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With the Pakhan in attendance today, that means he’ll have his own army of guards watching over him and his daughter. More guards to ensure Dima won’t do some stupid shit like attack the ceremony or the party after.

I’ve seen a few changes Everest made to the plans I’d originally made; my girl didn’t spare a dime and pulled out all the stops. This will be one hell of a wedding, and the reception of the decade.

Brix steps into my office, his long hair hanging wet around his bare shoulders. He’s showered but hasn’t bothered to pull on anything more than the boxers Everest specifically chose for us to wear today.

All three of us have matching black boxer briefs with the word ‘groom’ plastered across our asses. I guess I should be a little embarrassed by that, but who the fuck will see it other than our wife?

And fuck yes I love that she got Maddox and Brix each a pair, too.

“Your phone off?” he asks, jerking his chin toward my desk while his brows stay pulled together deeply.

I return the frown and glance down at my phone. Fuck. I must have forgotten to turn it back on after we fucked Everest senseless last night. I didn’t want anything to interrupt us. If it was truly an emergency, one of the guards outside would have alerted us or whoever was calling would have tried all three phones.

I have three missed calls from the guards currently manning the front gate.

“Fuck,” I mutter. Since Brix apparently knows what’s up, I don’t bother returning the calls. “What happened?”

“The Pakhan is at the gate not so patiently waiting for permission to enter.” His brows are still knitted together so tightly a deep groove has formed between them.

“I’ll take it by your expression he’s not here to check on his daughter.”

I push to my feet as Brix shakes his head. “No. He said he’s got information we need to hear.”

“Today? He couldn’t wait until we get back?”

Brix doesn’t respond as we both make our way to the front door and step onto the landing as the black town car pulls forward. Apparently, Brix gave the go ahead to allow the Pakhan access.

Being as his baby girl is inside our house, it might have been seen as disrespect or even an act of war had he been barred from entering.

“You think maybe you should at least put on some pants before meeting with the Pakhan?” I mutter to Brix as he stands beside me on the front stoop. Yep. Still in his boxers with wet hair in the currently thirty degree weather.

If he’s cold, he’s not showing it.

“Until I know why the fuck the Russian is here on our wedding day, I’m not doing shit,” he grumbles in his deep voice.

Fair enough. There’s only the one vehicle, but in our world, that doesn’t mean shit. As far as we know, there could be snipers in the distance with their scopes narrowed in on the two of us.

Once the vehicle parks directly in front of the stairs, a guard steps from the front passenger seat and moves to the back to let the Pakhan out.

“To what do we owe the honor of a visit?” I ask, trying my best to keep my voice and expression neutral instead of showing my annoyance and suspicion.

“Let’s talk inside,” the older man says with a jerk of his chin toward the front door.

Normally, I’d say fuck no to that order when Everest is inside, but his guard isn’t joining him, simply standing beside the vehicle with his hands clasped in front of him.

That and Flora is inside. Don’t want our rival thinking we’re holding his daughter hostage or refusing him to see her. Again, that could be seen as an affront.

Brix grumbles a displeased sound but steps aside as Roman climbs the steps. He’s somewhere in his forties, but the years haven’t been kind to him. It seems after his wife was murdered, the weight of grief pressed down on him so hard his shoulders hunch forward a little, and there’s more gray in his hair than I would think a forty-five-year-old man would have.

Or maybe that’s just my age showing, and he looks older to me since he’s old enough to be my father.

At least he shows me respect where so many others treat me as though my younger age keeps me from running my father’s empire.

I lead Pakhan Yegorov to my office and nod at Brix, silently telling him to track down Maddox. The two might technically be my employees, might be my enforcers, but they’re the closest to brothers I’ve ever had or ever will.

We run this syndicate as a unit.

“Where’s my daughter?” the Pakhan asks as we step through the door to my office and he lowers into the winged back chair in front of my desk.