Beyond Impact (Salish Sea Mysteries Book 1)

One Collision. Two Lives Forever Changed.

After a tragic crash on a quiet night, Willow Danes wakes to find herself a captive. Across town, Campbell Bailey watches the scene from above—disembodied, her spirit tethered to a world she’s no longer part of. But death is only the beginning.

As Willow battles her abductors and Campbell returns to life with mysterious psychic abilities, their paths become increasingly entwined. What starts as a fight for survival becomes a race to uncover a hidden family secret—one buried deep beneath layers of betrayal, grief, and unanswered questions. From Canada to London, their seven-day journey is a pulse-pounding exploration of identity, trust, and what it means to be truly connected.

With danger at every turn and time running out, Willow and Campbell must confront the truth that binds them—before it’s too late.

Start reading Beyond Impact, the gripping first installment in June V. Bourgo’s Salish Sea Mysteries.

Excerpt from the book

Friday Evening, June 26—8 p.m.: Willow …

The squeaky rubber soles of new red sandals echoed off the wood-grain floor as 21-year-old Willow Danes followed the hallway to the study. I should have rubbed the bottom of my shoes with soap. So annoying. She stopped at the open doorway to take in the man seated at the desk. He was engrossed in the piles of papers scattered before him. Noting the greying temples in his mahogany—brown hair flopping across his forehead, straight nose, full mouth, and the bronze glow of his tanned face, Willow mused about the loss of the devilish baby face of his younger years. At thirty-seven, he’d matured into a fit, handsome man.

His eyes never left the pages he read, but he acknowledged her presence. “You’re here. Come—sit with me.”

As she started across the room, he sat back in his chair and watched her move towards one of the plush black leather lounge chairs in front of his eighteenth-century mahogany desk. To Willow, he was not merely watching but scrutinizing, as his eyes moved slowly from head to toe and back again, taking in her white Capri pants and red tank top, then finally resting on her breasts. He was sexist for sure, something that had become clear to her since becoming a young woman. She sat down, wishing she’d worn a jacket. But then, I’d dressed for the heat wave. Women were just toys to him. He’d never been inappropriate with her—nor did she think he ever would be … but he could make his checking out her body less obvious. Their eyes locked, and he nodded at her. “You look good.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

His lips were smiling, but the cold, emotionless stare from his dark eyes detracted from his good looks. Lawson Ward leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the desk. “So … I understand you have a job already, and the ink isn’t even dry on your college graduation certificate. I thought you planned to take the summer off and travel first?”

She shrugged. “I was offered an opportunity I couldn’t refuse. And it will involve travel.”

“You know, I have a place for you working for me. I’d hoped you’d change your mind once school was done.”

Willow felt ill at ease. Having lost her parents in a car crash when she was ten, her uncle became her legal guardian. He sent her to boarding school for all her remaining years. With no siblings and her uncle travelling abroad with his corporate security business, she’d lived a lonely childhood. Over the years, there’d been a couple of ‘Auntie’ Wards and then a couple of live-in girlfriends closer to her age than his; their skills more suited to taking care of Uncle Lawson’s needs than hers.

When she was ready to attend college here on the Island, he’d allowed her to move into a condo near the Gorge Waterway, one of his properties formerly used for out-of-town business associates.