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KINGPIN

sheets of material. He would sandwich the two sheets of printed Teslin between the laminate and run it through a pressure laminator. After die-cutting, the result was impressive: Run your fingers over the license and feel the flawless silken surface; hold it at an angle and witness the ghostly state seal; put it under a UV bulb, and the state flag glowed eerily, the words "California Republic" in red, above them a brown bear walking on four legs across a yellow hilltop.

With cards and licenses complete, Chris got on the phone and summoned his girls. He'd figured out that attractive college-aged women made the best cashers. There was Nancy, a five-foot-three-inch Latina with "love" tattooed on one wrist; Lindsey, a pale girl with brown hair and hazel eyes; Adrian, a young Italian woman; and Jamie, who'd worked as a waitress at the Hooters in Newport Beach.

He'd met the twin brunettes Liz and Michelle Esquere at Villa Siena, where they lived. Michelle was just hanging around with the group, but Liz was invaluable: She had worked in the mortgage industry and was whip-smart, well educated, and responsible enough to take over some of the administrative work, like maintaining the spreadsheet of payouts, in addition to making in-store purchases.

Chris had a talent for recruitment. He might meet a new prospect at a restaurant and invite her to go partying with his friends. She'd join them at the clubs and expensive dinners, ride in the back of the rented limousine when one of them had a birthday to celebrate. She'd see money everywhere. Then, when the time was right, maybe months later, when the girl confessed she had bills to pay or was behind on her rent, he would casually mention that he knew a way she could earn quick and easy money. He'd tell her how it worked. It was a victimless crime, he'd explain. They'd be "sticking it to the man."

None of the girls knew where Chris got his credit card data. When he referred to Max, it was as "the Whiz," an unnamable superhacker whom they'd never have the privilege of meeting. Chris's code name was "the