“Are you EMFing me?” I asked.

The meter was going crazy underneath the table, and Pocket Protector was trying frantically to shut it off. Either that or he was playing with himself. Neither was acceptable.

“Tristan,” one of the brothers said. “Just—” He shook his head, telling his friend to give up the game.

Tristan, though I liked Pocket Protector better, brought out the meter that measured electromagnetic fields. Ghost hunters liked to use it to detect ghosts, believing they put out electromagnetic frequencies that could be detected. After some fumbling, he got it turned off, then had the decency to look sheepish.

“Why are you here?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

“There’s a video,” Tristan said, his voice trailing off when he saw my expression.

“Ah. Right. Well, it’s amazing what they can do with special effects these days.”

“We know the guy who posted it,” one of the brothers said.

“And you are?” I asked.

He jumped up, and the other two followed suit. “I’m Isaac. This is my brother, Iago, and our fearless leader, Tristan.”

I didn’t shake their outstretched hands. They turned to each other in discomfort, then offered me a seat.

“Please, join us,” Isaac said.

Cookie shrugged when I looked at her, wondering what I was doing. I held up an index finger and decided to join them.

“So, you know the guy who posted it?”

Tristan nodded. “He saw it firsthand. He said he was there when it happened and that he’s been obsessed with supernatural phenomena ever since.”

I was starting to understand what it was like to be a rock star. They all gazed at me, their faces full of awe and reverence.

“Is that how you found out where to find me?”

“No,” Iago said. He seemed quieter than his brother. “He wouldn’t tell anyone. He said he’s been keeping an eye on you and is going to have a documentary soon.”

Motherfucker. “Can he even do that?” I asked, so offended it was unreal.

“I don’t know,” Tristan said. “He’s going to try.”

“If he wanted me to be kept a secret until he could put out this documentary, why did he post the video in the first place?”

“I don’t think he expected anyone to recognize you.”

Iago nodded in agreement. “He was trying to build buzz. And now that you’ve been identified, he’s really upset.”

My ire rose several notches with each word out of their mouths. “Do you have the name of the guy that I’m going to have to kill?”

They all gaped, believing me.

Tristan snapped out of it first. “Just his online name. He goes by SpectorySam.”

Motherfucker. Again. He was e-mailing Amber trying to get an interview with me? No. No way. If he knew so much about me, he knew exactly how and where to find me. He was e-mailing Amber for inside information. Probably tricking her into saying this or that. I’d have to get on top of it and fast. He could try to meet with her.

“So, let me get this straight. You guys are here to make money off me, too?”

Their eyes went so wide, it was almost comical.

“No,” Isaac said. “Never.”

Tristan leaned toward me, wanting me to understand. “We’re more like urban explorers. We don’t change anything. We don’t do anything that will affect the future.”

“I don’t get it,” I said. “What’s your angle, then?”

Tristan laughed softly. “Burning curiosity.”

“But most are hunters,” Iago said. “Not explorers. They aren’t like us.” His gaze darted to the table of the other hunters I’d spotted earlier. “Most are in it for the money and the glory.”

“Mostly the glory,” Tristan said. “There’s not a lot of money in this, unless you have a great subject.” He dropped his gaze, embarrassed he’d said such a thing. I felt it burn through him.

“Look, what makes you think I’m the real deal? That guy is lying. I guarantee it.”

“You put out an electromagnetic field,” Tristan said.

I played it off with a laugh. “Doesn’t everyone?”

All three shook their heads as though they’d choreographed it.

“Oh.”

“We won’t tell.”

“Um, thanks? But you can’t follow me around, okay?”

“We weren’t—”