Van nodded. “You are sure he will not give you a hard time about staying here?”

“Not if he thinks I need to keep you influenced to ensure you show up for that rematch.”

“Okay. Good. Do you need a car?” He shrugged. “I will call you a car. Do not leave until I come back.”

“I hadn’t planned on it.” She smiled as she turned her chair back around. She’d never been wanted the way Van wanted her. Or so well taken care of. It was heady stuff.

“Ready to eat?” Harlan asked.

“Not yet,” she said. “I’ll wait for Van.”

He was back out in a few minutes and joined her at the counter. At her request, Harlan did a few more magic tricks while they ate. It was a lovely morning and one that took her mind off meeting with her father.

But breakfast lasted only so long.

Monalisa changed into trim black leggings, high-heeled black boots and a long, subtly striped maroon cardigan with a matching shell. She packed quickly, ditching her small rolling bag in favor of a larger one and a better selection of clothing.

The driver Van had called for her had insisted on staying until she was ready to return, so she picked up the phone and asked for a bellman to take her bag down to the waiting car.

He got to her apartment in under five minutes, one of the few perks of being Padraig Devlin’s daughter. And with that done, there was nothing left to procrastinate on. She picked up her purse, checked that she had her ID badge, and headed for the second floor where her father’s office was.

She stepped out of the elevator on the second floor and clipped her badge to her sweater. The security guys waved her through with deferential smiles.

Several other people greeted her as she wound her way through the labyrinth of offices. Deeper in, she passed the heavily guarded doors that led to the finance offices and the vaults. Besides the guards, the steel doors had biometric locks that required a fingerprint and a retinal scan. And every inch of this floor was videotaped. No one got in or out of here without being recorded.

After seeing Van’s hoard, she thought about where her father kept his stash of gold. Behind those doors? That was what she’d long suspected.

She stopped to glance back at the armed guards standing on either side of that entryway. Yes, the casino and the hotel took in tremendous amounts of money, but it would stand to reason that her father would want that same level of security for his personal wealth as well.

Which meant that somewhere behind those doors was the coin she so desperately wanted. Doors that she didn’t have the clearance to get through. She never had. Her father had told her numerous times that neither she nor her mother needed to worry themselves with the money end of things.

She snorted softly. He was such a condescending idiot.

That thought fueled the rest of her march to his office.

His administrative assistant, a woman named Seela, gave her a nod. Seela was a banshee, a supernatural whose voice could shatter glass and stop a heart, and she also served as a first line of defense for Padraig. “Hello, Ms. Devlin.”

“Hello, Seela. I need to see my father. He’s expecting me.” He wasn’t exactly, but it wasn’t too far from the truth.

The woman nodded. “I don’t see you on his calendar.”

“He asked me to come in when I returned to the city.” Monalisa made herself smile pleasantly. “And here I am.”

Seela got up from her desk. “I’ll just go let him know.”

By which Seela meant she’d see if Monalisa was lying.

Monalisa held on to her smile until the woman turned her back, then she pulled out her phone and sent her father a quick text. Home. Need to talk.

Seela was gone only a minute or two, and when she returned, she wore a slim, frosty smile. “He’ll see you now.”

Monalisa’s grin was real this time. “I guess I was on his calendar.” She tucked her clutch under her arm and strode through the tall double doors that led into her father’s office.

His office was an enormous space filled with dark walnut furniture, vibrant green malachite stone wall panels, and hand-knotted carpets laid over slate floors. The fixtures were gold-plated, and cut-crystal objects were everywhere. The seat behind his desk was more throne than chair. She’d once heard him boast that decorating his office had cost more than the hotel’s presidential suite.

Instead of a view of the gorgeous mountains beyond the city or the bustling streets below, his privacy-coated windows overlooked the casino floor. And not just any section of the casino, but the high-dollar tables.

He was standing in front of them now, hands clasped behind his back.

She could see his face in the reflection. He was staring down into the pits, watching the whales lose their shirts. Her eyes narrowed. She hoped one of them got lucky and broke the bank.

Her father stayed where he was, not bothering to greet her or even acknowledge her with a look. “I take it you brought the dragon back with you?”

“I did.”

His gaze remained on the gamblers below. “And he’ll be ready to fight?”

“He will.”

“Excellent news.”

“I’d like the coin now.”

That got him to turn around. “I’m sure you would.”

“I did what you asked. The job is done.”

His eyes narrowed disapprovingly. “So eager to leave the nest.”

“I’m thirty years old. I’ve been here long enough.” She took a breath and reminded herself to keep her voice even and calm. “I’m ready to start my own life. You know that. We’ve been through this.”