“But Rocco,” one of them said to me, “was an extraordinary man. He never betrayed the trust. He truly was a great man of honor.”
I thanked them for coming. They rose to leave, and one of them noticed the ring Uncle Rocco had given me. He reached to hold my hand. “I know that ring,” he said. “It was your uncle’s ring, and it was his father’s ring—your grandfather’s. It was a symbol of a true Don.”
Before I could move my hand away, he bent down and kissed the ring. A moment later the other two did the same. They looked up at me and there were tears in their eyes.
“May God be with you, Don Jed,” they said, and they left.
I sat there for a few moments and looked down at the papers. The tears began falling from my eyes.
I knew that I was a very ordinary man. And I was an American, not a Sicilian.
But to these three old men, I was the Godfather.…
BOOKS BY HAROLD ROBBINS
from Tom Doherty Associates
The Betrayers (with Junius Podrug)
Blood Royal (with Junius Podrug)
The Carpetbaggers
The Deceivers (with Junius Podrug)
The Devil to Pay (with Junius Podrug)
Heat of Passion
The Looters (with Junius Podrug)
Never Enough
Never Leave Me
The Piranhas
The Predators
The Secret
The Shroud (with Junius Podrug)
Sin City
Praise for Harold Robbins
“A sprawling, sparkling international romp … Robbins’s literary legacy remains very much alive, and fans should experience a pleasant sense of déjà vu as they race through this latest installment.”
—Publishers Weekly on Heat of Passion
“Splendid pulp … Stunningly well written.”
—Kirkus Reviews on Heat of Passion
“An intriguing story … fascinating.”
—RT Book Reviews on Heat of Passion
“Tight-packed plot and inside detail on gambling cheats in Las Vegas gives off blue rocket fire … Seminal Robbins. The pages go whoosh.”
—Kirkus Reviews on Sin City
“Robbins’s faithful fans will be lining up for this one.… The plot is spiced with loads of fantastical sex and nymphomaniacal women.”
—Booklist on Sin City
“Sin City moves quickly and is great fun.… Packed with vintage Robbins boudoir scenes, it follows a street-smart youth clawing his way to wealth and power. Robbins fans … will be rewarded for their devotion with this unexpectedly lively offering.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Harold Robbins is a master!”
—Playboy
“Harold Robbins is one of the world’s bestselling authors.… Each week, an estimated 280,000 people purchase a Harold Robbins novel.”
—Saturday Review
“Robbins grabs the reader and doesn’t let go.”
—Publishers Weekly
“His characters are compelling, his dialogue is dramatic, and his style is simple and straightforward.”
—Los Angeles Times
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE PIRANHAS
Copyright © 1991 by Harold Robbins
Originally published in 1991 by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.
All rights reserved.
A Forge Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Forge® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
ISBN 978-0-8125-7788-4
First Forge Edition: June 2010
eISBN 9781466833753
First eBook edition: November 2012
The Piranhas Page 23