Chapter 196 He’s Clear

Chapter 196 He’s Clear


Draco’s POV

Time doesn’t move the same when you’re waiting on something that should’ve already happened.
It stretches. Slows. Turns every second into something you measure instead of something that passes.
Giovanni came back exactly when he was supposed to. His SUV pulled in clean, no damage, no tension hanging off the men stepping out of it, which told me everything on his end went the way it should have. If there had been a problem, I would’ve seen it before he even opened his mouth.
But there was one thing missing.
I stood just off to the side of the room, my arms crossed loosely, watching as his team filtered in, taking their usual positions like nothing had shifted. That alone was enough to confirm it.
Renzo wasn’t with them.
I didn’t speak right away. I let it sit for a second, watching the rhythm of the room, the way everyone moved like this was normal. It wasn’t.
“Where is he,” I asked finally, my voice calm, controlled, but carrying enough weight to pull attention without effort.
Giovanni didn’t hesitate. He knew better than to dance around something like that.
“We split,” he said. “We picked up a tail leaving the location.”
That lined up with what I expected. Not what I wanted, but expected.
“He pulled it,” Giovanni added.
I nodded once, slow, letting the information settle into place. “And.”
Giovanni exhaled lightly, like he was choosing his words just enough to keep them clean. “He lost it,” he said.
I held his gaze for a second longer, reading past the words.
“You sure,” I asked.
“As sure as he’d be,” Giovanni replied.
That wasn’t uncertainty. That was trust.
I shifted slightly, my mind already moving ahead of the moment. Renzo wouldn’t come straight back after that. Not if there was even a chance he’d been seen. That wasn’t how he operated.
“He won’t return immediately,” Bella said from behind me, her voice even, grounded.
I didn’t turn, but I acknowledged it. “No,” I said. “He won’t.”
Because he knew better. That didn’t make the wait any easier. It just made it necessary.
The room settled into a quieter tension after that, not loud, not chaotic, but focused. Everyone understood what it meant without needing it spelled out. Renzo was out there, clean for now, but separated. That created space, and space created risk.
Nico leaned back against the edge of the table, watching me. “You want us to go out and sweep for him,” he asked.
“No,” I said immediately.
That wasn’t hesitation.
That was decision.
“If he was followed, sending more movement out only makes it worse,” I added.
Nico nodded once. “Figured you’d say that.”
“Then why ask,” Giovanni muttered.
“Because I like hearing him say it,” Nico shot back.
I ignored both of them. Because this wasn’t about them. It was about timing.
If Renzo had been seen, even partially, then bringing anything back toward us before we were sure it was clean would be the mistake that cost us everything.
I moved to the table slowly, resting my hands against it as I leaned forward just slightly, my eyes fixed on nothing in particular as I worked through it.
“What did he see,” I said.
Giovanni answered without delay. “Enough.”
That was all I needed. Enough meant face, vehicle, movement, pattern, something that could be used if it fell into the wrong hands.
Bella stepped closer, her presence quiet but deliberate. “If he lost the tail clean, he’ll hold,” she said. “He won’t risk bringing it back here.”
“I know,” I replied.
The problem wasn’t whether he would make the right call.
The problem was everything that existed in the space between now and when he did.
Seconds stretched again.
Then my phone rang.
Every head in the room shifted toward it, not dramatically, not sharply, just enough to acknowledge it mattered.
I didn’t rush.
I picked it up, already knowing who it was before I even looked at the screen.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“Boss.”
Renzo.
His voice was steady. No strain. No urgency.
Good.
“Talk,” I said.
“We’re clear,” he said. “Lost the tail clean. No secondary pickup.”
I listened to the tone more than the words.
He wasn’t guessing.
He was sure.
“Location,” I asked.
“Safe,” he replied. “Not heading back yet.”
That matched exactly what I expected.
“How many with you,” I said.
“Just my SUV,” he answered. “Everyone accounted for.”
No losses.
Another good sign.
I exhaled slowly, letting that settle. “You’re staying put,” I said.
“For a bit,” he confirmed. “Making sure we’re not carrying anything back with us.”
“Good,” I replied.
There was a brief pause on the line, not awkward, not uncertain, just enough space to acknowledge what didn’t need to be said out loud.
“You made the right call,” I added.
“I know,” he said.
A faint smirk pulled at my mouth. “Call me before you move,” I said.
“I will,” he replied.
The line went dead. I lowered the phone slowly, the tension in the room shifting just slightly as everyone waited for confirmation.
“He’s clear,” I said. “He’s holding.”
Nico nodded once. “Good.”
Giovanni exhaled lightly. “Figured he would.”
Bella didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to.
I set the phone down on the table, my gaze steady now, sharper than before.
Because this wasn’t over.
Not even close.
If they had been seen anything. If even a piece of them had been marked, then the game had already changed.
And now we had to move like it.