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father would have to agree that this time she was being persistent!
    A tapping at the door jolted JoNell out of her reverie.
    "Who is it?" she called.
    "It's me," said the voice of Uncle Edgar.
    "Come on in," JoNell answered, scrambling out of bed and slipping into a nylon robe.
    "I found Miguel coming down the hall with your breakfast. I told him I'd bring it to you." He placed the heavy silver tray on her bedside table.
    JoNell touched the rich, gleaming metal. It was solid silver, she was certain, not cheaply plated.
    "Thanks," she said. "I'm really hungry. What time is it anyway?" she asked around a mouthful of dark, tasty fruit.
    "It's getting late, Pet," Uncle Edgar said slowly. "I have to leave for the airport soon. I let you sleep as long as possible. You seemed mighty tired when the dinner party was over last night."
    I had every reason to feel that way, JoNell thought wryly—having to defend myself against two attackers. First Del Toro, who finally conceded I could fly, and then Consuelo Garcia, who is convinced I'm the next willing victim on Del Toro's list of conquests.
    "Well, I'm fine now," she assured her uncle. "I slept just great. Did you?"
    "Not entirely." Concern edged his voice.
    "Why not?" JoNell asked a bit anxiously. "Do you feel all right, Uncle Edgar?"
    "Well, yes and no," the large-faced man answered, a weary frown creasing the deep wrinkles of his brow. "My mind feels okay. It's my heart I'm worried about."
    JoNell felt color drain from her face. Maybe the trip had been too much for him. All those years of heavy drinking had to take their toll on his body.
    "I'll call a doctor," she said quickly.
    "Oh, no, Pet. That's not the way I mean it," he reassured her. He sat on the edge of the bed beside her and gently patted her shoulder. "Before we left home, your father made me promise not to leave you here if I thought you would be in any danger."
    "Danger?" JoNell asked, puzzled. Then a smile crossed her face. "But Uncle Edgar, I'm not in any danger," she laughed.
    "I'm not so sure," he slowly murmured. "I saw the way Del Toro looked at you. My head tells me you can take care of yourself. But my heart, well that's a different story. It tells me not to leave you here at the mercy of a dashing, handsome, rich foreigner. My heart tells me you're much too young and vulnerable for the likes of seňor Jorge Del Toro."
    "Uncle Edgar! What kind of a girl do you think I am?" she gasped.
    "Last night I saw a gorgeous woman, not a girl. I'm sure Del Toro saw the same thing. You've grown up, JoNell. You're a woman now. But you're inexperienced. I've been around, as you know. And I've seen every kind of man that lives. Believe me, Pet, I've seen men like Del Toro, and they're dangerous."
    "Dangerous? What do you mean?" But she knew all too well exactly what Uncle Edgar meant. She had felt the powerful attraction of Jorge Del Toro the first instant she had seen him. He had a magnetic quality, a strange and fatal fascination that no woman could deny. And he could be utterly ruthless with women.
    Uncle Edgar gave her a long, searching look.
    "Yes, I guess I do know what you mean," JoNell finally conceded. "I felt it, too. But Uncle Edgar, he's no worse than a lot of the rich playboys who've come into the office back home. I'm used to his type. And I can handle him. Believe me."
    "I don't know. I promised your father…"
    "It's because of father that you have to let me stay," JoNell argued. "It might kill him if this deal for the sale of that airplane falls through."
    "It would surely kill him if anything happened to you, Pet," Uncle Edgar said gravely.
    "Well, I'm not leaving, and that's it. I won't let Daddy down."
    "But you expect me to?"
    JoNell felt a wave of guilt. "Uncle Edgar, remember that young good-looking stockbroker from Miami who took flying lessons from Daddy for so long? He tried his best to make me one of his conquests. He had a lot going for him, too, where women were concerned. Remember that flashy