He cleared his throat. “I hear you didn’t split a pair of nines.”

Her jaw fell open before she quickly recovered, a chuckle escaping her lips. “I thought you were furious with me.”

“Oh, I am furious. I nearly put my fist through a wall when Donnelly’s man showed up here, saying a woman claiming me as a mentor had been caught cheating there.”

The muscles in her neck worked as she swallowed. “That reaction seems a bit extreme, considering.”

“Considering what?”

“Considering I’m only paying you to teach me about running a casino. We hardly know each other.”

Irritation crawled along his skin, though she wasn’t altogether wrong. Yet, it seemed there was more he needed to teach her. “Florence, being under my tutelage means that you are under my protection. We are linked, whether you like it or not.” She started to speak, so he held up a hand. “Furthermore, your decision on where to play last evening was an unfortunate one. Do you know who owns Donnelly’s saloon?”

“A man named Mulligan, I think.”

She showed no reaction so his suspicion was confirmed. “You obviously haven’t heard of Mulligan. What I don’t run in this city, Mulligan does. We are . . . associates of a sort.”

“Rivals?”

“Not quite. I’ve risen above the type of places Mulligan runs. We’re not enemies—but we’re not friends, either. More important, Mulligan allows the men running his properties a fair amount of latitude to do as they see fit with patrons. Even if you hadn’t been accused of cheating, you were in danger just by being there.”

She waved her hand. “I’ve been all over the city and never encountered any problems. I’m perfectly safe.”

“Don’t be naive, Florence,” he snapped. “You’re far from safe in casinos, dance halls, saloons and other two-bit dives. Even if rape or personal injury doesn’t scare you, the possibility of being kidnapped for ransom certainly should. Your last name puts you at risk. God knows your father has made any number of enemies over the years.”

“Including you.”

“Yes, including me, although I don’t need to use you to gain retribution against him. Not all men would feel the same, however.”

“No one would dare.”

“Yes, they certainly would. Mulligan wouldn’t think twice about using you as a pawn to gain power in this city.”

She worried her lip and he hoped his words were getting through to her. “You speak of him as if he’s some sort of bogeyman.”