Righteous Obsession Read online

  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.

  Chapter 2

  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.”

&nb
sp; 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.”