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Joe shakes his head as he rests his arms on the counter "Look, Jax, I’m not sure why you came back here, but if you’re smart you’ll walk out that door and drive back to North Carolina You don’t want to get involved in the shit your mother’s involved in"

"I need to know she’s okay before I can leave" I stand round "So, if you knohere she is, just tell me"

Pity fills his eyes "All I know is that she was in trouble with a guy na?" The Marcus my mother mentioned on the voice mail "I don’t knoho that is"

"You wouldn’t He showed up here about a year ago and has gotten a pretty good rep for selling drugs and hiring out prostitution" Joe pushes back from the counter "Fro him with his business"

"You s never change with her "Or was it drugs this tiht in new clients for hi "And from what I understand, that involved her in a lot of ether what happened"

"Who the hell would trust her withdealer," he explains as he scrubs down the dirty counters "Especially one who hasn’t lived here long enough to know yourover people"

"So, she screwed hi how right my aunt hen she said my mother was probably dead in a ditch soht be dead this time I knew it could be a possibility, but I’ how likely of an outcome it could be

"That’s just what I heard, but who knows exactly what happened"

"Do you have any idea where I can find this Marcus Dale over his shoulder "And, even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you Get in your car and go home, Jax" With that, he turns his back to e area

"Nohat do we do?" Clara stares up at e her toward the door

"But what about your mom?" she asks as she tucks in her elbows and squeezes past people

"We’ll keep looking for her toet you back to the hotel It’s already way past dark" I steer her through the crowd and out the door