Collaring Chaz (Dante's Infernal #2) - Joel Abernathy Page 0,64
to say exactly what prompted his split with the band. His current manager has been more forthcoming, telling Variant in an exclusive interview that he’s not surprised his new star was overlooked, since Weiss couldn’t spot talent if it bit him in the ass, with the exception of his own progeny.’”
Dante grimaced. “Ouch. Kind of a compliment to me, though.”
“Didn’t you two used to fuck?” Cash asked, redirecting all Drake’s ire onto him.
“Everyone made mistakes in the past,” Drake answered bitterly. “And it’s about damn time for mine to go back there.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked, wary of what the answer would be. As pissed as I was that Organic Animal and its manager had swooped in to take advantage of our split, I knew Chaz was going to bear the brunt of any retribution Drake exacted.
“For one thing, I’m going to remind the ‘young god’ that he’s still bound by contract,” Drake answered, his gaze darkening. “Sterling thinks his lawyers can filibuster the label with baseless injunctions and cross-complaints, but he’s about to learn.”
Dante cocked his head. “Yeah, I have no idea what any of that meant.”
“Can’t say I do either,” Cash said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“It means Sterling knows Chaz is in breach of his contract, and he’s just stalling with a bunch of bullshit until Organic Animal’s tour starts and we give up,” I muttered.
“Or settle,” Drake agreed. “But that’s the gist of it.”
“Isn’t it better to just cut our losses at this point?” Cash asked. “If anything, all the media attention around this bullshit has made the tour more profitable than usual, and we look like assholes for suing someone who’s basically a human puppy.”
My uncomfortable silence must have been too loud, because Cash looked over at me and winced. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to rub salt in the wound.”
“He’s right,” Dante said, staring at the floor in deep contemplation. “Suing the label is one thing, but this just feels wrong. His lawyers are going to keep claiming the contract isn’t valid because I fired him, and after the shit I said...Besides, it’s not like we can force him to come back.”
“It’s exactly like that,” Drake countered. “Even his new daddy’s pockets aren’t deep enough to keep this going forever. The label will eventually realize it’s not worth it and cave. Without Sterling as a shield, Chaz will come crawling back with his tail between his legs.”
The irritation that had a way of building up in me whenever Drake was talking for more than ten seconds, especially when the subject was Chaz, finally boiled over. “You start turning the heat on Chaz and his broken contract won’t be the only thing you have to worry about,” I warned him. “This is about the label, and it needs to stay that way.”
“Wrong. This is about Sterling scooping up a pawn he thinks he can use against me,” said Drake, talking a step closer, as if he wanted another pro bono nose job. “You of all people should be on my side.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And how’d you come up with that, slick?”
His lips curved into a smirk that made him look like the devil he was, standing there in a pressed white suit ready to collect on an unwitting soul who’d signed himself away. “You want him back, don’t you? You’re a smart man, Rafael. Surely you can see this is the reality check he needs, and the only thing that can get him out of Sterling’s clutches. And Jacob’s. I think we both know what happens when they get tired of their pawns.”
Anger churned in my gut, mostly because I knew he was manipulating me, and it was working. He was a slimy son of a bitch, and I didn’t buy that he actually cared about Chaz for one second. Or anyone other than Dante, for that matter.
Still, Drake was predictable. All he wanted was money and prestige, and Sterling was using Chaz to hit him on both fronts. He wasn’t going to dispose of Chaz when he could use him, no matter how pissed he was--but Sterling, on the other hand…
“Better the devil you know,” I muttered.
“What?” Dante asked.
The look in Drake’s eyes told me he knew exactly that that meant. He also knew what my answer was going to be. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”
“Raf,” Cash said, frowning at me in disapproval. “Don’t let him talk you into anything you’re gonna regret.”