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He ran toward the church, hoping that he could get them to provide him safety and sanctuary until someone could come and get him. He trusted no one, not even the police. Especially the police.

His father had warned him of the American law enforcement and their propensity toward taking bribes. Those in New York City were the worst, according to his father.

It was absurd that at forty-nine years of age, he was still doing everything his father asked of him.

He’d gone to university and obtained his degree.

He’d participated in government and social activities required of him.

He’d even gone to ridiculous balls, horse races, and traveled abroad to show his face and let the world know that he was available.

He hadn’t cared one bit. It wasn’t that he didn’t desire a partner.

He did. He just didn’t feel the need to rush it all.

Yes, he understood that time was running out for him to produce an heir.

As one of the wealthiest aristocrats in Germany and one of the few left, he was expected to do certain things. Produce children was only one of those.

When his father suggested that he spend a year working in the company that they’d created in honor of his mother, he thought it was a good idea. One of the few things they’d actually agreed on.

He’d been to Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, small villages in rural China, Nigeria, India, and then was directed to Botswana. When he’d met the three women he was to work with, he was impressed with all three. They knew nothing of Earl Frederick. They only knew Brad, and he preferred it that way.

After years of dialect coaching, he casually slipped from German to English to French and back again without any trace of an accent. It was best if these women knew nothing of his background or wealth.

At first, he didn’t care for their mentor, Tillie.

She seemed assertive, perhaps even rough.

In time, the short time they were together, Frederick learned that he enjoyed her company.

She was smart, funny, and knew what she was doing.

He’d have to tell his father that she was valuable, and they couldn’t afford to lose her.

Gemma, the older of the women, was pleasant enough. She was plain in her appearance, but there was an air of quiet elegance to her that he admired. Even when faced with kidnapping, she remained relatively calm and followed orders when Tillie was able to free them.

The other woman, Jewel, was a young, free-spirit intent on screwing her way through the population and drinking every manner of alcohol she could get her hands on. He had vowed to call his father about her and have her removed from the team. He never got that chance.

Having only spent a month together, they were just starting to get their rhythm and learn what was needed in the villages they were working with. It only gave Frederick an even greater love and appreciation for his mother.

Children shouldn’t have to cry for food because their bellies were hurting. They shouldn’t be dying of simple diseases like measles, polio, or scarlet fever when there were vaccines and medications that could save them.

The services provided by Hope Together could, quite literally, change the world. It had been his mother’s fondest wish. Her huge heart and desire to make the world better than the way she found it was his constant inspiration.

Spotting the large wooden back door of the church, he prayed that someone would open the door for him. He knocked several times but got no response. Unable to stay in the open as he was, he walked around to the front door and pulled, grateful that it opened.

“Oh,” he whispered to himself. There was a service happening, which was why no one answered the back door. Quietly, he took a seat in one of the pews, respectfully listening to the priest.

He wasn’t particularly religious, having cursed God for taking his mother.

One day, he would need to make amends about that, but today wasn’t the day.

It wasn’t that he wished death on someone else or that he’d taken his father instead of his mother.

It was simply that the world had needed his mother.

When the service was done, he waited until all the parishioners were gone and approached the priest.

“Excuse me, Father, I need your help.”