All Chapters of CLAIMED IN THE DARK : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

 “Get off me, Cove. Please.” Cove stayed right where he was, pinning Eli to the bed. His eyes were hard, full of suspicion. “I can’t just let this go,” Cove said. “Someone knows you’re in my bed. That message came in while we were lying here together. How?” Eli pushed against Cove’s chest with his free hand. “I don’t know! I swear on my life, I didn’t do anything. I haven’t touched a phone or sent any message. You’ve been watching me every second!” Cove didn’t move. “Then explain it. How does someone know exactly where you slept last night?” “I can’t explain it!” Eli’s voice got louder. “Maybe they guessed. Maybe they have cameras somewhere. But it’s not me. I didn’t betray you. Not after last night. Not after I chose t

 Cove’s hand tightened on Eli’s waist. Marco’s voice continued through the interceptor, cold and casual like he was talking about the weather. “The kid’s been useful as bait. Once Cove is wrapped around his little finger, he’ll make mistakes. Then we hit them both hard. No survivors.” The feed cut out. Eli didn’t move. He just sat there on Cove’s lap, staring at the device like it had slapped him across the face. Cove spoke first, voice low. “Eli…” Eli shook his head slowly. “He called me bait. His own brother. Bait.” Cove wrapped both arms around him from behind. “He’s a piece of shit. We already knew that.” Eli’s voice cracked. “But hearing it… hearing him say it like that. Like I&rs

 Eli’s fingers moved faster across the keyboard. “They’re persistent. Really persistent. They just tried the secondary firewall again.” Cove leaned over his shoulder, watching every move. “Shut them down completely. Don’t let them get any deeper.” “I’m trying!” Eli said, voice tight. “This Ghost guy knows what he’s doing. He’s probing every weak point at once. It’s like he has the blueprint of your system.” Cove put a hand on the back of Eli’s chair. “You’re better than him. Prove it.” Eli didn’t answer. He was too focused. The screens in front of him flashed with warning windows popping up one after another. “Shit, he just bypassed the tertiary layer,” Eli muttered. “How is he doing that so fast?” Cove&r

 Cove’s silver fork clattered onto his plate with a sharp, metallic ring that cut through the heavy silence like a gunshot. His face had gone completely stone-cold. The warmth that had been there just moments ago during their rooftop encounter had vanished. His gray eyes looked distant, almost empty, as if a wall had slammed down between them. Eli sat frozen across the table, staring at him. The food on their plates had gone cold. The soft lighting in the dining room suddenly felt too dim, too intimate for the tension crackling between them. “Cove,” Eli said, his voice low but edged with frustration. “You can’t just do that. You can’t drop your fork and shut down like I asked you about the weather. Say something. Anything.” Cove didn’t move. He didn’t pick up the fork. He didn’t reach for his wine glass. He simply sat there, staring at a spot on the

 The small red dot sat perfectly still on Eli’s bare chest, right over his heart. Cove saw it first. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second. “Eli down!” Before Eli could even turn his head, a sharp crack split the night air. The glass panel beside them exploded in a shower of shards. Cove moved like lightning, slamming his body into Eli’s and tackling him hard to the rooftop floor. They hit the ground together. Cove’s weight came down on top of Eli, shielding him completely. Glass rained down around them like deadly hail. “Stay down!” Cove barked, his voice rough and urgent. “Don’t move!” Eli’s heart hammered wildly against the cold stone tiles. “What the hell is happening? Cove—” Another gunshot rang out. Then another. And another. Bulle