Legal Question in Employment Law in Texas

No, a company is not entitled to keep your check to require you to return company property. If the company believes you are not going to return the property then they have remedies against you by filing a police report and pursuing theft charges and/or filing a civil suit.

I guess I should point out that if you have a laptop that belongs to the company and you want your check then the easiest course of action is to give them the laptop and get your check.