“You’ve lost your mind,” she said, her voice low but thick with disbelief. “Bette, this… this is beyond dangerous.”

Bette sat on the edge of her seat, elbows on her knees, hands clasped tightly in front of her. She didn’t flinch. “I haven’t made any decisions without thinking them through,” she said carefully.

Tina let out a sharp breath, half a laugh, half despair. “You call this thinking it through?

“I’m not going in blind,” Bette said. “Nyah’s already helping. And she’s willing to go further. She has contacts, ways of moving through places even Chang hasn’t fully mapped.”

Tina turned to her sharply. “You think Nyah being brave makes this sane? We just spent half the afternoon in the quarantine shed with two men who were in that network and they could barely tell us anything useful. Elijah admitted it himself: they were muscle. Disposable. Chang didn’t let them near the real operation.”

“They knew enough,” Bette said quietly, her tone edged with purpose. “Enough to rattle him. Kamau might not have been on the inside, but he’s seen things; people, routines, places that matter. It’s more than scraps. It’s a trail.”

Tina shook her head slowly, unease written across her face. “You heard what they said. Chang has eyes everywhere. Even here, Bette. Especially here. That’s what terrifies me. You make one wrong move and—”

“That’s why I want you to leave,” Bette cut in gently. “Take Angelica. Go to the house in Nyali. Just until it’s safe.”

“You’re asking me to run while you stay behind and light the fire.” Tina’s voice cracked slightly, and she stopped pacing. Her eyes glistened. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“Because you love our baby. And because you love me.” Bette’s voice was soft but unwavering as she stepped forward, reaching gently for Tina’s hand. Her fingers curled around it, grounding them both. “And because I’m not walking into this blind. I promise you—I’m not trying to be a hero. I’m trying to protect what we’ve built. I’m trying to end this, for good.”

Tina’s eyes shimmered, and she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she let herself be drawn in, closing the space between them.

“I don’t care about brave,” Tina whispered, her voice catching slightly. “I care about you coming home. I care about Angelica waking up every morning with both her moms safe. I care about us.”