Hi guys! I know long, long time no see. Unfortunately I can't give you any news on how regular updates will be, but I'm still here! College is just consuming me all together, not to mention the fact that I am currently training two horses and competing heavily with my other. (In any case, if anyone cares to know: My barrel horse and I just got home from our State show this past weekend and he laid down 5 smoking hot runs in there days. We just barely missed placing. So I'm one proud mommy right now. :))

Now, this chapter is DPOV. It offers a little more insight to poor Dimitri's time on the island and his daily struggle. The next chapter may or may not be in RPOV. It probably will, but who knows ;) Let me know what you think! I'm all for feed back!

I remember hearing a long time ago that the biggest problem on the planet is fear. I agree. It consumes you and controls your every move. It affects everything. It's as simple as this: If you're not coming from fear, you're coming from love. And the hard part is letting go of one to embrace the other.

I stretched slowly, so as not to wake Roza. Sensing my movement, she snuggled closer to my chest, unknowingly. I took several deep breaths, hating myself for fearing her touch. My heart finally stopped stuttering and I relaxed a fraction, closing my eyes. Robert Doru. The name resounded through my mind and my mind raced to place it. I slowly sunk into a semi unconscious state.

"C'mon Boy. To your feet." Doru's wicked eyes gleamed in the late afternoon sun. His men drug me, stumbling for balance, to the center of the village. They secured me to the post with thick ropes, not bothering to keep in mind the circulation that normally ran to my hands. Doru crouched to my level, where I knelt on the ground. "Now, all you have to do is kill the prisoner boy. Then you join ranks with us." He said it like killing was nothing, which to him it may not have been.

I had been a body guard for several years and grew up knowing I would do anything to protect Roza in anyway, whether I was her body guard or not. With that being said, I had never killed anyone. Few people messed with the Mazurs in reality. So my family was the back up plan in case of emergency.

So, to me, killing was a big deal. I glanced weakly over to the small, frightened woman and Roza flashed through my mind. I gritted my teeth and looked at the ground. They could just kill me. My resolution was wavered with the selfish thought that I would never see Roza again. I quickly shook my head. She wouldn't love a murderer anyway.

I heard a small cry and my head snapped over to a child no older than four. She was terrified. The woman began to plead in what sounded like turkish, from what little I knew that Abe had taught me growing up. A pang shot through my chest. Two guns were drawn. One pointed at the woman, the other at the little girl. My eyes widened in realization.

"Now, what is your choice boy?" My eyes frantically raked from one to the other. How was I supposed to choose between a woman and a child? I heard the men cock their guns and reacted. I roughly yanked my hands through the ropes, feeling ligaments pull and protest in the process. Shots rang out right as I landed a top the small girl. I felt a tear through my side and gritted my teeth. I grabbed the small girl and tried to shield her from the sight of her mother.

Doru let out an insane laugh and walked away, dismissing me to his men with a wave of his hands. I was drug away from the small girl and her terrified cries resounded through the forests.

I shot up from the bed, sweat dripping from my body. I looked around and saw that Roza was awake and gone already. I sighed and slipped from the bed. I walked to the bathroom and started the shower. I caught sight of my scarred torso in my peripherals and stopped dead in my tracks. The small almost unnoticeable scar on my right side stood out. I shook my head. Just a dream Belikov.

I stepped from the shower and dressed quickly. Roza, who was clearly showing by now, was making the official statement announcing an heir to the enterprise around lunch time today. I threw on my "official" black and whites before descending the stairs to the main den. I walked in with my shirt still untucked and fastening the last few buttons of my shirt. My father sent a scowl my way and I smiled back Mama hugged my neck and kissed my cheek. I swear she was the most excited about the baby.

Just then Roza walked through from the kitchen. She looked beautiful as always. Dressed in a sophisticated dress and an over coat, she pranced up to me and kissed my cheek. The public wouldn't know who the father was yet. As per mine and my fathers request. We didn't want to ruin Roza's reputation in her business so we were waiting until the baby was born to announce the whole truth of the story. Not that Roza cared what anyone thought. If she had it her way she would have told everyone the day I returned. I shook my head with a fond smile on my face.

We arrived at Mazur Enterprises just in time. I was still amazed at the hoards of people that flocked to news. Roza walked up the barely and inch in front of me, taking her position at the podium. I saw Mikhail and my father span out into the crowd, not taking their eyes from Roza. I stood behind her, stoic and unseeing, the normal guardian salute so to speak. To everyone else I looked bored out of my mind, but really that was the furthest from the truth.

"I would like to start by thinking everyone who had come today. I arranged this because Mazur Enterprises has very big news. I'm sure most of you can already tell, but an heir is on it's way into the world. He or she will take ME when they are of appropriate age and stature. That being said, it will not be forced upon them. The father will remain anonymous as for right now. Thank you and I will have a release around the start of the new year to set forth plans for next year."

I walked down the stairs and offered my hand to her. She took it as she stepped gracefully from the platform. I gave her a small smile, that no one else could see, and with a slight squeeze of her hand stepped in behind her as father Mikhail stepped in front of her.

Mikhail sat shot gun as my father drove us away from the crowd and towards home. I pulled Roza close to me. She took a deep breath. "I swear I feel like I could sleep the rest of the day." I chuckled and absentmindedly rubbed circles on her growing stomach. Just then her phone rang and she groaned. "Hello." Her greeting was formal so it was business then. "I was just going to be in contact with you. I'm afraid that as of right now ME is unable to make any partnerships but you will be the first contacted when a spot arises." I stilled. It must have been Victor's brother. I suppressed a snarl. "Good day." Her phone was thrown into the seat and she slowly knelt her head back down to my chest. I kissed the top of her head.

Lissa and Christian had decided to push back the wedding to a late spring ordeal, hoping that would be enough time for Roza to have our baby. I couldn't help the smile that lit up my face as I thought about a tiny Roza running down the halls of the house. Roza was ate up with guilt that it was her fault that their wedding plans changed but everyone else thought she was being ridiculous. I was ripped from my thoughts as the car came to a stop in front of the sprawling mansion. I held my hand for Roza to take as she stepped from the SUV. We walked peacefully into the house, hand in hand.

That was of course, before shots rang through the small clearing in the woods. Roza let out a yelp and before she could blink I was pushing her through the front door and into my mothers able hands. I turned and drew my gun that I kept at the waist band of my pants at all times. I spotted several men wearing all black gear and black ski masks running back to the woods. Not even thinking, I let off one shot, taking the farthest left man down, then moved to the middle. After dropping him, I turned my attention to the one on the right and was shocked to hear a shot fired from a gun that wasn't mine. I felt a familiar sting on the side of my left thigh and bit back a word my mother would surely wash my mouth out for. Before I could pull my gun back up another shot rang and I saw the man fall to the ground.

Ignoring the pain in my thigh, I took off running towards the three men. I was followed by my father as I faintly heard Mikhail call law enforcement. None of the men were shot lethally, just enough to stop them. The two I caught were in the knees and the other my father had caught in the hip. We cuffed them and took them towards the end of the drive.

After having to explain to the police what had happened I was slowly beginning to feel the ripped part of my leg. As if reading my mind, the officer looked down in shock. "Is your leg bleeding?" I nodded slowly. Paramedics were immediately rushed from their spots treating the shooters. Whoever had hired them must have instilled a lot of fear into them because they refused over and over to talk. The paramedics slowly cut my pants from the wound and I felt like rolling my eyes. When they went to stitch my leg back was when I protested. "I can do it." He looked astounded. "I can do it." I added more emphasis on it the second time and received a nod. I slowly and skillfully laced my wound up almost professional like.

After the officials left we walked back up the drive. Mikhail and father were beyond tired, I could read it in their faces. As I approached the steps to the door I was knocked into by a whirlwind of Roza. I wrapped my arms around her, ignoring the tension my body was wired tight with and the feeling of being touched.

I picked her up gently, and with soothing words, walked through the house and up to our bedroom. I sat her on our bed and tried to calm her anyway I could. After several minutes she quietened and looked up at me. I was shocked however, to find rage tumbling deep in her eyes.

"You could have left this child fatherless! What were you thinking!" I sighed. "Roza, I'm not only doing my job, but also keeping you, the mother of my child, safe." I tried not to but I know my tone sounded obvious. Did she really think I would just stop protecting her? I shook my head. She stewed on this for a moment more before crawling back into my lap. I took a deep, steadying breath and wrapped my arms around her.

After making sure she was asleep and tucked in I slipped soundlessly from the room. Upon entering my fathers office I realized I wasn't the only one here. "Son, do you believe Robert Doru would be crazy enough to have sent that attack?" He was honestly curious, wanting my professional opinion. I stopped for a moment and had a flash back to the time when I was just a kid that was ordered around. I was broke from my thoughts when he repeated his question. I shrugged before looking down at the plans he had drawn, trying to figure out the attack.

"I think if he is anything like his brother he could have." This was why I didn't want Roza tangled with him in the first place. I heaved a heavy sigh. Doru. Where did that name sound familiar from? I was broke from my thoughts once again by Mikhail.

"Says here that Robert Doru, half brother of Victor Dashkov, runs a prison on some island in the pacific. Doesn't have very many other details, not even the specific location of the island." Everyone seemed to ponder on the information.

Robert Doru. Doru. Suddenly my blood ran cold as I pictured the wickedly gleaming eyes behind the mask. "My name is none of your concern boy. Just call me Doru." I sat suddenly, unable to feel my legs. I was faintly aware of people calling my name and my body quaking. Robert Doru. He was the man who terrorized me and everyone else on that island. He was the one who shot Abe and Eric. He killed them. Robert Doru was the man who branded me. Who figuratively claimed me as his property. It all made sense now. Victor purposefully sunk us near that island, with hopes that we would end up on the island where his brother wreaked havoc.

I looked up into the concerned eyes of Roza and realized I was sitting in the den with everyone staring at me. Flashes from the island ran through my mind in a chaotic rhythm.

"The island. It was Robert's. His prison. That's the island we washed up on. He killed them. The people there only knew him by Doru. I can't believe I didn't notice sooner." I felt numb. Roza gasped as she moved to cradle my head. I didn't stop her. I heard my father curse in russian before moving our security team back into the office. Roza gently pulled at my hand and led me back upstairs. I didn't really pay attention though. I was still reeling. I had never been this scared. He knew Roza, had lunch with her. And now he was targeting her. A shiver ran down my spine. He had been so close. I made a vow right then, my resolve hardening. Robert Doru would never touch a hair on Roza or our child head. Not over my dead body.