First and foremost I want to thank my family. Without your support and patience I would never have been able to make my passion for writing and telling stories into a career. My love for each one of you grows daily. A special thank you to my mother who, from a very young age, encouraged me to use my imagination. We’ve all heard the stories of my imaginary friends throughout my childhood. I believe that without those, I wouldn’t have been able to embrace my imaginary friends in adulthood.

Thank you to my friend Debra, RN, for her medical knowledge especially with off-label uses of medications. I can only imagine the faces of others who could overhear our fun conversations! Thank you for helping me make INSIDIOUS real.

Thank you to my trusted betas who’ve stayed and grown in knowledge with me as we continue to tackle new stories and new genres! Sherry, Val, Kirsten, Stephanie, and Angie, your help and encouragement brought INSIDIOUS to life. Thank you, also, to my dear friends who read and willingly gave me advice that has helped to make the final INSIDIOUS even better than my first draft. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your words of praise as well as those of advice! Pepper Winters, Kathryn Perez, Tia Louise, Kiki Chatfield, my fantastic editor Lisa Aurello, and my amazing agent Danielle Egan-Miller, I listened to each and every one of you—and did what I wanted! lol… Thank you. The expertise of each one is reflected in the final product!

I also want to do a shout out to all of the wonderful readers, bloggers, and authors out there. I know without a doubt that if it were not for each one of you, no one would know the name Aleatha Romig. I can’t thank you all enough for your love and support. I shudder to name names. There’s no way I can call out each and every one of you. Please know that if you’re reading this, I’m talking about you!

Now, I hope you enjoy my jump into the world of erotic thrillers! Here is INSIDIOUS!

APPREHENSIVELY, THE PATIENT settled against the paper-covered examination table and lifted her flimsy gown. Her eyes fluttered between the technician and her husband as she waited for the gel to be applied to her growing midsection. Goose bumps rose on her exposed flesh as the cold, condensing liquid oozed onto her skin. Saying a silent prayer, she closed her eyes.

“With high-risk cases, we like to keep everything monitored,” said the young woman in scrubs. “This is just routine. There’s no reason to be concerned. Have you had any problems since your last appointment?”

“Not since the last scare. I haven’t had any more bleeding or cramping since I was discharged more than a week ago,” the patient replied, trying to hide the obvious trepidation from her voice.

Squeezing her hand, the man at her side smiled reassuringly. “It will be all right. Everything has been going well. We’ve done everything the doctor said.”

Applying the large wand to the patient’s midsection, the technician smiled.

Waiting for the monitor, the man said, “Listen to that…” The room filled with the reverberating sound of thump, thump, thump.

“Yes, that’s a very strong heartbeat.” The technician responded reassuringly.

“Heartbeat?” the man asked, obviously perplexed.

The fuzzy image began to clear as the wand found its perfect spot. “Yes, sir. See right here…” She pointed toward the screen. “…your baby’s heart is strong.”

“Baby?” the patient again questioned, her eyes filling with tears. “What do you mean baby? I’m having twins! There are two babies! We’ve seen them.”

The young technician’s smile faded as her brows knitted together. “Um, the other one is probably hiding. They do that.” Her words faded as she frantically moved the wand from side to side.

“Where is it? Where’s our other baby?” The man’s voice became louder with each question.

“Sir, the doctor will be in soon. He can explain…”

“I know you know what you’re seeing. Tell us. Tell us what you see!”

The patient’s arm covered her eyes as tears continued to stream, pooling on the white paper. The image on the screen, though somewhat distorted, was clear. One baby dominated the screen. As the wand moved, a ghostly image, smaller than the other, seemed to float unmoving on its own. Between breaths, the patient asked, “Did this happen after I left the hospital? How? What’s happening with our other baby?”

“The doctor…”

The man interrupted the technician, “Tell me our son survived. Tell me that you see a boy.”

“Sir, the doctor…”

“Tell me!” he demanded.

Just then, the door opened and the doctor entered. “Excuse me, what’s happening in here?”

Unable to respond, the patient looked toward her husband. Straightening his shoulders, he glared toward the screen. “She said our baby is healthy. We’re having two babies. My wife is pregnant with twins, fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. Last week at the hospital you said there was a size differentiation, but you said it wasn’t significant. Now she…” He pointed toward the technician. “…is saying there’s only one baby. What happened?”

Taking the wand from the technician, the doctor looked comfortingly toward the patient. “How have you been feeling?”

Holding back her sobs, she replied, “Tired, but the cramps stopped…”

Staring toward the screen, the doctor smiled. “This can be difficult. But let’s concentrate on the positive. You have a strong, healthy girl. Sometimes things like this happen. The body understands if both fetuses can’t be supported. In those cases, the stronger one survives. Your daughter…”