Texas Homecoming Read Online Free

she sped away.
    "My God, baby. My God, baby, are you okay?" She kept her foot to the floor, veering in and out of lanes, as she ran her free hand over her son's head, his neck, his shoulders. "Are you hurt, Bax? Are you all right?" Her eyes were on him more than they were on the road, scanning him for injuries, fully expecting to see blood and bullet holes.
    "I'm okay, Mom. I'm okay."
    "You are?"
    He nodded. Tears streaming, Jasmine let the relief course through her. It was true; he hadn't been hit. "Thank you, Jesus," she whispered, pulling him up onto the seat, into a one-armed hug. She kissed his face, felt the way he was trembling. She looked in the rearview mirror. No sign of anyone chasing them. She slowed down an iota. "Come on, baby, get your seat belt on now. We're gonna take you somewhere safe. Somewhere far, far away from those bad men. I promise you that. You're safe now, Baxter."
    He nodded, but she didn't think he believed her.
    Three things kept running through Jasmine's mind over and over again as she drove. Leo and that other man—the man she'd been seeing around The Catwalk for weeks lately—they'd seen her car. They'd seen Baxter. And they knew he had witnessed them murdering a federal agent. They'd tried to kill her little boy, and it would not be difficult for them to find her. She stroked Baxter's hair as she drove, while he refused to shed a single tear and yet shook all over. "It's gonna be okay, baby. I promise, it's gonna be okay."
    He wasn't talking, wasn't asking questions, which was so unlike him that it scared her. His little arms were twined tight around his waist, his head down, his whole body shaking. Every few seconds Jasmine glanced into her rearview mirror again, but she didn't see them following her.
    No, they wouldn't follow her. Why the hell should they? They knew where she lived.
    Suddenly her heart seemed to freeze in her chest. Rosebud! God, she had to warn Rosebud! Looking around her, she spotted a pay phone. Dammit, she was so afraid to stop the car. But she had to.
    She circled the block three times. The phone was on a corner, near a convenience store. It was broad daylight. It shouldn't feel so damn frightening. "Mama's gotta make a phone call, honey," she said softly, finally pulling the car to a stop with the driver's door right beside the pay phone. "Scootch right over here behind the wheel, baby. You can hold my hand the whole time, okay?"
    Nodding, his huge dark eyes riveted to hers and wet with unshed tears, Baxter gripped her hand. She opened the car door, the quarter already in her hand. Getting out, she kept hold of Baxter with the other hand and dropped the coin into the slot. Carefully she punched the numbers. She noticed her nails. She and Rosebud had both had their nails freshly done just yesterday. Extra long and curving, and ruby-red. Rosebud had a white rose painted on every nail. Jasmine had opted for tiny sparkling bits of glass that looked like diamonds. They gleamed in the sunlight now as she punched the numbers on the keypad. Then she listened while the phone in her apartment rang and rang and rang. Why didn't she answer? Rosebud would have turned on the answering machine if she'd gone out.
    What was she supposed to do, dammit? What the hell was she going to do?
    She put the phone down, slid back into the car with Baxter, closed the door.
Think. Think, dammit!
    Rosebud might be out on the stoop. She did that sometimes, just sat on the stoop and watched the people go by. Said it helped her think. Jasmine could just drive by. Just drive by, not stop, not go inside, not risk her baby. Just drive by and see. If Rosebud was there, she could pick her up and they would be out of there. That would work. She could see it all plainly in her mind. She would just pick Rosebud up and they would speed away. And everything would be fine. They could go to some other city. It could work. She was forty-five minutes from the apartment by now. God, please let her get back in