Stolen Desire (The Lust List: Kaidan Stone #3) by Nova Raines, Mira Bailee

time.
    I glide down the hallway, away from Kaidan's room and away from the staircase. Toward the master bedroom. Or at least where I expect it to be, at the end of this hall. Kaidan said all the private rooms were down this hallway.
    I feel light and completely numb as I reach the end of the hall and turn the knob.
    The door creaks open. Not even locked.
    My heart's beating a million miles a minute as I step into the dark room. Only a little dawn light moves through the curtains that span the far wall, and I stand there, half-terrified, blinded by the dark room. I'm petrified Serena and Calvin came home during the night. But they said they were going to a resort.
    My eyes adjust. Definitely the master bedroom. It's enormous, with a huge wooden bed in the corner. An empty bed. I swallow hard and shut the door behind me. If Kaidan catches me here, I'm so fucked.
    I glance around for hidden security cameras, but I don't see any. I can't worry about it. My brother is in serious danger. I'll worry about the consequences later.
    I glance around to get my bearings, heart racing. There's a vanity over against the far wall, so I check it first. I carefully open each drawer, but they're full of make-up. No jewelry.
    Where did my mother keep her jewelry in our mansion? The closet.
    I look around for the closet door. There are three doors in here. The first one leads to a massive bathroom. The second opens up to a closet, but I see suits hanging there. Calvin's closet.
    I'm feeling antsy. I can't get caught in here. I can't.
    I try the last door. It's another closet, but this one opens up into a new room. It's as big as my bedroom in my penthouse.
    I step inside and flick on the light. I glance around for cameras, but again, I see nothing in here except clothes and accessories. Clothes hang on high racks built into the walls. Wooden shelves line the space, displaying at least a hundred pairs of shoes and the same number of bags, if not more.
    Normally my klepto brain would be activated at the site of all these high-end clothes and bags, but it's locked in on one thing and one thing only. The diamond.
    Then I see it. A cabinet built into one corner.
    I hurry over to it, clutching my purse tight in my fist, and open the cabinet door. It swings out toward me. No lock, nothing .
    Could it really be this easy?
    Rings, bracelets, necklaces. I've found Serena's jewelry.
    I scan the chains hanging from the cabinet door. It's just hanging there, glittering in the bright closet light. The enormous diamond my father gave Serena for their engagement. The solution to removing the one condition in his will. The diamond that will get me my money and save my brother.

I suck in a breath, and my heart beats a staccato rhythm against my ribs as I lift the necklace off the hook. My brain's screaming at me to put it the fuck back, but my heart knows I have to take it. I have to get the money. I have to save Rowan.
    That thought makes me feel numb again, and I resolutely open my purse. It’s an old purse from Boston, so it has a tear in the lining—a legacy of my shoplifting days. I used to tear holes in the interior of my purses so I could shoplift small items and hide them in the space between the leather and the lining.
    I tease apart the barely perceptible slit and slide the necklace through. The diamond's so big, it makes a small bump on the outside of the purse. But the leather is gathered there, ruched, so the bump isn't too noticeable. I originally bought this purse for that very reason. So it would conceal what I stole.
    I shut off the light and hurry back to the door. Sweat pops up on my forehead as I cross the huge bedroom. Each step feels like a mile, like I'll never reach the hall, like I'll never get away with this.
    Right as I'm putting my hand on the knob, it turns. I hear voices on the other side.
    Fuck. Fuck fuck fuuuuuck.
    I dart to the side of the door, so when it opens I'll be concealed.
    It swings open, and I hold my breath, paralyzed.