Righteous Obsession (2 page)

“Why?”

“Well, it’s always irritated me the way a lot of bands
only do the major venues because that’s where the money is.  They don’t seem to
care that some of their fans live in smaller towns.  They might have to go a
hundred miles to a bigger city to see them; if they don’t have a way there –
tough luck!”  Colin explained.

 “Our stage is designed so it can be broken down for
the smaller venues and expanded for the major arenas,” Jake added.

“Is it true you’ve put a cap on your ticket prices?”

“Yes,” Colin nodded.   “We decided we’re only going to
charge $35 dollars tops.  It means we’ll be taking a cut, but hell, what’s the
point of touring if none of your fans can afford to come and see you?”

“I see.  Who's going to be opening for you?”

“Armageddon’s going to be opening for the first part
of our tour,” Mace replied.  “They’re from Arkansas and they’ve just released
their first CD called ‘Hillbilly Heavy Metal’.  I think we’re going to be a
great package.”

“Are you having difficulty finding bands to go out
with you because of this new economic policy?  Obviously they won’t be making
as much money with you as they could if they went out with Metallica for
instance.”

“No.  Steve has a list of bands whose managers have
contacted him about their availability to go out with us should a spot come
open.  We may even consider adding a third band later in the tour,” Liam
replied.

“Colin, you’re very politically active.  You’ve done
public service announcements for Rock the Vote and Rock Against Drugs. You’ve
also done PSA’s against censorship and to encourage kids to practice safe sex. 
You’ve participated in a concert to raise money for Bay area pro-choice groups
and you appeared at the big Pro-Choice Rally in Washington D.C. recently.”

“I try to encourage by example.  I mean the problems
this country has aren’t going to get solved if everybody just sits on their
asses and does nothing.”

“Our parents have always been politically active and
they’ve taught us that everybody has to do their part to change things,” Liam
explained.

“We’ve invited Rock the Vote, Greenpeace, and an AIDS
education group to tour with us and set up their booths at our shows.”

“Will they be distributing condoms too?”

“Yes.  The kids need to know how to protect
themselves.  They need to know that these ultra-conservative groups don’t have
the final say.  They need to know that their votes are going to count and not
voting hurts everyone.”

“Aren’t you guys worried that having these groups
along will be a detriment in the more conservative regions of the country?”

“There might be some problems, but I’m sure we can
handle anything that comes along,” Mace replied confidently.

 “What about your love lives?  Any of you guys have
anybody special?”

Mace, Jake and Liam all said no, but Colin smiled
enigmatically and remained silent.

Quinn saw it and pounced on him immediately.  “Okay,
Colin – spill!”

Colin shook his head.  “I’d rather not talk about
her.  She’s a private person and I want her to remain that way.”

“Fair enough,” Quinn conceded and changed the
subject.  “One final question; what is Unforgiven hoping to achieve with this
tour?”

“Simple,” Colin replied.  “We expect to have a great
time and we hope everybody coming to see us will too.”

Quinn turned off his recorder and stood.  “I’ll need
some pictures to go with this article.  My photographer’s waiting in the outer
office.”

“Where do you want us?”  Colin asked the photographer.

“Outside would be good.”

“Fine,” he replied.

Colin’s
red
Jeep Patriot Sport®
and
Jake’s
blue Pontiac Solstice®
were
in
the
lot
outside
.
The photographer positioned them around the Jeep with Mace
and Jake sitting on the fender while Colin and Liam leaned against it.

“Sorry, I know I need to take this through the car
wash,” Colin apologized to Mace and Jake for the grubby condition of his Jeep.

“Doesn’t matter,” Mace replied.  “He ain’t going to be
taking a picture of my ass.”

“Much to your regret,” Jake joked.

“Look this way and smile,” the photographer called.

“Will this be in the next issue?”  Liam asked Quinn.

“I don’t know,” Quinn replied, putting his bag over
his shoulder prior to leaving.  “It will depend on my editor.”

“Translation,” Colin muttered as they walked back
inside.  “If any of their favorite alternative bands sneezes, we’re old copy!”

Steve was waiting for them as they came back into his
office.  “I have some final words about tomorrow.”  Everybody groaned, but he
ignored them and continued, “Our plane leaves at ten – not a half-hour or an
hour later, but at ten o’clock sharp!”  He had arranged with Hellraisers’
management to rent their Lear jet. They were currently in the studio and
wouldn’t need it for some time.  “Anybody who oversleeps will have to find his
own way to Atlanta.”  Steve directed the warning at Colin who had a tendency to
do just that.

Colin grinned and ducked his head, letting his long
hair fall forward.  “Okay!  I promise I’ll set my alarm.”

The meeting broke up and the band members returned to
the parking lot, laughing and joking.

“I hope Hellraisers stocked their jet with some of
their former girlfriends!”  Jake joked, rubbing his hands together.  At
twenty-eight, he was 5’10 and slender built.  Olive-skinned with big, soulful
brown eyes and a sexy smile, Jake’s most prominent feature was his explosion of
elbow-length curly brown hair over which the female fans went absolutely
bonkers!  He had both ears pierced and he wore plain gold loops in them.

“Thought you were major stuck on Vanessa Morrison?” 
Mace teased him.  He was twenty-nine, of average height with a muscular build. 
He wore his light brown hair in a layered cut that hung just below his
shoulders.  He had an angular shaped face with lively hazel eyes, heavy brows
and a mouth, voted by the female fans, as the one they’d most like to kiss.

“Jake’s stuck on any woman with a pulse!”  Colin joked
as he unlocked his Jeep, got in and then unlocked the passenger side for Liam. 
He hit another switch and rolled down the windows.

Mace and Jake were still talking.  Mace resided in Los
Angeles.  He liked living there and refused to relocate to San Francisco so he
stayed with Jake whenever he came up for band business.

Liam climbed into the Jeep.  He was nineteen, 5’10,
slender with a wiry build.  In contrast to his brother’s coloring, Liam was
very fair with ash blond hair, worn in a longish layered cut, and big blue eyes
with long lashes.  He had a sprinkling of freckles across his slightly upturned
nose and a gorgeous smile with big dimples.

“See you guys tomorrow!”  Colin called as he fastened
his seat belt then put his key into the ignition.

“At ten o’clock!”  Jake yelled back in imitation of
Steve.  “Not a half-hour or an hour later – ten o’clock sharp!”

Colin gave Jake the one finger salute, laughed then
started his Jeep and pulled out of the lot. “What time is mom having supper?” 
He asked Liam.

“She said six.”

“Good.”  Colin glanced at his watch.  “That gives me
enough time to stop at home first.”

“Mom, dad and I were talking the other night and we
were wondering when you’re going to introduce us to this mystery woman.”  Liam
laughed as Colin shot him a sharp look.  “Don’t be so shocked, Colin.  Mom said
anytime the same woman answers your phone more than three times in a row, it
must be serious.”

Colin chuckled and shook his head.  “Mom’s always been
able to read me like a book.”  He was silent for a moment then continued, “Her
name is Alethea Ford.  She lives in Los Angeles and she’s on the staff of ‘Rock
Hard’.  I met her last summer when she covered the censorship convention at the
Moscone Center.”

“What’s she like?”

“She’s classy, brainy, beautiful and independent as
hell.  She gets as prickly as a burr if she thinks I’m trying to protect her.” 
He smiled softly.  “I spotted her the moment I walked into the convention
center.  She took my breath away then and she still does every time I see her.”

“Sounds like love to me!”  Liam teased him.

“I think you’re right.”  Colin sighed.  “I won’t get
to see her before we leave either.  She has an interview with Megadeth tomorrow
so she’ll be staying in LA tonight.  I’ll have to wait to introduce her to
everybody until the next time we’re home – provided, of course, our
relationship survives this tour.”

“Mom and dad will be glad to hear that,” Liam remarked
dryly.  “Colin?”

“What?”

“Why do you suppose you’ve never been asked about your
biological father?”

Colin glanced over at Liam.  “You know it’s weird, but
I was just thinking about that last night.”

Liam shrugged.  “I just got to wondering during the
interview with Metal Now.  I’m really surprised nobody’s ever asked you about
it, but I guess it’s not a well known fact either, huh?”

His brother raised his eyebrows and said, “I expect if
somebody really wanted to find it they could.”  He shrugged.  “There’s really
not much I could tell them anyway.”

“How much do you know about him?”

“His name and some other information I got from mom,
dad, and Grandma Eileen.  I suppose I know enough about him that if I wanted to
hire somebody to trace him I could probably find him, but I don’t have any
interest in doing that.”

“What if somebody representing him contacted you and
said he wanted to meet you.  Would you do it?”

Colin smiled and shook his head.  “After twenty-eight
years of silence, I doubt he’s going to have a sudden change of heart.  He
could be dead for all I know or care.”

“But just suppose he did want to meet you?”

“I wouldn’t want to meet him period.  Maybe, if mom
hadn’t remarried and dad hadn’t adopted me, I’d feel differently, but dad’s the
only father I’ve ever known and he’s the only one I’ll ever need.”

“Aren’t you even curious about what he’s like?”

Colin gave an uneasy laugh then replied, “I gather I
must look like him since I sure as hell don’t look like anybody else!  I think
I must resemble him in other ways, too.  The way I’ll occasionally catch mom
watching me I just know she’s remembering another time.”

They crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin
County.  Colin lived in Sausalito, a waterfront community north of San
Francisco known for decades for attracting artists of every variety and for its
Bohemian atmosphere.

Colin’s home was a small Queen Ann Victorian best
known in the local history as having once been the residence of some very
beautiful and expensive ladies of the evening.  He had fallen in love with it
on first sight and because it had been vacant for a couple of years, he was
able to get it at a very reasonable price.  Despite its being unoccupied, the
interior, which boasted the original oak woodwork and parquet floors, needed
only minor repairs as did the exterior.  Once the repairs were finished, he had
it painted in typical Victorian fashion.  His home sat on a hill not far from
Richardson Bay that was home to the famous houseboat community.  From his back
deck, Colin had a stunning view of the San Francisco skyline.  He pulled into
his driveway and they got out.  He stopped momentarily to collect his mail then
they went into the house.  “I’ll glance through this and check my answering
machine then we can leave.”

Liam took a sniff then asked, “Did you forget to turn
off your coffee pot when you left this morning?  I smell Irish Cream coffee.”

“I didn’t make coffee this morning.”  His face lit up
suddenly and he tossed the mail aside then ran up the stairs calling,
“Alethea?”  She didn’t answer his call, but her overnight bag was in his
bedroom so he decided to check the third floor.

Alethea was working up on the third floor that Colin
had converted into office.  She sat at his desk, working intently at her laptop
computer. A cork bulletin board, covered with articles about censorship
attempts, the abortion wars, addresses of pro-censorship and anti-censorship
groups and the Bay Area Pro-Choice groups, occupied a wall above the desk. 
Piles of news magazines with articles about the presidential candidates and
their platforms sat beside a brand new desktop computer.  Colin liked to keep
in touch with Unforgiven’s fans by means of the Internet.

Alethea was wearing a headset so she didn’t know Colin
had come into the room until he put his arms around her and kissed her neck.  “Colin!” 
She squealed, startled and pulled off her headset, but made no attempt to
extricate herself from his embrace.

“I thought you’d be staying in Los Angeles tonight to
prepare for your interview tomorrow,” he murmured as he continued to nuzzle her
neck.

“I can do that here just as well as at home.  I’ll
take the shuttle back tomorrow morning and be there in plenty of time for my
interview.  You didn’t think I was going to let you go off touring for six
months and not say goodbye, did you?”  Alethea had a soft voice with a
noticeable Southern accent.

“I was hoping not.”  Colin pulled her to him in a
tight embrace and gave her a long, lingering kiss.  She responded eagerly,
wrapping her arms around him and pressing herself as close to him as
possible.   She could tell immediately she was getting a definite response from
him.

Alethea, twenty-seven, was tall at 5’7, slender and
full breasted with slim hips, long shapely legs and in Colin’s estimation she
had ‘the best ass on the West Coast’.  She wore her thick, tawny hair in a
single braid that hung to the middle of her back and complimented her creamy
skin.  She was strikingly attractive with large gray eyes framed by thick
lashes, high cheek bones and small nose that turned up slightly.  Her mouth
with its full lower lip could be, in turn, sensuous or flirty.

“You could have used my computer for your research,” he
pointed out.

“I bought my laptop along because I didn’t want to tie
up yours in case you wanted to use it.”

“Colin?”  Liam called from downstairs.  “It’s
five-thirty and we’d better get moving if we’re going to make it to
Hillsborough by six.”

“Okay, be right down.”  He turned back to Alethea. 
“How would you like to meet my parents?”

“I’ve been wondering when you were going to introduce
me,” she commented wryly.

“Well, today’s your lucky day!”  Colin teased her then
got serious.  “And I know they’re going to love you because I love you.”

Alethea glanced at him in surprise.  In the three
months since becoming lovers she was sure Colin loved her, but he’d never
actually verbalized it until this moment.  “Do you think I should change my
outfit?”  She was wearing light blue jeans that, Colin felt fit her
exceptionally well, a short-sleeved peach sweater and a white silk jacket.

“No, you look fantastic!  Don’t change a thing.”

Alethea smiled, bent to pick up her purse and as she
did so she heard Colin groan audibly.

“If we don’t leave right now, we may not leave at
all!”  He warned her.

Their arms around one another, Colin and Alethea
walked into the living room where Liam was waiting.  It was a casually
furnished room with an eye more towards comfort than decor.  A fifty gallon
aquarium, containing several varieties of fancy goldfish, sat on one side of
the room.

Liam turned from his contemplation of the goldfish as
Colin and Alethea walked into the room.  If he seemed surprised at how close
they appeared to be, he gave no indication of it.

“Liam, meet Alethea Ford.  Alethea, this is my younger
brother, Liam.”  He affectionately mussed Liam’s hair.

“Quit it, Colin!”  Liam yelled, giving his brother a
shove, but then grinned.  It was obviously an old game between them.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Liam,” Alethea said,
extending her hand.  “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“I only told Alethea the good stuff!”  Colin joked.

Liam ignored her outstretched hand and gave her a
hug.  “It’s great finally meeting you, Alethea.  We thought maybe Colin was
going to keep you under wrap forever!”

“Which reminds me,” Colin spoke.  “I’d better call mom
and tell her I’m bringing a guest.”  He excused himself and disappeared into
the other room.

“How did the interview go, Liam?  Colin mentioned you
were nervous about it.”

“I was!”  He confirmed, rolling his eyes.  “I’ve
always had the impression Metal Now wasn’t exactly friendly towards hard rock
bands despite their supposedly being a magazine about the genre.  I figured the
interviewer would be a real jerk and would try to make us look like a bunch of
drugged-out dummies.”

Colin overheard the latter part of Liam’s comment as
he came back into the room and chuckled.  “Well, Quinn certainly gave it his
best shot, but Steve pulled him to the curb real fast!”

Liam started to laugh too.  “You should have seen his
face after Steve got through with him, Alethea.  He looked like a deflated
balloon!”

Colin set his security alarm then they walked outside
and got into the Jeep.

“Who’s going to take care of your fish?”  Liam asked. 
He explained to Alethea, “Dad’s always looked after them, but since he’s
working up in Sacramento now he won’t be able to do it.”

Peter Matthews was currently the Attorney General of
California.  Within the last month, the President nominated him to replace the
Attorney General of the United States who had died unexpectedly a month
previously.

“Page is going to take care of them, collect my mail
and generally keeps an eye on the house for me.”  Colin looked at Alethea and
added, “She’s an old friend of mine.”

“Is this the same Page who did the artwork for your
new CD?”

“Yes.  She’s a freelance artist who paints, does an
occasional CD cover and designs’ jewelry.   She even has her own line now.  She
lives on a houseboat in Richardson Bay.”

It was a seventeen mile drive from San Francisco to
Hillsborough, a well-to-do suburb where Colin’s parents and his brother lived. 
Liam planned to get his own place after the tour.

Colin pulled into the driveway of a large
Georgian-style home.  Liam jumped out first, but waited for Colin to help
Alethea out and then they leisurely walked across the yard to the front porch. 
He unlocked the door and they went inside.

“We’re here,” Colin called.

“In the kitchen,” his mother answered.

They walked into the kitchen.  It was a large room
with all modern of appliances.  In the center of the kitchen was an old wooden
table that contrasted sharply with the rest of the decor, but looked very
homey.  Alethea looked at it, surmising the family spent a good deal of time in
the kitchen.

Colin hugged his mother and gave her a kiss.  Amanda
Matthews, forty-seven, was small-boned, slender and at 5’1, so petite that
Colin towered over her.  She was beautiful with honey-blond hair, now showing a
few strands of silver. Her big blue eyes set in a face that showed very few
lines, and had a lovely, warm smile that showed where Liam had inherited his
dimples.

“Mom, I’d like you to meet Alethea Ford.  Alethea,
this is my mom, Amanda.”

“It’s so nice to meet you, Alethea,” Amanda said,
taking her hands.  “I thought maybe I was only going to get to know you over
the phone,” she remarked with a wry look at her son who flushed again.

Alethea smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Alethea’s on the staff of Rock Hard magazine.  Mom’s
a lawyer and she has her own practice.”

“What kind of law do you practice?”  Alethea asked.

“I have a small family law practice.”

“Small but well-known and well-respected,” Colin
added.

His mother laughed.  “Well, it’s not The Good Wife
©
exactly, but I’m my own boss and I can do the kind of work I really enjoy.” 
She turned as Liam came into the kitchen.  “How did the interview go?”

Liam let out a deep breath and smiled.  “It went much
better than I was expecting when I left here this morning.”

“I’m glad it went well.”

“Me too,” Liam agreed.

“Tiffany called just before you got here.  It’s the
second time she’s called and she sounded like it was something urgent.”

Liam rolled his eyes and sighed. “Everything’s urgent
with Tiffany.  Do I have time to call her before supper?”

“Yes.  It won’t be ready for at least a half-hour
yet.”

“Who’s this Tiffany person, Liam?”  Colin asked.

Liam sighed again and said, “She’s this girl I’ve
dated a few times.”

“Is there a problem?  You don’t sound real
enthusiastic about her.”

Liam shrugged.  “No.  She’s okay except for the fact
that she’s been dropping heavy hints lately about us making our relationship
more permanent.  She’s even dragged me to the mall to look at promise rings!”

“I wouldn’t worry about her too much, Liam.  If she’s
that anxious to hook up with somebody on a more permanent basis, she won’t wait
for you until the end of our tour.”

“I hope she does find another guy while I’m gone
because I’m definitely not ready for even a semi-permanent relationship.”

“Mandy?”  A voice called from outside the window.  “I
left my sauce on the counter. Can you bring it out, please?”

“I’ll take it out, Mom.”  Colin volunteered.  He
picked up the bowl containing the sauce and offered Alethea his arm.  “Come on
and I’ll introduce you to dad.”

At the sound of the back door opening, Peter Matthews
looked up from the grill where he was carefully tending shiskabobs of prawns
and vegetables.  He smiled broadly as he saw Colin and Alethea.

“Hi, Dad!”  Colin put down the bowl then gave his
father a hug. “Umm!  It smells delicious!”

“Well, it’s going to smell even better once I brush on
this sauce,” Peter promised.  He was forty-seven, 5’11, with a slender build. 
He was ruggedly handsome with big, blue eyes set in a thin face and a nose that
was slightly misshapen as the result of a skiing accident.  He had a warm,
friendly smile that revealed slightly crooked teeth and thick brown hair,
tinged with gray at his temples.

“Dad, I’d like you to meet Alethea Ford.  Alethea,
this is my dad, Peter.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Alethea,” Peter said then
asked, “May I?”  He gave her a kiss on her cheek.  “Welcome to our family.”

Alethea, touched by his gesture of welcome, had
trouble finding her voice, but finally managed to say softly, “Thank you.”

 “You know, Alethea, I really enjoy reading your
interviews.”

“You read Rock Hard, Dad?”  Colin asked in amazement. 
“Whew!  I’ll bet that raises eyebrows up there in Sacramento.”

“I read all the rock magazines since I have two sons
in that business.  Colin, why don’t you show Alethea my other pride and joy,”
Peter suggested.

“I’m glad to have met you …” Alethea hesitated.

Peter sensed her dilemma and suggested, “You can call
me Peter if you feel comfortable doing it.”

“I do, Peter.  Thank you.”

Colin took her hand and led her over to a large,
ornate fishpond under a beautiful red maple tree in one corner of the
backyard.  “Watch this.”

In a few seconds several colorful Japanese Koi swam to
the surface of the pond with their mouths open.

“They’re beautiful, Colin!”

Colin bent and took a handful of pellets from a
waterproof container next to a bench that sat beside the pond.  He poured them
into Alethea’s outstretched hand.  “Toss them in.”