STILL NOTHING. NOT a word. It had been ten days and it was really starting to worry her. She knew her son would have an opinion of what Clay had done, making that deal. But Jax hadn't said a word to her. And according to her husband, he hadn't said much to him either. That wasn't the Jax she knew.

It was true, he was going through something and she knew that. But when he dealt with things in his past, it was with women and drugs. This time there had been no women whatsoever. Not that Crow Eaters hadn't been trying like hell. Jax pretended they weren't there. And there were no drugs either. Well, unless you counted alcohol. Jax had been drinking like a fish at night.

But during the day, he was all about his son and the club. Which was good, she supposed. But keeping everything he was feeling inside was not healthy. Even if he was beating the shit out of that punching bag in his basement on a daily basis. Something was going to have to give. Gemma was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"You alright?"

She looked up and saw her husband standing in the doorway, rubbing one of his hands. That was another thing. Clay's hands had been bad when they had gone to prison. Since getting out, they were worse. He had confided to Gemma that he wasn't sure how much longer he could remain president of SAMCRO. That was part of the reason he had made this deal with the cartel. He wanted them to have a "retirement fund" of sorts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting some work done. You go on. I know you guys have church."

She was right, they did, in about ten minutes. He just wanted to check on his wife first. He bent down to give her a kiss and then left again. Gemma removed her reading glasses and sat back in the chair, closing her eyes.

"HEY, IT'S ME."

Her best friend's squeal of delight was loud and shrill in her ear. So much so that she held the phone away for a moment. But it brought a smile to her face. She hadn't spoken with her since arriving back home. Something she knew the woman wouldn't be happy with. But she understood. That's why she was her best friend.

Kris had met Natalia Kozlov her first year at law school and they had become fast friends. The Russian bombshell was just the type of friend Kris had yearned for. She was gorgeous, strong, smart, opinionated and understood Kris like no other female friend she had ever had. They were both women trying to make it in a man's world.

"Still kickin' ass and takin' numbers?"

Her friend laughed on her end of the phone. It was nearly nine p.m. there, so Kris could just imagine what she was doing. Probably what they always used to do together. Go to their favorite club in the city forty-five minutes away, where an army base was, meet hot guys, do shots, dance, have a good time. She missed that.

"Girl, you know it. How are things there?"

Kris sighed to herself. The reason she was calling her best friend is because she needed advice about where to go next. She wasn't sure what her next move should be. She had gone through all of the evidence and wasn't sure what to make of it all. She just didn't know what she could do to help her father.

"Actually, I need some advice…"

She knew the moment Nat put her on speaker phone. And she knew that it was probably because her blonde best friend was standing in front of the mirror, applying eye makeup for a night out.

"I have all this stuff, right? I've been through all the files, all the motions, all the evidence… I don't know where to go from here."

A pause.

"Kris, having not seen all of the stuff you've seen, I can't answer that. I mean, you showed me what you had before you left and we both agreed there was nothing there. Are there any people you can talk to out there? I mean, sometimes people remember things that aren't in the depositions or the paperwork."

Kris leaned back against her pillow and sighed. Yeah, there were people she could talk to. And they were pretty much all in one place. The one place she didn't want to go.

"Can I assume by your lack of response that you can think of some people and you're not thrilled about it?"

Got that right, Kris thought to herself, shaking her head. She should have known that while she was here, she couldn't avoid them. They were such a huge part of her father's life that it was inevitable.

"Date tonight?"

She heard Nat giggle. She had actually giggled? Oh boy.

"Yeah. I'm going out with Ben again."

Ahh Ben, Kris thought, smiling. Natalia and Ben had been casually dating for months now. He was a cop. He was actually the best friend of the cop, Wyatt, that Kris had dated a year ago. Kris and Wyatt had introduced the two.

"Are things getting, dare I ask, serious?"

A sigh in response. Ugh-oh. Nat was getting cold feet, just as she always did. But in a way, Kris was jealous of her. At least she actually liked the good guys.

"Don't over think it, Nat. Just go with it. Ben is serious enough for the both of you." Which was true. Ben took his job very seriously and he was quite dry. It surprised Kris that Natalia was attracted to him, but hey…to each their own.

"I know, I know." She started uttering in Russian, which made Kris smile. She only did that when she was nervous or really pissed off.

"Alright, go get laid. I hate your guts." Her best friend laughed and took her off of speakerphone.

"I will do that. And you should too. If I come up with any insights, I'll let you know. Much love sweetie!" And then she clicked off.

Kris stared at the phone and sighed. Her best friend was right. She needed to get laid, in the worst way. And this weekend, she would do just that. There would definitely be a guy around here who would go home with her for a night of sex. That's all she wanted. And, at that moment, she couldn't wait for the weekend to arrive.

"CAN WE TALK?"

Jax took out a cigarette and lit it. He waited for his best friend to start talking.

"I know you're not happy about this drug deal. I'm just wondering why you're not saying anything about it…"

Jax inhaled and exhaled, still not saying anything. Opie sighed and lit a cigarette as well. He was worried about his best friend. He wasn't the same person he was before he went inside. Which was normal, he knew that. But this was different. Jax was different.

"I can't even imagine what you're goin' through, brother. I can't. But you've gotta do something besides tip back shots and punch the punching bag."

Jax raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

Opie inhaled and exhaled. "I think you should go out with me this weekend. We can go to Duff's. Have a few beers, shoot some pool, and you can get laid. Because, honestly, something has got to give."

Jax sighed and finished his cigarette. Perhaps his best friend was right. He hadn't had sex in a year and a half, after all. He didn't want a relationship or a girlfriend. The truth was there was no woman who had even remotely sparked his interest, not even a little bit.

Opie was right, he needed to get laid. He needed a night of sex with a hot woman. And, at that moment, he couldn't wait for the weekend to arrive.