and Arch is out of practice. The big bad wolf might mop the floor with your Sunshine."
I just rolled my eyes. "Jimbo. What a stupid name for a gang-affiliated UFC fighter. And Archer's hardly out of practice with how hard he's been training." He'd also had several mock fights at our mountain lodge with a few of UFC's greatest, so yeah, I was pretty confident he had this fight against Jimbo in the bag.
Sure enough, halfway through round two, Archer unleashed his inner beast. Blood flew, splattering the blue floor of the octagon, and the next thirty seconds were a heart-racing flurry of hard fists, sharp elbows, and stealthy knees. Then it was all over. Jimbo hit the deck with a crash as a final right hook snapped his head back and turned out the lights.
"Told ya." I turned to Steele with a victorious grin.
He just laughed, then jerked his head to the cage. Archer was at the mesh, beckoning for me to come closer. Kody grabbed my hand, hauling me up into the octagon with him as he jumped around and whooped his excitement over Archer's win.
Once Jimbo was back on his feet, the referee did his bit to officially announce Archer as the victor. Then, the second his gloved hand was released, Archer grabbed my face and kissed me long and hard, right there in the middle of the former big top.
The after party was held in the old fun house. Hades has converted it into a seriously funky nightclub, but I still needed to swallow past a lump of lingering fear as the four of us made our way through the front door.
Inside, though, not a trace of that horrible old fun house remained. The only nod to what had been there the last time I'd been inside was the abundance of mirrors everywhere, except now they just reflected flashing strobe lights and scantily clad dancers. I tried not to ask too many questions about the Timberwolves—their gang was none of my damn business—but I was getting the distinct impression the less legal side of their income came from the sex trade. Prostitution, I meant, not human trafficking. Given how Archer had saved Seph, I’d think Hades might be firmly against the skin market.
A handsome guy in nothing but a pair of black latex hotpants greeted us as we approached the bar and advised us that we had a table reserved in the VIP section. He escorted us over to it, shaking his ass in time to the music as he walked, then left with our drink orders.
As soon as we were seated, I looped my arms around Archer's neck and kissed him again. "Congrats on your win, Sunshine," I told him in a husky whisper.
He just gave a lopsided grin and tucked a loose, blonde curl behind my ear. "I don't think you've ever looked hotter than when I saw you dancing beside the cage tonight."
I scoffed. "Uh-huh, 'cause I'm wearing your hoodie."
Kody cleared his throat and tipped his head at Archer like he was trying to remind him about something. Or maybe just hurry him up.
"Right," Archer muttered. He swept his hand over his wet hair—fresh from the shower—and reached inside his jacket. "Kate, seeing as tonight sort of marks an anniversary for all of us, especially here, I wanted to give you something."
He placed a folded stack of papers down on the table in front of me, then a single sheet of folded paper beside it. Steele pulled a pen from his own jacket pocket and placed it beside the papers.
"For all the bad memories October 31 holds for you, Hellcat, we hope this might be the start of repairing them." His gray eyes held mine for a moment, sincerity shining through.
Kody shifted in his seat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "This might seem like a gift just from Archer, but it's really from all of us."
Archer rolled his eyes. "Right. But mostly from me. Open this one first." He tapped his finger on the thicker stack of paperwork.
Frowning in confusion, I picked it up and unfolded it carefully. My eyes scanned the top page, and my heart stopped. Dread pooled in my stomach, and I flipped through the pages until I found Archer's signature already on the appropriate lines.
Hurt squeezed my chest, and my gaze flicked up to meet Archer's eyes. "You're divorcing me?"
His expression stayed carefully neutral, not giving away any emotions as he stared back at me. Was...