Adopted by McQueen (Humanized) Book 3

Chapter 8

McQueen saw stands with pictures of him and his merch.

"Wow." He walked to the stands.

Chloe followed behind him.

"So, you like it?" Sterling walked up to them.

"Oh, hey, Mr Sterling. Wow. My career on a wall." He replied, "Nice that you included Doc."

"Of course." He said, "He was your mentor. Losing him left a giant hole in the sport."

"Yeah." McQueen said, "oh look Chloe! There are younger pictures of you at the races!"

"Hm?" She walked up to the pictures, "I was soooo young. . . .and cringey."

Lightning and Sterling chuckled.

"You were my Little Thunder." He smiled, "and you will always be my Little Thunder, forever."

Chloe smirked with a laugh. McQueen then saw dirt.

"Jars of dirt?"

"Sacred dirt." Said Sterling, "each of those jars contains dirt from all the old tracks that Doc raced on. Florida International, Thunder Hallow, just down the road and. . . .our very own Fireball Beach, right outside."

"Huh." McQueen said as he walked to a giant piece of gravel, "hey is that-"

"Asphalt from your first win at Glen Ellen." Chloe smiled, "I remember watching that race on TV too."

"Right you are, Chloe." Sterling smiled.

Chloe's phone began ringing, "I'll be right back."

She walked away and answered the call, "Daniel I never expected a call from you."

"I just wanted to check on you and see how you and your dad were doing." He answered.

"4 months later?" She questioned.

"I know it's been a long time but just some things came up and I wasn't able to contact you." He answered, "are you and your dad okay?"

"Yeah we're okay." She answered, "we're at the Rust-eze Racing Center."

"Is it okay if I come see you?" He asked.

"C-Come see me?" She blushed.

"I want to give your dad my support. He's still going to race isn't he?" He asked.

"Yeah but. . .he needs training." She answered, "I mean he's been out for 4 months."

"Please, Chloe." He begged.

"Okay." She said, "just let me know when you're here and I'll get you."

"Sounds like a plan." He replied before they ended the call.

Chloe walked around until she found McQueen and Sterling.

"Dad, when did you change clothes?" She asked.

"Sterling said I needed a more contemporary look." He said, "who was on the phone?"

"Oh, uh." Chloe trailed off, "Sally called wanting to make sure we got here safe."

"Huh, wonder why she didn't call me." He replied.

"Mayyyybe I was easier to reach?" She questioned, "you are training to race again, Dad."

"You got a point."

They 3 of them turned their heads and began watching someone on the virtual reality car racing simulator. The person finished the race at 193mph and stepped out of the car. It was a woman. She high-fived a racer in training.

"It's just like being on a track." She smiled, "put your hours in. Alright let's hit the treadmills. Show me what you got!"

As her and the racers walked by, McQueen asked, "wow. Pretty fast. Who's the racer?"

"No." Sterling spoke, "she's not a racer. She's a trainer. Cruz Ramirez. The best trainer in the business."

Chloe crossed her arms, "anyone can be a racer, Sterling."

"Don't be silly, Ms McQueen." Sterling laughed.

Chloe only chuckled at his response, it was better than her lashing out with a nasty comment. Her phone dinged and she unlocked it to see a text from Daniel.

"I'll be right back, Dad." She spoke as she started walking away.

"Hurry back, Little Thunder!" He yelled.

Chloe smiled and laughed a little. After all these years, he still uses that nickname for her. She smiled even more as she approached Daniel in the lobby.

He smiled, "hey."

"Hey, Daniel." She replied.

"How's your dad?" He asked.

"He's ready to start training. He's dying to start racing again. You wanna come with me to support him?" She asked.

"Yeah but first I need to look at my car." He spoke, "something's wrong with it."

"You're the son of a racer." She giggled, "you shouldn't have any problems with a car."

"It's a nice car. A blue mustang." He said, "but something's making a weird noise under the hood. You think you might know anything?"

"I might." She answered, "what kind of sound is it making?"

"I can't describe it." He frowned, "can we go out to my car and look at it?"

"I don't see why not." Chloe shrugged, "my dad should be training and not worried about me right now."

He sadly smiled, "great."

They walked out of the racing center, away from anyone and everyone. Daniel walked behind her with his hands in behind his back and a look of sadness on his face. They were close to the car.

"Wow, it's a very cool blue." Chloe smiled, "and you backed in. We can access the hood better that way."

Daniel picked up his pace as he held a cloth bag in his hands, "I'm so sorry Chloe."

"Sorry for what? WHAT THE-" He forced the bag over her head and threw her in the back seat of his car.

Her voice was muffled, "Daniel, what the hell!"

She squirmed as he tied her hands and feet together, "I'm sorry."

He jumped in his driver seat, turning on the car. Chloe was constricted of her movement and her breathing. Daniel raced out of the parking lot, screeching the road with his tires, leaving the scene.