Chapter Eleven

Lexie could feel Sarge's disgust emanate from him as Finn escourted Axlerod into Radiator Springs, and something about the situation itself made her nervous. At the first available opportunity, she pulled Finn aside and asked him about it. "There's been a shootout in the Marche Aux Pieces, in Paris. So far as I can judge, no one's been hurt, but Axlerod is no longer safe," he said in a low voice. "I'd love to stay, but I have to go check on the others I've placed under protection."

"I think Axlerod's only real problem right now is Sarge," Lexie replied, glancing at the Jeep as he scrutinized the Land Rover.

"If anything happens, call me."

"No problem."

Finn turned to exchange a few words with Axlerod and then drove out of Radiator Springs, I pulled in next to Sarge and hissed, "I don't care who you are. Finn told me to take care of him, so if he gets hit by lightning, I will blame someone."

"What? You think I'd do something stupid?" Sarge asked.

"Someone will, I know that much." Without waiting for Sarge's response, Lexie drove up to Axlerod. "There must be a good reason you're under protection," she said in a low voice. "What is it?"

"I'm a prison informant," Axlerod said.

"You were Finn's rat on Montgomery?"

"The very same. I take it you've heard."

"From Finn and Holley. So, what spiel have you been given?"

"Basically that I'll need a new identity and I'll have to get a new job somewhere."

"Remember, that's if you live long enough to get relocated. Montgomery killed one of his own personal agents out in this desert, and he hung the body on the cable."

"Really?"

"Yep, and if he finds out you're here, you could be next." Axlerod turned a lighter shade of green, but green nonetheless. "If you're gonna chuck, do it in the desert." Axlerod swallowed, and some of his normal color returned. "Guess that's a no, then. There's a vacancy at the Wheel Well, so my mom's the car to talk to about that."

"And who would that be?"

"The blue Porsche at the Cozy Cone."

"The motel full of traffic cones? How ironic."

"Don't mention that to Mom."

"I won't."

"Good luck, Axlerod."

"Thank you."

She looked back at him, to find him smiling at her. "Let's find you a room," she said.

CARS

Axle drove into the garage proper, where the tuners waited, lingering near the back and watching the front door. "What happened?" he asked.

"Got a call from Finn," Boost replied. "Shootout in Paris."

"Everybody okay?"

"Yeah, as far as I know. I mean, I haven't heard anything about anybody dyin'."

"Okay, that's good, but you guys do look kinda freaky idling in the middle of my garage staring at the front door."

"Maybe we do, maybe we don't, but Finn's gonna be here any minute." Snot Rod sneezed, and the others jerked out of the way as flames shot out of his side exhaust pipes. "We gotta be ready to go, because Montgomery's on the loose, and he could even be here."

"Okay, I get it, but you cars be careful, okay? Things could get real ugly real fast." The tuners nodded. Someone knocked on Axle's garage, and he added, "Kids, it doesn't matter to a tailpipe like Montgomery how tough you think you are. He's gonna kill you on sight if he even thinks you know something about where the Ceres is hiding. You gotta be careful." The four nodded again, and Axle opened the door.

Finn zipped inside and shut the door behind him. "I'd say you look like you've seen a ghost, but I don't think it sounds right right about now," Wingo said.

"We don't have time for any small talk," Finn said. "Montgomery could be anywhere, even here. We have to find you somewhere else to go. I can get you as far as Radiator Springs, but even then I'm not sure."

"Apparently Radiator Springs is a mecca for witness protection," Boost said wryly.

"Apparently. Anyway, we need to go, before anything horrible happens to any of you."

The four tuners exchanged looks and then looked at Axle, who nodded and said, "Better go."

"Okay," Boost said. The four filed out of the garage after Finn, and together, they turned and drove out of Los Angeles.

CARS

Alex peeked out of the window as Hugos, Trunkovs, and Gremlins secured Curby's designated meeting house for the night. Detroit was dark save the occasional lights of the skyscraper operating on the night shift. He looked over his fender at Alex Hugo. "How's your boss?" Alex asked.

"Settling in better than expected," Hugo replied. "He has bad flight troubles sometimes and needs to start breathing into a paper bag. I'm kinda surprised he held out as well as he did."

"Really?"

Hugo drove closer and whispered, "Don't tell anybody this, but we're all silently waiting for him to die."

"Your secret's safe with me, Hugo."

"Thanks, Pacer."

Hugo gave Alex a high tire, and they looked out the window as cars coming home from their late and evening shifts, or driving to such shifts, depending on the company the cars happened to work for. "Uncle Tubbs should be here tomorrow."

"Take it you're close to your boss."

"He's my granduncle, the only dad I've ever really had. Of course we'd be close."

Hugo nodded, then he asked, "What about Acer?"

"I don't like to talk about it."

Hugo nodded again. "We all gotta have secrets in this business, that's for sure."

"Truest thing in the world, outside of lemons needing parts."

"Whadda you know about that? When was the last time you broke down?"

"I know so much about it because I'm the family freak. I can't remember the last time I broke down. The earliest memories I have are of when I was sick."

"Dude, you are weird."

Something moved in the shadows, and Alex held up a tire to stop Hugo from saying anything. He drove closer to the window and peered into the shadows, trying to make out the shape. Hugo moved closer and then looked at Alex with a raised eyelid.

The shadow moved into the beam of a streetlight, and both Alex and Hugo shot back. Idling immediately under the streetlight, in full view, watching them with death in his eyes, was a silver Scion tC that Alex immediately recognized from the Grand Prix track in Tokyo.

Montgomery.