The Naughty List (The Naughty List #1)
Author: Suzanne Young

CHAPTER ONE

SIGH. A PADLOCK? WHO PADLOCKED THEIR GATES in this neighborhood? This was Brinkerhoff Point—one of the nicest areas in the entire state of Washington! “Bobby pin,” I whispered, exhausted from climbing the hill with a backpack full of gear. I’d had to park nearly three blocks away.

“Oops,” Kira said, biting her well-glossed lip. “I wore my hair down tonight.” I narrowed my eyes at her as she fluffed her blond curls. “Sorry, Tess. I wanted to look good in case we bumped into Darren.”

“At two in the morning?”

She shrugged, scrunching her nose. Kira was sweet, even when she forgot the necessary break-in equipment. I slid the heavy backpack off my shoulders, dropped it onto the grass, and squatted.

The well-manicured side yard provided perfect cover—high bushes, dark corners, and no motion detectors. Score. As I unzipped the front pocket, I glanced at the full moon, noting that it lit up the entire sky. It was time to kick this mission into high gear. Getting caught breaking into Michael Garnett’s house would be a horrible inconvenience. If we were in a holding cell, we’d totally miss cheerleading practice!

“Holy cannoli, K! What did you pack?” There was so much stuff in the bag that the pen I was searching for was lost in a sea of night vision cameras, flashlights, GPS trackers, and … panties? “Ew!” I yanked out my hand.

She giggled. “There they are!”

“Kira, a Smitten Kitten doesn’t carry her panties around in a backpack. She wears them under her clothes.”

There was a rustling in the backyard on the other side of the fence, and my breath stopped. Mashed potatoes and gravy! Was someone awake?

“Move,” I whispered, putting my arm out to back us slowly away across the grass. Seconds passed, and the noise settled into the chirping of crickets. I tried to breathe, my chest heaving under my one-piece black kitten suit. It wasn’t as tight as Kira’s ensemble, but it was still snug and totally flattering. Especially since I’d been working out more—lycra wasn’t very forgiving. Suddenly, a gray cat jumped up and balanced on the top of the wooden gate, looking us over. It meowed once and then strolled across the length of the fence before jumping into the neighbor’s yard. I exhaled.

“Aw …” Kira said, quietly clapping. “I love kitties.”

I shook my head and got down on my knees in the damp grass to go through the items Kira had prepped for this mission. Obviously, she’d missed the memo that required all assignments to be stocked with a lock pick (or bobby pin). Oh, well, at least she had panties this time.

When I finally found the pen, I plucked off the cap and walked up to the padlock, twisting the plastic carefully inside it.

Click.

“Get the bag,” I whispered. “I’ll need the webcam.”

Michael Garnett had been accused of cheating on his girlfriend, Caitlyn, with someone he’d met on MySpace. Unfortunately, he was constantly changing his password, so that every time I cracked his code, he’d made a new one. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was on to SOS. But I did know better. Nobody outwitted the Society of Smitten Kittens. We were seriously stealth.

I pushed open the heavy wood gate, and Kira followed me as we made our way to the back of his enormous brick house. Michael’s bedroom was on the first floor, and that was a good thing. I was not in the mood to scale a wall tonight.

We paused in front of his window and ducked down, peeking between the slots of his blinds. Only guys forgot to close their blinds. The room was dark, but his computer’s screen saver tossed out enough light so that I could see Michael’s husky figure, turned away from me in the bed.

Thankfully, Leona had come by earlier in the week and mapped the place out. Michael’s computer was right next to the window, which made this assignment possible. Otherwise, I would have never taken the chance on breaking in. Or at least, breaking in while he was home.

Quietly and carefully, I slid open the pane and raised the blinds. Perfect. Not a sound. I looked back at Kira, and she gave a dimpled smile and a big thumbs-up. I appreciated her support.

I leaned in the window, putting my weight on my stomach as I pulled myself through. Silently, I eased my sneakers onto the carpet and let my eyes adjust to the darkness.

Michael was a safe distance away, snoring softly. Ick. His room smelled like sweaty socks and Axe body spray. I twitched my nose.

Stretching my arm back through the window, I held out my hand for the webcam. It was an exact replica of the one balanced on Michael’s computer, totally on sale at xxx-com! Leona had ordered new equipment that could send a direct feed to the SOS database. She was great at more than high kicks and herkies. She was a computer whiz.

Carefully, I removed the wires and clipped the new cam on the computer frame. Then I leaned forward over Michael’s desk and looked into the lens, waiting.

“Got the signal,” Kira whispered from outside. I smiled and winked at the camera.

As I straightened up, I noticed Michael’s cell phone plugged in and resting on the side table next to a box of tissues. Hm. Cautiously, I made my way toward it.

Just then, Michael moaned, and the bedsprings creaked as he turned over. I dropped to my stomach on the carpeted floor. I was about to get busted! If my boyfriend found out I was sneaking around in another guy’s room, he would kill me!

A few feet away, I heard squeaks and the sound of sheets rustling. Was he getting up? Instinctively, I tucked my arms at my sides and rolled under his bed, only a second before I saw his bare feet hit the ground. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my breathing quiet as I watched him walk forward, scratching at his flannelpajamaed rear. Gross.

It felt like a bazillion seconds, but finally, he opened his bedroom door and walked out into a brightly lit hallway. I needed to escape.

Quickly, I scrambled out from under the bed and pushed aside Michael’s leather desk chair as I made for the window. I paused, mid-getaway, and turned back. I wanted that sim card from his phone. I moved fast.

My polished fingers shook as I quickly slid off the metal back cover and removed the battery. From outside the room, I heard a toilet flush. Cranberry juice cocktail! I had to go.

I plucked out the card and snapped the battery case shut. There was the soft creak of a door hinge, and I dropped the phone and dashed to the window. I dove and had barely gotten my sneakered heel through when the bedroom door opened. I front-flipped and fell into the grass, Lycra-covered rear first, and stared up into Kira’s terrified expression.