Free Pucker Up (A Damsels of Distress Novel) by R. A. Gates

Burgandy, a man whose
    eyes held the haunted light of someone

who shot down one too many Nazis,
    wrapped another layer of silver duct
    tape around the left wing. His gnarled
    hands were thick with black stains, and
    oil smudged his worn jeans and faded
    flannel shirt. Gray hair circled his
    polished, age-spotted dome. “Don't you
    worry your pretty little head, missy. She
    may look a bit worn, but Daisy Mae here
    will get you kids where you need to go.”
    She gave the old man a half
    smile and nod. If where we need to go is
    crashing straight into the ground, then
    I believe you.
    The morning wind whipped her
    hair in her face as she wandered around
    the large wings of the B17 bomber. She
    pulled her unruly curls back into a
    ponytail with a hair band she always
    kept in the back pocket of her jeans. She
    stopped by Garren and Thane as they
    tossed their bags into the belly of the
    plane. Peeking inside the cramped
    interior, she spotted what looked like
    two machine guns on either side of the
    plane. “Are we flying to California or
    invading Canada?”
    “She's
    cool,
    huh?”
    Thane
    caressed the side of the plane. “Captain
    Burgandy piloted her on thirteen
    missions in Western Europe during
    World War II. She's a piece of history.”
    “She's a piece of something, all
    right,” she muttered, noticing more duct
    tape plastered all over the fuselage.
    “Will it even make it to Sacramento?”
    “Ye of little faith,” Garren said
    as he hoisted a box through the small
    door. “This plane is infused with so
    many spells and enchantments, she's
    practically indestructible.”
    That's what they said about the
    Titanic, then one iceberg later and ...
    glub, glub, glub.
    Glowing lights of different
    colors spilled out from the box Garren
    set in the plane.
    “What are you putting in there?”
    she asked.
    He avoided eye contact as he
    pushed the box farther inside. “Nothing
    important.”
    She played with the charmed
    sapphire dangling from around her neck.
    Her gut was telling her he wasn't being
    completely honest and she was about to
    tell him so when Captain Burgandy
    shuffled over.
    “I don't suppose any of ya seen a
    bolt about yay big laying around, have
    ya?” He demonstrated the size of the
    missing bolt with his thumb and index
    finger about three inches apart.
    She
    surveyed
    the
    ground,
    checking every dark corner and even
    under a couple large rocks. Thane and
    Garren searched inside the plane, but
    neither found anything.
    The old man frowned and rubbed
    the back of his neck with a filthy
    handkerchief. “Well, just hand me a roll
    of tape and I'll see what I can do.”
    She snapped her head toward
    Garren, hoping to be told this was all a
    big joke, but all he did was shrug and
    say, “Magic.”
    She never wanted to slug him so
    badly.
    “Here,” Thane said, tossing an
    armful of heavy clothes that nearly
    toppled her over. “Put this on.”
    She held them up to discover a
    wool-lined jacket and cap, thick wool
    trousers with suspenders, leather gloves,
    boots, and a parachute. The whole thing
    must've weighed at least thirty pounds.
    “What's this for?”
    “They're charmed to regulate
    your body temperature and oxygen. The
    air's a lot colder at 25,000 feet. You
    could get frostbite.” Thane stepped into
    his own pants and pulled the suspenders
    up over his shoulders.
    She watched in awe as Garren
    did the same without complaint. “It's a
    bit much, don't you think?” Movement
    seemed
    almost
    impossible
    while
    wearing all the gear.
    “You wanna loose a toe?”
    Captain Burgandy mumbled through a
    mouthful of chocolate as he passed the
    group.
    “Is that an option?” Alarm bells
    went off in her mind. She dropped the
    bundle of clothes and crossed her arms
    over her chest. “I'm not getting in that
    thing.”
    “There's really nothing to be
    afraid of,” Thane said. “Haven't you
    ever flown in a plane before?”
    “Airplane? Yes. Deathtrap?
    No.”
    Garren marched over to