I've been sitting here going over the same thing time and time again. Perhaps I should have had my lawyer at my side. I'm getting stupid. The longer I'm sitting here the more I think, Keri Weeks sold me out. I'm starting to get angry.

Suddenly the door opens and the last person I ever thought to see willingly coming to see me. Okay, the second least likely person. At least he's not gloating like I'm sure he would be if Keri sold me out.

"Thank you Mr. Wallace. You saved my nieces life." He slides a piece of paper to me. 

I look at him in confusion and pick it up. When I see a check made out to me for two million dollars I can do nothing but stare at it in shock. Then I look at him, "The paper said the reward was only one million. This-" I gesture at the check in my hands.

"Keri was very insistent that she would have died if your doctor hadn't of tended to her wounds. She's actually on her way to the hospital by ambulance now. She made me promise to give that to you and make sure that you are able to leave." I can tell that her lawyer is less than happy about the situation. That her lawyer is her uncle as well does surprise me. None of my research had turned that up.

"He is free to leave now, right?" Mr. Smith is asking or rather demanding of the detective that's been hounding me all afternoon.

"Yeah." The detective turns to me, "We'll get this typed up and sent to your lawyer's. You'll need to go in and sign it as soon as possible. The sooner it's done the better it will be when we take that asshole uncle and cousins of Miss Weeks to court."

I agree more than happy to make sure that bastard goes to jail for a very long time. 

Mr. Shane Smith, Keri's lawyer, walks at my side as we leave the police station. I have never been so happy to leave a place as I was that one.

Just before he leaves me I think of something. "Did Miss Weeks tell you that she had proof that her uncle was behind the accident that killed her mother?"

Mr. Smith stops so suddenly I thought he had run into a wall or something. Then he turns around and comes back to my side.

"What did you say?" I swear the man growled at me.

"She told me that she has evidence that her uncle is behind her mother's car accident."

"That slimy son of a bitch! His own sister?" Shane is getting real close to losing it and saying things that can be used against him in a court of law.

"Mr. Smith." My voice helps to bring him back to reality. He actually blushes.

"Thank you, Mr. Wallace. My niece was right about you."

I bit my lip. There is no love lost between us. My father killed his brother, but at the moment at least he doesn't hate me. "Is Miss Weeks okay? You mentioned that she was taken to the hospital by ambulance."

"After the photographer left, the detective and I returned to finish things up. As we walked in Keri fainted. I was able to catch her, but she didn't wake up." 

Shane looks at me sharply, "Was this how she was at your place too?"

I nod, "She almost passed out just walking from the bathroom after taking a bath. She did pass out after I caught her from that. I think she passed out at least one other time."

"She tells me that she gave you two options." I'm shocked but I did walk free so I guess there was no harm done. 

"Yes," I say not entirely sure if this conversation is going to get me a one way ticket back inside the station.

"Why didn't you take the other option? Don't bullshit me. Keri already figured it's because you need money, that's why she had me double the reward."

"I do need the money." I go for broke, it won't be too hard for him to find out the truth, not with the resources he has. 

"I'm leveraged to the max. I need this money for a project I'm doing, but although two mil will help, it's not enough."

"Damn that girl." I hear Shane mutter. This confuses me. I'm missing something here and I don't like it when that happens. I hate feeling helpless. Like the night my father back stabbed his best friend, Mr. Stiles Weeks.

Shane must notice my confused look because he grimaces and pulls me towards his car. We'd taken a cab being that we weren't sure if I would walk out of there a free man.

"Let's go see that overly smart niece of mine. I'll let her explain." Shane keeps his arm around my shoulder. It doesn't hurt unless I try to get out from under it. Then he puts a great deal of pressure on it. 

"You won't want to miss this opportunity, Mr. Wallace. My niece is incredibly intelligent. She figured out that you needed money. That's why she made me up the reward. She wants to hear about the project you need it for. She's thinking about investing in it.

"This will be the only chance you will have to pitch it to her, because if you don't come right now, I'll never let you near her again." Shane Smith's voice went from congenial to down right frosty and angry. 

In that moment I remembered exactly who this man is. Although why he has the last name of Smith instead of Weeks confuses me.

Once we are in his car I turn to him, "You're Miss Weeks uncle, correct?"

"Yes," he replies curtly.

"On her father's side?" This time he catches my confusion.

"I'm her father's half brother. My father didn't acknowledge me, so I carry my mother's surname. My brother helped me out and made sure that I received all the schooling I wanted. He made sure that my mother and I never lacked for anything even though my so called father couldn't have cared less.

"I loved my brother, Mr. Wallace. The only person I love as much is my niece. So I am going to make this perfectly clear. What I'm doing I'm doing because she wants me too. If I had my druthers you'd be sitting in that jail waiting to be convicted of kidnapping, assault and any other charges I could come up with."

I found myself saying something I think shocked him. "I wouldn't blame you."

After that the rest of the ride was done in silence.