The club was bumping. At almost one in the morning, there was not a sober patron to be found. The DJ was great, playing some insane trance that pulsated through Ashelin's veins as soon as she'd stepped through the door.
She wasn't sure whom she was here to meet, so she figured grabbing a drink would be a good place to start.
Doug Slater, DJ extraordinaire, watched the redhead intently. It was definitely her. She leaned on the bar to speak to the bartender, lifting a long creamy leg slightly behind her for balance. Her soft looking auburn curls cascaded down to her ass, though didn't quite hide the complete backlessness of her little emerald dress. She wore black just-below-the-ankle shoes, with heels so high it was a wonder she could keep her balance.
She turned her back to the bar, and he admired the deep green halter hugging the curves of her perky breasts. The dress flared out at the curve of her hip, but hung short so he could admire the lusciousness of her legs.
She was a superfox. Of course, she had some serious brain damage if he'd understood Vaas' instructions right. He didn't really care, though. Doug was in for one hell of a commission for this one.
Ashelin sipped at her gin and cranberry, surveying the crowd.
It was a sweaty and euphoric mass of bodies, intense in its fluidity with the music. She glanced up to the DJ stand and noticed he was gone. He must have a playlist going now.
The bartender tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to lean in to hear him.
"You're wanted on the mezzanine." He pointed to the balcony and she glanced up. The DJ leaned over the railing, giving her a wave.
Ashelin smiled her thanks at the bartender and slowly made her way up the metal stairs. The club was modern looking but lush, with heavy curtains surrounding private booths upstairs. As she approached the DJ, he turned, waving for her to follow him, and she kept up, a few feet behind as he led her behind a heavy black curtain.
With the music muffled, Ashelin took in the puffy black and white couches in the corner. She assumed it was a VIP room, a massive window overlooking the dance floor.
"Ashelin Clarke." He turned and bowed dramatically. "Doug Slater."
She raised an eyebrow. "Hello, Doug."
"Have a seat." He motioned to the couch and strode over to the minibar at the far wall. "Need a top up?"
"Sure." Ashelin downed her drink in one gulp and joined him at the bar with her empty glass. She wasn't quite ready to sit just yet. "Thanks."
He filled her glass with gin and added a splash of cranberry juice and a lime wedge.
"So, I have to be honest, I'm pretty impressed that you're here." He laughed.
She drew in a breath. "Oh?"
"When Vaas told me that a smoking hot redhead was coming from Canada to visit him..." He laughed again and shook his head. "I think I pissed him off by laughing at him."
"I can't imagine he's somebody that you want pissed off at you." She leaned on the bar and looked at him. He was about her height, and didn't look like the type of person who would be an accomplice to a pirate. He looked like a bro, with his baggy jeans and white beater. Was this club some kind of front for Vaas' trade?
"You know that, yet you walk into the hornet's nest." Doug shook his head. "I'm used to recommending the island to stupid tourists, and getting a fat paycheck. This is new for me. You really know what you're getting yourself into?"
"That's my business," Ashelin replied. She didn't really want to talk to this guy about her motivations. She was saving that for the pirate king. "Are you supposed to get me to the island?"
"Well, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow night, but I can make new arrangements." He refilled his rye and coke and strode to the couch. He slumped down and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Ashelin moved to the window, standing over the dancing throng, watching the lights play over their heads.
This could be her last night in civilization.
"So you're a DJ that sends innocent tourists to a pirate infested island," she mused, leaning against the glass as she sipped her incredibly strong drink.
"And you're a... whatever you are, that willingly walks into a pirate infested island." Doug leaned back and shot her a lopsided grin. "Honestly, I like it here. If I shot Vaas the bird and refused to work with him, I'd have to get far away from here and disappear. Thailand's become my home now, and I gotta eat, right?"
She shrugged. "Who am I to judge?"
"You better finish that drink, beautiful, there's a chopper being fired up on the roof with your name on it." He stood.
Ashelin tensed. Right now? She supposed it didn't matter when it would be, or whether she could go and get her stuff from the hotel or not. Would she even be allowed to keep her stuff? A chill of anticipation laced with fear ran up her spine, and she slammed the rest of her drink back.
It was now or never.