C H A P T E R N I N E Although I could have spent some time in a dream state, it only felt like a matter of seconds until Falcone's arm tightened to the point where it almost ached and almost choked me. At that point, I opened my eyes and felt the heat of him go. He was tugging on his luggage when I lay over to see his shadow near the bed. He moved again, his knee hitting the bed, his finger resting softly on my lips, and I watched as his dark head shook in the negative once as I stood up on an elbow and prepared to speak when he did. Uh-oh. He then vanished. A millisecond later, I heard a scuffle, some gasps, and then a hard, loud thump, as if someone's body had collided with the wall. Then I heard my sister Isabelle exclaim, "What the heck!” When I saw the lights turn on in the

