"Wolves," Ilianna commented drily. "All hormones and no common sense."
Tao laughed and threw an arm around her shoulder. "And you mares are positively virginal by comparison, aren't you?"
"Hey, I never said it was a bad thing." She pressed into his embrace a little, but her gaze was sober when it met mine. "What do you plan to do about these men?"
"Well, as it happens, I managed to get the name of the man in charge. He owns a club called the Phoenix—"
"The Phoenix?" Disgust ran across Tao's face. "That place is a cesspool."
I raised my eyebrows. "And you know this because?"
"Because the premises are a few doors down from Stane's, and there are all sorts of drunken misfits coming in and out. Stane had to put grilles on the windows because the bastards kept smashing them."
"So, it's not the sort of place someone like me—"
"Certainly not as you are," he said, voice stern. "And certainly not alone. I'll come with you."
I hesitated, then nodded. Tao knew the place, and I didn't. And although I didn't want to drag him any deeper into the situation, I also wasn't stupid enough to go alone. If I called either Rhoan or Riley, they'd simply forbid it.
I wanted—needed—to do this. To do something.
"Okay. The dog shifter told me he usually gets there after eleven, so we'll head there tonight."
Ilianna said, "What about your date?"
I looked at her. "What about it?"
"Well, weren't you the one going on and on about the lack of shaggable men in this city? And now that you actually have a date, you're ditching him early to go hunt bad men with Tao? That makes no sense." She nudged Tao with her shoulder, then added with a grin, "Not that you're bad company or anything less than shaggable, but you're not Mr. Long Term. Not for Risa, anyway."