Free Crucifax by Ray Garton Page B

a musician, too." His eyes did not squint in the harsh light of the overcast sky; they seemed relaxed and unaffected. They were gold, scattered with flecks of caramel-brown, and the lashes above them were thick and light-colored. "What do you play?"
    "Lead guitar." Kevin tried not to stare at his eyes, but it wasn't easy. When the man moved his head and the dull sunlight filtered through his platinum bangs, the lashes seemed to glow, and the caramel flecks appeared to shift about the pupils. "And, um, I sing a little, too. Me and one of the other guys."
    "Play any clubs around here?"
    Kevin was finally able to look away from him; he put the helmet under his other arm.
    "Well, uh… not yet. We don't get to rehearse as much as we need to."
    "Do you have a place?"
    "Garages, when we can get them."
    The man nodded and ran the edge of his sunglasses back and forth over his lower lip, his eyes wandering beyond Kevin for a moment. Then he smiled again and held out his right hand.
    "My name is Mace."
    Kevin took his hand, and they shook. Mace's grip was firm; his long fingers wrapped nearly all the way around Kevin's hand.
    "Would it help if you had a place to rehearse?" he asked. "A place you could use whenever you wanted?"
    Kevin let go and dropped his hand to his side.
    "Why? You got a place?"
    "Maybe. It depends."
    "On what?"
    "Do you write music?"
    "Yeah."
    "And the band plays only your music?"
    "Mostly."
    "Does the band have a name?"
    Kevin glanced at the diner a few yards away. Sam was serving up Leland's breakfast, grumbling about something.
    "Look, man, whatta you want?" he asked, looking into Mace's golden eyes again.
    Mace held up a long, narrow palm, as if to put him at ease.
    "You don't have to be suspicious," he said. "I don't blame you. In fact, I admire that. I just think we might be able to help each other out." He turned and started up the sidewalk toward Ventura at a slow, thoughtful pace.
    Kevin fell into step beside him without a thought, his head cocked so he could see the man's face.
    "I write music, too," Mace said. "And I sing. I'm not from around here, so I don't know anyone, I have no connections. But I know a few things about music and the business. And I have a large place. A place that would be perfect for rehearsal." He looked at Kevin from the corner of his eye.
    "But… there's a but, right?"
    "I'd want to hear you play first. If you're good, I'd like to join the band. Lead guitar and lead vocal. I would also want to handle the business end."
    Kevin stopped, but Mace kept walking. With a slack jaw, he watched the tall man for a moment.
    "Who the hell do you—what do you—you mean you just wanna—" He caught up with him, chuckling sarcastically. "You just wanna take over my fucking band?"
    "No."
    "That's what it sounds like!"
    Mace stopped and faced him.
    "It would still be your band, of course," he said congenially. "But I think you could use some help. And that's what I'm offering."
    "And just what would you do to help us?"
    He took one step toward Kevin and said, "I would help you shape the band, give it character, personality. I'd get you some work when I felt you were ready." Another step. "I'd help you with the music you wrote and played, make sure it was strong. Powerful." He took one more step. "And, if you let me, I would help you turn this band—"
    He slowly lifted his right hand—
    "—into a band—"
    —raised it above Kevin's head—
    "—that would make this valley—"
    —and lowered it, his palm on top, his fingers curling down over Kevin's skull like spider's legs.
    "— eat metal. "
    Kevin's eyes were locked onto Mace's, and his head was filled with images of the band playing on a stage, ripping the smoky darkness of a nightclub in half with its loud, rumbling music. A thrill rippled through him when he saw the confidence in Mace's eyes, the faith Mace seemed to have in Kevin's ability to turn the band into something successful, something, as he had said, powerful. It didn't