‘Is abhorrent to me and a crime in my kingdom,’ he inserted thickly. ‘One I fully endorse completely and utterly. Let there be no misunderstanding about that.’
The force behind his words caused her to swallow. ‘I... Of course. To be honest, I’m not sure how this conversation took a left turn.’
He jaw flexed as he banked the chopper towards the west. ‘Psych 101 would suggest a degree of Freudianism. Would I be right?’
Alarm sparked through her at how close he was skating to truths she didn’t want to uncover. ‘You haven’t known me long enough to make that inference.’
‘Time has no meaning when it comes to instinct. You’re passionate about the work you do. That all-encompassing passion had to stem from somewhere.’
‘We all have pasts that shape us, Your Highness,’ she responded stiltedly, not wanting to recall the volatile quagmire she and her siblings had lived in before her parents’ final showdown had ended everything.
‘I agree. Tell me that shaping didn’t involve anything physical and I’ll drop the subject.’
Her eyes widened as she stared at him and noted the naked intensity in his eyes.
Mouth dry, she shook her head. ‘No, I wasn’t physically abused.’
He exhaled and gave a grim nod.
They flew in silence for a few more minutes, during which time Allegra dragged her mind from the painful past to the present. Below her, more evidence of Dar-Aman’s devastated infrastructure sprawled in derelict abandonment. But among it, several new buildings were springing up, evidence of the rebirth Rahim had mentioned.
It didn’t stop her from mourning the majestic loss, though.
He glanced at her as she sighed.
‘You mentioned your grandfather, but not your parents. Are they involved in the charity too?’ Rahim’s voice piped through her headphones.
Her heart lurched at the mention of her parents. ‘I thought you were going to drop the subject?’ she demanded.
Rahim’s mouth twisted in a curiously empathetic ghost of a smile. ‘Easy, habibi. I will let it be if you wish me to.’
The unexpected statement of understanding loosened something inside her. Coupled with all the roiling emotions churning through her, she wasn’t surprised when she found herself confessing, ‘My parents died when I was six.’
He gave another nod but didn’t spout the inane sympathies most people did on the rare occasion she talked about her parents.
‘I guess that’s one unfortunate thing we have in common.’
Allegra frowned. ‘I thought... Didn’t your father pass away only six months ago?’
Rahim’s jaw tightened, his impassive eyes focused on the horizon ahead. ‘He did, but in many ways he was dead long before he drew his last breath.’
She wanted to ask what he meant. Then deny that they had anything in common. But Allegra was reeling from the overwhelming realisation of just how much she’d bared herself to Rahim Al-Hadi in so short a time. And none of those revelati
ons had got her closer to completing the task her grandfather had set her.
She was grappling with a way to tackle the subject when they soared over a steep hill.
‘What’s that?’ She indicated the construction site beneath her.
‘The new racing track to be completed by the end of the year. We host our first top-tier race here next spring.’
Allegra struggled to keep her emotions in check. ‘Did I read somewhere that you were a racer?’ she bit out.
‘Only on amateur circuits. The situation of my birth precludes me from placing myself in such a dangerous profession,’ he replied with a shrug of acceptance and regret.
‘But you own supercars, don’t you?’
He nodded, then glanced at her with a slight frown. ‘Several. What’s your point? And don’t tell me there isn’t one, because I hear an ocean of judgement in your voice. Are you going to accuse me of not caring about my people again?’