Author Note: I am so sorry that I have been gone. There has been a lot going on and Arranged just ended up taking a backseat somehow. I do think that that the updates might still be a bit sporadic, but they will be there. I also want to know what happens next :)


Chapter 9

It felt like she had just closed her eyes when Mikan was woken up by her phone. She answered even though it was an unknown number because anyone who called her at 1 AM probably really needed to speak with her. She was right.

"Mikan?" The voice was familiar and the tone cautious.

"Please tell me you did not just call me." Mikan answered on a sigh, sitting up in bed.

"I need to meet you and get this stupid business between Adam and your father sorted."

"Where are you?" Mikan asked, throwing back the covers, putting the phone on speaker so she could jump out of bed and start getting ready. If Ellis was somewhere unprotected, she needed to get to her immediately.

"Home. It is the middle of the night." Ellis White answered tartly and Mikan collapsed back on her bed.

"Listen to me Ell. Firstly, if your husband is smart, which we both know he is, he would have your number monitored."

"I called from a burner phone."

"Secondly," Mikan continued blithely, "I refuse to meet with you because Adam will never allow it. So you will have to ditch security and not only will that make matters worse, since my father is actually not the one attacking you, I can't be sure of your safety."

"I will be fine!"

"I like you Ell. I honest to god do, and I do not want you dead. So please listen to me. If my father had been the one after you guys, I'd say dump the security and let's go out for lunch or drinks, or whatever. Because I know he would never go after anyone's family. But I do not have any bloody clue who wants war between us. So you had better not pull any stunts."

"No clandestine meetings?" Ellis asked quietly.

"Hell no. You stay put woman and I will be letting your husband know about this burner phone in the morning."

Ellis chuckled. "What makes you think he'll answer your call?"

"I'll text."

Ellis laughed, and just like that Mikan understood. "He's there isn't he? Listening to us."

"Yeah." Adam White had a deep, husky voice which could be more intoxicating than whisky when he was amused, like now.

"Jesus, White! What were you thinking? What if I asked her to show up?"

"Then she would have met you. I don't tell Ell what to do." Mikan could just see him shrugging. She sighed. There was a reason she respected the man and one of them was that he deserved the fact that Ellis loved him madly.

"Should I tell dad you want to meet him?" Mikan could not keep the exasperation out of her voice. Adam could have just called her father to begin with. She wanted sleep.

"No. Tell him I know it wasn't him and that we're being watched. Also, this is about him and not me."

"Which is why even from a burner phone, it was me you contacted." Mikan sighed this time. So this was not going to be easy at all. It would have been worth being woken up in the middle of the night if Adam had known who was after them, but that would have been too easy.

"I knew you would agree to meet up if we were against your dad." Ellis piped in and Mikan rolled her eyes. Ellis would indeed have met her for lunch as casually as any friend even though she said 'we' against 'your dad'.

"I will let him know. Now, I need some sleep."

"Natsume tiring you out?" Ellis asked sweetly and Mikan choked, while she could hear Adam chuckling in the background.

"Should I ask what you two were doing while waiting to call my girlfriend?" Natsume asked, cheek brushing against Mikan's as he wrapped his arms around her, her back against his chest.

"Oooh good one!" Ellis laughed.

"It also means I have better things to do then talk to you two." Mikan muttered, turning her head to kiss his cheek. Natsume smiled at her.

"Later Ellis, Adam." He said and hung up on Ellis's laughter.

"Back to sleep?" Natsume asked, smile widening to a grin when he saw the look in her eyes.

"I do have better things to do." Mikan grinned back.

They both groaned when her phone rang again. This time it was Tsubasa.

"What?" Mikan grumped.

"I had your phone monitored for calls at odd hours. Everything okay?" Tsubasa asked and the concern laced tone made Mikan sigh and lean back against Natsume.

"You sure we're not being overheard?"

"Give me a moment." Tsubasa hung up on her. Within moments, she received a call from another unknown number. She answered, knowing it would be her brother.

"We're good." Tsubasa said quietly.

"Ellis called." Mikan said and the silence on the other end of the phone was worrying.

"Please tell me you two are not meeting somewhere." Tsubasa finally muttered, his voice still low.

"No. Adam knew about the call. He also knows it's not dad who came after him. This call was just to confirm. They figured if it was my father after them, I would tell Ellis to show up coz I would be sure of her safety. Since I was not…"

"It was proof that we had nothing to do with the attack on them." Tsubasa finished for her.

"Exactly. Adam says that we're all being watched. Also, he thinks this is about us, or rather dad, not him."

"Got it." Tsubasa said. There was an indistinct sound of speaking from his end, but Mikan could tell it was a woman.

"I'll meet you at dad's office tomorrow, Mikan. Text me the time." Tsubasa hung up without another word. Mikan gave wide eyes to Natsume who was trying hard not to laugh.

"That's that, then." Natsume grinned.

"I'm going back to sleep." Mikan declared. Natsume smiled when she snuggled into him, before closing her eyes.