Free The Piranhas by Harold Robbins Page B

visit.”
    “That’s very nice,” he said politely. “Send me a telex when you’re ready to return. I’ll pick you up at the airport.”
    “You’re very kind, Felipe.” She smiled. “I’ll let you know.”
    He left us with a detective in the VIP lounge as he went to arrange the formalities for the flight. Alma lit a cigarette and a hostess brought us two glasses of champagne. “Excuse me a moment,” I said. “I have to go to the john.”
    “Hurry back.”
    I went to the toilet and pressed myself against the urinal as I opened my fly. I was doing real good until I looked in the mirror in front of me; then I almost lost it, narrowly avoiding pissing on my pants. Quickly I zipped up my fly and turned. Vincent was standing behind me, leaning against the door.
    “What the hell are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought you would be gone.”
    “I had to stay over,” he said. “Did you talk to your uncle?”
    “Yes,” I said.
    “Good,” he said. “Then you told him what I did?”
    “Of course,” I answered. “He was very pleased.”
    “Okay,” he said. He took an automatic fitted with a silencer from his pocket. “Then you’ll never be able to deny that you and Angelo were screwed over the coca, that it was all tobacco leaves.”
    “You’re crazy,” I said.
    “Twenty million dollars crazy,” he said moving toward me.
    I saw the door open behind his back. Then there was a cough of another silencer, and I was quick enough to get out of Vincent’s way as he pitched forward, his gun falling to the floor, the back of his head torn open, with blood and brains falling into the urinal.
    Captain Gonzales was standing in the doorway. “One of the Colombianos,” he said.
    I couldn’t talk. I nodded.
    “Now, get out of here,” he said. “I’ll have one of my men clean this up.”
    I was still silent.
    He half smiled. “You’re a lucky man,” he said. “It’s time for you to board the plane.”

10
    CAPTAIN GONZALES GESTURED to one of his policemen as we stepped from the men’s room. The policeman came toward us. The captain spoke to him quickly in Spanish. The policeman nodded and placed himself in front of the men’s room door so that no one could enter.
    I looked at Captain Gonzales questioningly.
    “I want to get you and Alma on the plane before we have to bring the airport police into this. Once they get here, they’ll drag in Immigration, and you’ll be tied up in formalities, and it might be two or three days before you could leave. I’m sure you’re anxious to get home.”
    “Thank you,” I said.
    “You’re welcome,” he said. “After all, you saved my life back in the apartment.”
    “And you saved mine,” I said.
    “That is my duty,” he said. “To protect innocent people.”
    I held my hand out to him. “But thank you again.”
    We began walking to the lounge where Alma was waiting. “Strange,” he said. “I don’t understand why the Colombianos followed us.”
    “They probably had the same information that your department received. The only problem is that I was not the man they were searching for,” I answered.
    “You didn’t recognize the man in the toilet?”
    I shook my head. “No.”
    “But he was going to kill you,” he said.
    “I don’t know why,” I answered. “But thanks to you, he didn’t.”
    He nodded solemnly. “I will have two more men with me to take you on the plane. I don’t want anything to happen to Alma and you.”
    “I feel safer already,” I replied.
    He laughed suddenly. “Do you plan to return to Lima again?”
    I laughed with him. “I don’t think so. I’ve had enough excitement with this visit.”
    He nodded. “I think that is wise of you.” He glanced at me as we began to approach Alma. “There is no reason for you to tell her anything about the incident in the bathroom. She has been frightened enough over this affair.”
    “You’re just in time,” Alma said. “I just ordered a bottle of champagne.”
    The