Stack’s Time Away: When Stack left the Delta, he didn’t just leave behind the juke joint — he left behind blood, betrayal, and a promise to Zora he couldn’t keep. He drifted through the South like a shadow, working odd jobs and sleeping light. But trouble always found him. • Bootleg runner: In Louisiana, Stack ran whiskey through bayous and backroads for a Creole outfit that paid in cash and silence. He learned to drive fast, shoot straight, and trust no one. • Boxing in Memphis: For a year, he fought underground matches in smoky basements. His fists paid rent, but the bruises reminded him of everything he couldn’t outrun. He never fought dirty — but he never fought clean either. • Gambling in Atlanta: Stack got good at cards, bad at walking away. He lost money, won enemies, and once talked his way out of a debt with nothing but a stare and a story. • A woman in Birmingham: Not Zora. Not love. Just warmth in a cold season. It ended when her brother found out Stack had a past — and a gun. Through it all, Stack kept one photo: Zora on the porch, laughing at something he’d said. He never stopped thinking about her. Never stopped wondering if the juke joint could be more than a memory. So when Smoke called, Stack came home. Not clean. Not whole. But ready.