Liz watched as something changed in Dorian. His expression softened, and his lips twitched in amusement. Even his eyes, which had once seemed so cold and hard, beheld her now with concern, perhaps even kindness. Was this the same man who took such delight in insulting her? That seemed hard to believe.
And yet…
She searched the room for any sign of her stepsisters, but they had both disappeared into the rush of departing partiers outside. A few more teens staggered from the kitchen, the bathrooms, and upstairs, and then Liz was alone with Dorian.
“Okay, so what? You want me to help bring her down?” she asked, her voice low, unsure.
What she lacked in confidence, he covered doubly. His eyes flashed a pair of excited emeralds as he said, “Precisely.”
Liz had known in her gut that Vanessa Price was up to something sinister. Hearing Dorian confirm it only made her worry about her father more. As if knowing she needed the extra help to come to grips with the one-eighty change in their relationship, Dorian reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
From enemies to allies—could it really be? Though her skin warmed at his touch, she still had a hard time trusting him—and for very good reason. He’d insulted her, investigated her, stalked her. None of those were winning tactics when it came to making friends.
But whatever the case, he seemed to know something she did not. Something important.
“Why do you say we’re not safe?” Liz asked with a shaky voice.
Dorian grabbed her hand again, then took the other as well. Liz felt a charge run up her arms, but didn’t have enough wherewithal to figure out whether it was anger, fear, or… something else.
“Because you’re not,” Dorian insisted. “Vanessa has done some very unsavory things and has made a lot of people angry. It’s only a matter of time before it catches up to her.”
“My best friend, Scarlett, is one of them. Vanessa tricked her out of a job last year. Scar is okay now. She loves her new life, but it was really hard.”
Dorian nodded emphatically. “Yes, I believe it. And to think Scarlett is one of many, many people Vanessa Price has hurt. She’s not even the worst of her victims, either.”
Liz dropped his hands. They were distracting her from the more important topic at hand. She knew Vanessa had evil in her, but there was still one very important thing she couldn’t figure out. “I still don’t understand how we could be in danger,” she whispered, feeling a chill run over her as she did.
He continued to smile lightly, though his words were intense. “I know it’s asking a lot, but you’ll just have to trust me until I can reveal more.”
“It is asking a lot. You lied about your article before. How do I know you’re not lying now?”
“You don’t,” he said plainly. “But I’ll keep investigating whether or not you allow it.”
She crossed her arms and turned away, muttering over her shoulder, “So I may as well invite you to stalk me?”
He placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered, “It’s not stalking if I have permission, and actually now that you’re willing to talk to me, I don’t need to invent reasons anymore.”
His breath caressed her skin and sent a fresh shudder through her. It seemed her body was every bit as sure of its reaction to Dorian Whitley as her brain wasn’t. “So that’s why you made up a girlfriend?” she whispered with her face turned away.
He spun around her, bringing them face to face. “Yes.”
“And the horseback riding?”
Dorian’s eyes widened before he looked away and cleared his throat. “It’s just something I thought you might enjoy. I thought we could use it to build a rapport with each other.”
“I’ve never ridden a horse in my life, which makes me doubt your investigative skills or your honesty.” She had every reason not to trust him, and only one to try.
He smiled, his serpent like charm returning. “Which is it?”
She shook her head and frowned, not wanting to encourage him when she still didn’t know whether his sins could be overlooked in order to form a partnership. “Take your pick.”
“You don’t have to know everything yet. You just have to know enough to allow me some access to the house, to Vanessa’s life.”
She wanted to trust him. She did. Because if he were telling the truth and she ignored it now, it could mean very real pain for her father down the line. But she needed to know, “Will you ever tell me the full truth?”
Dorian looked away as if to regroup, then turned the full intensity of his gaze back her way. His furrowed brow seemed to hint that he felt frustrated either with her or with himself. “We’re very close to blowing the lid off this scandal,” he said rather than directly answering her question.
“And then?”
“And then your part in this is done.” He still wasn’t giving her any promises, but she needed him to make at least one that night.
“What about my father?” Liz demanded.
Dorian shrugged, but tension remained in his posture. “What about him?”
“Could this hurt him? This big thing about Vanessa? He is her husband, after all.”
He studied her before replying. “You really love him, don’t you?”
“Of course I love him. He’s my father.”
“He’s been good to you?”
“What kind of question is that?”
He placed a hand on his chest reflexively. “One from the heart.”
“Yeah, my father is a good man. Don’t hurt him with this, whatever it is.”
“I will do my absolute best.”
“Promise?”
He didn’t blink as he answered, “You have my word.”
“Okay, then what do you need from me?”
“Show me to Vanessa’s office. Give me some time to dig around, find the evidence I need.” His anxiety seemed to dispel completely. She’d given him what he wanted, but would that be enough?
She needed to know where all this was heading. “And then?” Liz asked again.
“And then I’ll leave quietly. You can forget you ever met me if that’s what you want.”
“Fine. Just don’t let my stepsisters see you.”
He chuckled now. “Oh, I can be very stealthy.”
The way he said this made Liz wonder if he’d been following her longer than she knew. If he’d already known her intimately before ever introducing himself at the wedding.
And, even more unsettling, whether he was the only one.