Free Asking For Trouble by Becky McGraw Page A

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Jazzie," the man told her with concern.
     
    "He's right," Beau told her, and led her
toward the house. They passed Chase Rhodes in the yard. His face
was red and lips were flat, he was not a happy camper, Beau
thought, and wanted to smile...too fucking bad for him.
     
    When they walked inside, he saw a beautiful
woman that could be Jazzie's sister, if not for the sprinkling of
silver in her black hair and the fine laugh lines by her warm brown
eyes. This is what Jazzie will look like in twenty years or so, he
thought and smiled, then dropped Jazzie's hand and stuck it out to
her mother. "Beau Bowman...Mrs. Ramos?"
     
    The woman surveyed him with intelligent eyes
and evidently saw something she wasn't exactly happy with. She
glanced at her daughter then back at him and her lips pinched, but
she took his hand and said, "Yes, I'm Jasmine's mother...and you
are?"
     
    "Her friend," he said and glanced down at
Jazzie. "I was in Tahiti with her at the wedding when she found out
about your son being missing...I was just coming by to check on
her, to see if I could help," he explained nervously. Somehow, Beau
didn't think 'I needed to make sure your daughter was okay after
I deflowered her on that island ' would go over very well. He
felt blood rush to his face and swallowed.
     
    "We have all the help we need for now, Mr.
Bowman, but thank you for coming by to check on Jazzie. We were
just about to have breakfast," she said in dismissal and glanced
toward the door and smiled. "Chase, breakfast is about
ready..."
     
    "Mama!" Jazzie said in reprimand, then
stepped in front of him with her hands on her hips. "Beau is my
friend and he'll be joining us for breakfast...and he's resting
here before he heads back to Lubbock," she informed her mother.
     
    Beau thought he heard Chase Rhodes snicker
behind him, and ground his teeth, then put his hand on Jazzie's
shoulder and said quietly, "It's okay, Jazz...I'll just head on
out. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Ramos."
     
    "No!" Jazzie said firmly. "You are not
leaving...I'll go change and we can go out to breakfast, since my
mother has forgotten her manners." Jazzie's face was red and her
eyes sparkled with anger.
     
    "Watch how you speak to me Jasmine..." her
mother's voice was low and lethal.
     
    The two women faced off angrily, and Beau
flinched. He didn't want to be the cause of tension between her and
her family. Both she and her mother had too much on their plate as
it was with Frankie Ramos missing, so tempers were probably short
anyway.
     
    "It's okay, Jazzie...I have to get back home
anyway..." he said trying to smooth things over.
     
    "Hell, no...you're not driving home as tired
as you are, Beau," she told him sternly.
     
    "Well, you're not going out for breakfast,"
A tightly muscled man said in a deep smoky voice, as he walked
through the front door. "You're a big enough target here as it
is..." he told her then shut the door behind him.
     
    She spun on the man who'd spoken and turned
her angry gaze his way, then hissed like a cornered cat, "You don't
get to tell me what I can and can't do, got that mister?"
     
    "You'll do what I tell you to do, because it
will keep you safe, you got that missy ?" The guy spat back,
then told her, "Your life and your family's life is in danger. You
hired us to protect you, and find your brother...let me do my
job."
     
    Jazzie's mother whimpered, then wobbled on
her feet and Beau pushed by Jazzie and grabbed her up in his arms,
right before her legs gave out. Jazzie was immediately at his side
and said in a trembling voice, "Mama...I'm so sorry...let's get you
upstairs, you need to rest."
     
    "You haven't spoken with your mom?" The man
asked shortly and put his hands on his hips. "This is serious,
Jasmine...your whole family needs to be aware and on guard," he
told her, then he looked at Chase Rhodes who was standing off to
the side with his arms folded. Huffing out a frustrated breath, the
man told him, "Chase, this