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Daphne Collette Belle eased off the gas as she buzzed through the red rock canyon and into Jade Valley.

Home.

Just the sight of the sandstone cliffs framing the valley made her shoulders relax. She checked her rearview mirror. Habit. Nobody was there. Yet.

She’d escaped from Gregory Astle and her hope was that Jade Valley was such an obvious choice he wouldn’t think to look for her here.

She’d told her gym staff she’d be gone for a couple weeks, booked a flight to Cancun, drove her Maxima to SFO Airport and parked it, rented an Audi, and prayed he’d take that bait.

She posted on social media how excited she was to work out on the beaches of Cancun for the next several weeks.

Thankfully she had some old videos of her last trip to Cancun that she’d never used. She would recycle them this week.

She left the airport, drove straight to a hair salon, and found a stylist with an open time slot to dye her hair and eyebrows dark and add eyelash extensions.

Would it work? Would Gregory stop pursuing her? She could pray, and pray she did. Nonstop throughout the thirteen-hour drive.

Driving into the red rock splendor of Jade Valley, she was wrapped up in the safety and comfort of being home, but what was she thinking? She had no plan. Escape from the uneasiness Gregory Astle had created in her life, and wondering where he’d show up next, had been her sole motivation.

She longed to drive straight to her parents’ or oldest sister Emery’s house, but she couldn’t. Gregory would likely contact them and be his patented charming self. If they could genuinely say they’d spoken with her recently and she was enjoying Cancun, that would keep them out of the mess and safe.

Two nights ago, she’d awoken to him hovering over her bed. She had laid there as quietly as she could, terrified that he might hurt her and praying for help. He’d chuckled that melodic chuckle that grated at her spine, patted her cheek, and said, ‘I came for you, babe.’

She scrambled off the bed to face him. ‘How dare you break into my house?’

His eyes were dark and unfathomable in the darkened room. “I think you’re losing your mind. Someone in my position would never commit breaking and entering. Who would believe that? You really should lock your patio door, babe, even though only a world-class climber could get to it.’

He had darted across the space, grabbed her hand, and squeezed until she thought her knuckles would break. When she ripped her hand free, he only laughed. ‘Never forget I can have you any time I want. You’ll be begging me to love you before I’m done with you.’

Then he’d turned and walked away.

She’d called 911 and rushed to check the doors. The patio door had been locked. How had he gotten in? Was she ‘losing her mind’ as he’d taunted?

The police officers who’d arrived, checked her condo, and listened to her story seemed to believe so.

‘We’d never say you’re ‘losing your mind’, ma’am, but this is all a bit …

dramatic.’ They exchanged glances. ‘To be pointing fingers of obsessive behavior, stalking, breaking and entering, threatening you, at one of San Francisco’s leading citizens… ’

They obviously didn’t want to point fingers at Gregory.

Everybody loved, almost worshipped Gregory Astle.

He came from generational San Francisco wealth dating back to the gold rush.

He ran a free gym for military veterans, had millions of followers on his social media accounts, and he was charming, handsome, seemingly benevolent, and smart.

Too smart to ever leave fingerprints or do anything that would make her claims legit.

Of course the police thought she was ‘not crazy but … are you sure you want to cast these accusations at Gregory Astle?’

They obviously didn’t know or trust her. She wanted to ask them to please watch her social media channels and see that she was as mellow as anyone around. She’d tried a joke. ‘What did the policeman say to his tummy?’

The younger officer had humored her and asked, ‘What?’

‘You’re under a vest.’

He’d at least chuckled, but his partner had rolled his eyes. He probably thought her corny joke backed up the ‘losing her mind’ or ‘dramatic’ angle.

Daphne tried to explain that Gregory showed up everywhere she was and said terrifying things like, ‘Don’t act crazy, babe; you know I can have you any time I want you.

’ He’d found her when she was waiting face down and naked for a massage.

He’d found her on runs, bike rides, or swims. When she told him they couldn’t date a few months ago, he’d said, ‘I will have you … no matter what it takes. No woman has ever told me no. Ever.’

When she told the police that, the younger one had muttered, ‘Probably true.’

She’d asked the police officers about a restraining order and the older one had said, ‘I’ve seen how this turns out when someone forces the restraining order issue with a well-loved public figure. Always turns out bad for the person who files it.’

She had insisted she wanted to file one.

The younger one had quoted some kind of law manual, saying, ‘The evidence must go beyond simple allegations and include supporting documentation like photos, emails, or text messages.The standard of proof is clear and convincing evidence, meaning the evidence must be highly probable and substantially more likely to be true than untrue.’

Then he’d looked at her and lifted his hands, knowing she had no proof. Every threat had been verbal with no witnesses around. Most people would think her claims were untrue. Fleeing had felt like the right choice at that point.

Daphne glanced around the beautiful desert landscape. Why was she in Jade Valley if she couldn’t go home? Couldn’t see her parents, oldest sister Emery, or her nieces and nephews?

Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked furiously. She would not cry. She was tough and brave, and she needed some distance to see things clearly and stay away from Gregory.

He was obsessed with her and somehow knew her every move. Maybe once she created some distance, he would recognize they had no kind of relationship any longer and would give up and move on. Everyone but her seemed to believe he was a nice, charitable, and incredible human being.

Was she overreacting? She knew she wasn’t. All of this subterfuge was necessary. She couldn’t handle Gregory appearing in her bedroom again, and she feared next time he would follow through on his threats.

Daphne drummed her fingertips against the steering wheel, hoping for some inspiration.

She needed a safe, quiet space where she could work out, record videos, deal with issues for her gym, read, pray, and stay under the radar.

Thankfully, she had those Cancun videos and some other random workout and advice posts she could throw in.

She wasn’t ready to broadcast her dyed hair and eyebrows or her location.

Not until Gregory found another woman to obsess over.

It was all too heavy. She was ready for a break from Gregory and the darkness he’d brought into her life.

Her followers loved her fitness tips and ideas, but more importantly, her ‘bright and happy light’.

Usually nothing got her down, and she loved to spread sunshine and tease with corny jokes.

Jokes that popped into her head from a lifetime of being blessed with a teasing and happy dad.

Daphne pulled to the side of the road and climbed out of the car. Immediately, she was too hot. It was early September, but fall wouldn’t come to Jade Valley until October, maybe even November. It was at least a hundred degrees this afternoon.

Stretching muscles aching from stress and sitting too long, she gazed around this valley that she loved. Joshua trees, cactus, Palo Verde trees, loads of red sand, and the greenish river running through it all. The towering red mountains surrounded her sanctuary.

She was home. The last time she’d come home was for her niece Laynee’s dance recital in the spring.

She and Gregory had never officially ‘dated’, but he’d found out about her trip and offered to fly her in his private jet.

She hadn’t minded at all—it had meant a short hour and a half flight right into the valley’s tiny airport in a luxurious jet instead of driving eleven hours.

Bringing home a charming, handsome, and wealthy man had been fun and rewarding as well.

Her family had liked him, but her dad had been cautious when meeting him and relieved when she’d told them they were only casually dating.

Nothing as serious as him flying her to a niece’s dance recital might portray.

Daphne had shared her concerns about Gregory the past few months with her sisters Adeline and Juliette, but not her parents or Emery.

Her oldest sister Emery was dealing with her husband ditching her and their children as she battled breast cancer.

Daphne hadn’t told Emery or her parents about Gregory’s odd behavior because the cancer was enough to deal with.

Now it was fortuitous, as her parents and Emery would assume Gregory was still her friend and wouldn’t act offish with him if he did call or drop by.

She could only imagine how her dad would react if he knew of the threats and stalking.

She shuddered thinking of him going to battle for her and Gregory hurting him.

The thought of Gregory following her here made her stomach curdle.

Where could she hide out?

She looked at the charming downtown and the smaller neighborhoods throughout the spacious valley. The cemetery looked peaceful and greener than anything but the high school sports fields.

Why are there gates around cemeteries?

Because people are dying to get in.

She grinned to herself. At least she could still think of silly jokes. Even if she had nobody to share them with.