small world, Chazzy,” she said in a sympathetic tone. “Only a few people run it, and there’s no shortage of climbers who’ll do anything to get their attention.”

“So who leaked it?”

“I can’t tell you that,” she said, tapping her nails on the desk. “But if it were me, I’d take the first ticket out of there while I still had a choice.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Chaz,” she said in a more intimate tone, leaning in like she needed to whisper. “Come on. You’re naive, but you’re not dumb.”

I shook my head vehemently. “Dante wouldn’t do that.”

“Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn’t.” She shrugged. “All I know is, no one just makes a dick move like that if they’re not positioning the pieces on the board. Especially not Drake.”

If her words were meant to shake my confidence, they certainly accomplished their mission. I knew she was right, and I couldn’t put anything past Drake. His favor was as changeable as his designer suits, but I didn’t want to believe Dante would let it happen.

Yet, I had never imagined he would replace me either, even if it was only temporary.

For now.

“You don’t have to make a decision tonight,” she said, pulling a flash drive out of the USB port. “It’s your music, but I wouldn’t take too long. And speaking as a friend, whether you stay with Dante’s Infernal or not, you really need to start looking out for yourself. There’s only one person who’s not expendable to the label, and his name’s on all the merch and album covers.”

I swallowed hard. She had a good point. My head was spinning and I was starting to feel claustrophobic, even though the office was huge and half of it was taken up by a massive window overlooking the strip.

I thanked Alicia for her time and her advice, and promised her I’d think about it. It was the truth. I’d be thinking of little else, the way my brain worked.

By the time I made it back to the apartment, my head was even foggier. I had stopped drinking after what had happened with Rafael, since I’d rather give up the booze than the pills. I popped a couple before I went in.

Normally, he was the first person I’d run to when I was confused and needed the world to make sense the way it only ever did when I was with him. Given the fact that my current predicament was about Rafael, that wasn’t an option.

I shut the door and looked around the empty apartment, surprised I’d made it back first. The others were probably out celebrating, but I had enough time to get ready for the ceremony. The rest, I could worry about later.

I was halfway to my room when the smooth sound of a familiar voice told me I wasn’t alone, after all. It was coming from under Rafael’s door, but I didn’t recognize the song. Maybe it was something new he was working on for the next album?

At the risk of being a total stalker creep, I lingered by the door, listening to the sound of his voice. I had to be on guard when he knew I was listening, because the dreamy stare that came over my face was way too obvious.

Damn, he had a beautiful voice. I could listen to it forever, falling over me like gentle rain. At least until I started listening to the lyrics.

The sound of his voice went from soothing to daggers in my heart, and I stumbled back from the door, too stunned