Page 131 of The Saint (Gentlemen Rogues 3)
"Then she meant for you to have it. And if you think hard and long enough, I'm sure you'll know how to open it."
I sighed, frustrated, and glanced at Kaya. "Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not. It's just another dead end."
Altair stood. "Wait, I do have something of hers. She once wrote down the song she always sang. I didn't understand it. I thought maybe it was something her mother sang to her when she was little. Her mother was Ghanaian. Maybe you’ll understand what it means."
He handed Kaya a slip of paper that he pulled from a book, and she sighed. She glanced up at me. "It's the words from my lullaby."
"Your lullaby?"
"She used to sing me this all the time. I didn't know all the words until now."
Altair nodded. "Well, I'm glad that I was somewhat helpful."
The old man showed us out, but before we left, he leaned in and whispered something to Kaya, and then she gave him a tight hug. The old man looked like she made his whole day as he rapidly blinked away tears and patted her back softly like a doting old grandpa.
When Kaya met my gaze, her eyes were filled with tears. "He loved my mother. I'm glad she had people she could count on."
"Me too."
I took her hand in mine as we exited the wrought iron gate, and suddenly, something made the hairs at my neck stand up, and I glanced around. Someone was watching us. "Kaya, I need you to walk very slowly to the car. And then I need you to follow directions exactly as I tell you."
She frowned over at me but nodded that she would do exactly as I told her.
"Okay, you're going to open the car door. Do you see that metal postal box? When I say, you're going to duck back out of the car and stay crouched down behind the postal box. Do you understand me?"
She frowned and nodded again. "What is happening?"
"You see the stairs leadingdown there to the garden?"
She nodded.
"When I give you the signal, run for that garden and duck down. Do you hear me?"
She nodded.
"Now, here we go."
Kaya glanced up at me as she followed my directions and sat down in the car. I closed the door, walking around to the back side of the car. When I did that, she opened the door again, sliding down low in the seat, and then climbed out and closed the door behind her before hiding behind the postal box. When I gave her the signal, she dove for the stairs.
Shots rang out, and I launched myself out of the car and over the retaining wall of the cottage style house. Leaping, I pressed the button and the explosion ensued.
A wall of heated rocks and shrapnel skyrocketed over our heads.
CHAPTER 41
KAYA
I couldn't heara single thing. All around me dust, shrapnel and toxic particles floated around. Silence was pressing down on me with the weight of an elephant. We'd been shot at again. Our bloody car had blown up. How the hell were we supposed to get back?
And Saint.
Oh Jesus!
Jasper.
I pushed some of the rocks off me and tried to stand. Everything seemed in working order. Head was still on straight. I could move my hands, and I could feel my toes, sort of. Unfortunately, after checking my extremities, I noticed how quickly my heart was beating and how hard it was to get any air. I tried to calm my breathing. I tried to focus.
