Collaring Chaz (Dante's Infernal #2) - Joel Abernathy Page 0,65

ignoring him. I already had a horde of regrets, and letting Chaz walk away was at the very top of the pile. “And don’t bullshit me, because I know what you’re planning, and I know you need my cooperation.”

Drake chuckled, a sound far more malevolent coming from him than even his nastiest threats. “Like I said. Clever. What are your conditions?”

“First, I need your word that you’re not going to take your retribution out on Chaz when he comes back,” I said, staring him down. “And then I’m gonna need it in a notarized contract, because your word means shit.”

Drake just smirked, his eyes glimmering with predatory amusement, leaving no room to doubt just what kind of deal I was making. The judgmental looks I could feel coming from Cash and Dante confirmed it, but they didn’t know Chaz the way I did, and they sure as hell didn’t know Jacob. This was for Chaz’s own good.

In the back of my mind, I knew it was for me, too, but I pushed those thoughts down. I’d made a promise to take care of him. To protect him. That wasn’t null and void just because he didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. He’d be pissed for a while, but he’d come around.

And if he didn’t, and he hated me forever, at least he’d be safe.

“And the others?” Drake asked calmly.

“I know how you do shit. Play dirty all you want with Sterling, but you leave Chaz out of it,” I ordered.

“We both know that’s not entirely possible,” Drake countered. “I’ll do what I can, but if push comes to shove, I can’t promise he won’t be indirectly...affected. But I can promise he won’t be harmed, and you’ll be there to welcome him back with open arms.”

I ground my teeth in irritation, but I knew what I was getting myself into, and when you made a deal with the devil, there was bound to be shit you didn’t like.

“Third,” I continued, “when he’s away from those snakes, if he comes back and still doesn’t want to be here, you let him go.”

“You expect me to let him out of his contract?” Drake asked in disbelief. “That’s what all this is for in the first place.”

“No, this is about making sure Sterling can’t keep using him as a weapon against us,” I corrected. “Once he’s out, he should be able to decide for himself and keep doing his own music if he wants. And it shouldn’t matter to you, since you’re the one who said he was so easy to replace.”

It was rare to elicit anything more than vague contempt from the man, so the flash of anger in his eyes felt like a victory, however brief it was. “How noble of you. Not quite noble enough to let him make all his decisions, but selectively.”

“Do we have a deal or not?” I asked, holding my hand out.

Drake hesitated for a moment before returning the handshake. “We do. Just remember that from this point on, there’s no going back.”

“Oh, I know.”

I had nothing to lose, so why not bet it all?

Chapter 22

Chaz

“A little more to the left?”

I sighed, tilting my head back to the left even though the way the director wanted my hips tilted made it hurt like a bitch. I wasn’t even sure what the hell this photoshoot was supposed to be, or why it needed a director and a photographer. With Dante’s Infernal, they’d just taken a few group shots and the rest was focused on the sexier members of the band, so I’d never had to model or any of that shit.

Ever since I’d signed with Organic Animal, it felt like that was all I did. Or at least, it was easy to feel like that during the twenty-hour days I spent at magazine offices and TV studios, but in reality, I’d clocked about a million and one hours in the recording studio pushing out an album that was supposed to take at least a year to produce.

“That’s perfect, babe!” Sam called from behind Callum, the photographer. They were all I could see past the glaring floodlight aimed at me on the fake stage that had been set up just for the shoot. Why we couldn’t just use one of the billion actual stages in the world, I didn’t know.

Even though I couldn’t see him, I knew Sterling was watching from somewhere in the studio. He was always watching. I could see him in my mind’s eye