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Short filmTranscript
00:00i'm lying to a man who could kill me with a phone call and honestly it's not even the worst decision i've made this week miss chen his voice cuts through the miami heat like a blade wrapped in silk look at me
00:15i don't want to i'm perched on the edge of his infinity pool because of course he has an infinity
00:21pool overlooking biscayne bay mascara probably streaking down my face like a sad raccoon and the
00:27last thing i need is to meet the eyes of dante moretti the dawn of south florida while i'm actively
00:32falling apart but you don't ignore dante moretti that's like ignoring a hurricane and hoping it'll
00:38just go away so i look up big mistake huge he's backlit by the afternoon sun all sharp jawline and
00:47darker than sin eyes wearing a white linen shirt that probably costs more than my rent his sleeves
00:52are rolled up to his elbows and there's something about the casual way he's standing there like he
00:57owns not just this house but the entire city sprawling below us that makes my throat tight
01:02i asked you a question he says and there's the faintest edge of amusement in his tone
01:09who sent you nobody sent me my voice comes out stronger than i feel which is a minor miracle
01:17i'm just i'm looking for my brother your brother he tilts his head studying me like i'm a puzzle he's
01:27mildly interested in solving and you thought you'd find him by breaking into my estate i didn't break
01:34in your gate was open my gate he says slowly is never open shit he moves then lowering himself
01:44onto the pool deck beside me with a grace that shouldn't be legal up close he smells like expensive
01:49cologne and something darker smoke maybe or danger his knee almost brushes mine and i have to resist the
01:56urge to scoot away running would probably trigger some kind of predator instinct so let me get this
02:01straight he's close enough now that i can see the gold flecks in his brown eyes you scaled a 10-foot
02:08wall disabled my security system and wandered onto my property because what you thought your brother
02:14might be having a pool party i didn't disable anything i just i stop because explaining that i followed
02:21the catering truck through the service entrance sounds even worse look my brother tommy owes people
02:26money bad people and i heard he was working for you so i thought you thought you'd show up crying by my
02:31pool and i'd just hand him over i wasn't i touched my face feeling the dampness on my cheeks god i was
02:39crying when did that even happen i'm not crying no he reaches out and i freeze as his thumb brushes just
02:48below my eye coming away wet he shows me the evidence like a lawyer presenting exhibit a what do
02:54you call this allergies his laugh is low and unexpected transforming his face from intimidating
03:01to something dangerously close to beautiful you're a terrible liar miss chen riley it comes out
03:09automatically and i'm actually an excellent liar you're just very observant occupational hazard
03:16he's still too close watching me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle
03:21your brother tommy tommy chen i assume doesn't work for me my stomach drops but i saw someone said
03:31he works for the calabrese family his expression hardens or he did until he stole fifty thousand
03:39dollars from their sports book three days ago the world tilts sideways fifty thousand
03:45tommy what the hell did you do he wouldn't but even as i say it i know it's a lie
03:53tommy would tommy has this is exactly the kind of spectacular disaster my little brother excels at
03:59he would and he did dante stands offering me his hand come on
04:05i stare at his outstretched palm like it might bite me come on where
04:10inside you look like you're about to pass out and if you fall in my pool i'll have to jump in after
04:16you he flexes his fingers impatiently these are six hundred dollar shoes
04:21of course they are but i take his hand anyway because my legs are shaking and because despite
04:28every instinct screaming at me to run there's something magnetic about him his grip is firm
04:34warm and he pulls me up effortlessly he doesn't let go right away stop wasting tears on the past
04:42he says quietly and there's something in his voice i can't quite name
04:46your brother made his choices now you need to make yours
04:50which are you tell me where tommy is and i make sure the calabrese family doesn't turn you both into
04:57chum for the sharks he finally releases my hand and i immediately miss the warmth
05:02or you keep lying to me and i let nature take its course
05:06my pulse hammers you'd really just let them kill us
05:11i didn't say that he starts walking toward the house a sprawling mediterranean villa that looks
05:18like it belongs in architectural digest and after a moment i follow what choice do i have
05:24but i'm not a charity riley if i'm going to involve myself in calabrese family business
05:30i need something in return i don't have anything it's the truth i've got maybe two hundred dollars in
05:37my checking account and a car that's one bad morning away from dying completely
05:41i'm a bartender at a dive in winwood i don't have you have information he holds the door open
05:48gesturing me into air-conditioned paradise the interior is all white marble and modern art
05:53floor-to-ceiling windows showing off that ridiculous view
05:57you know where your brother is that's valuable and if i tell you what you'll go to war with another
06:04mafia family over 50 grand 50 grand he actually smiles riley i spend more than that on wine the
06:12money is irrelevant i stop walking forcing him to turn back then why do you care he considers me
06:20for a long moment and i swear i see something shift behind his eyes something almost vulnerable
06:25before the mask slams back down because marco calabrese has been pushing into my territory for
06:30six months and i'm tired of it his voice is soft lethal your brother's theft gives me the excuse i
06:37need to push back hard so you're using us i prefer to think of it as mutually beneficial
06:44he moves closer and suddenly we're standing in a shaft of sunlight dust moats dancing between us
06:50i get my leverage you and tommy get to keep breathing everyone wins except the calabrese family
06:57exactly his smile is sharp enough to cut so what's it going to be are you going to keep wasting tears
07:05on the past or are you going to help me fix your future i should say no i should run i should do
07:13literally anything except stand here in dante moretti's palace drowning in his dark eyes while
07:17he offers to start a war over my disaster of a brother but tommy is all i have left and if there's
07:23even a chance this beautiful dangerous man can save him okay i hear myself say i'll help you
07:30his smile is slow satisfied and absolutely terrifying good girl he extends his hand again
07:39welcome to the family business riley chen i take his hand god help me i take his hand
07:46turns out joining the mafia even temporarily comes with perks like the black amex card dante tosses
07:53onto the marble counter of his kitchen three hours later right next to my untouched espresso
07:57what's this i pick it up turning it over my name is embossed on it riley chen like i'm someone who
08:06matters your new life he's leaning against the counter watching me with that unreadable expression he's
08:13perfected you can't be seen in winwood anymore the calabrese soldiers know what you look like by now
08:19my stomach twists how would they because your bartender boss called them the second you left
08:26for your bathroom break four hours ago he slides his phone across the counter showing me a grainy
08:31security photo it's me climbing over his wall marco calabrese is many things but stupid isn't one of
08:39them he knows you came here perfect great i dropped the card like it's radioactive so i've just painted a
08:47target on my back for nothing tommy's still missing and now tommy's in the keys dante's voice cuts through my
08:54spiral key largo specifically a fishing charter called the lucky seven i stare at him how do you
09:02i made three phone calls he picks up his own espresso taking a slow sip he's been hiding out
09:10there for two days trying to figure out how to get to cuba without a passport that idiot but relief
09:17floods through me so fast i have to grip the counter we need to get him now before before marco's men find
09:24him dante sets down his cup with a soft click they won't i have four of my people watching him
09:31he's safe why the question bursts out of me why are you helping us and don't say leverage because
09:37you could have just grabbed tommy yourself for the first time since i met him dante looks almost
09:43uncomfortable he turns toward the window sunlight painting his profile in gold and shadow
09:50i had a sister he says quietly younger she got involved with the wrong people made the wrong
09:58choices i was too busy building this empire to notice until it was too late my throat tightens
10:05what happened she died the words are flat final overdose but it wasn't an accident someone cut
10:16her drugs with fentanyl because she owed them money he turns back to me and the pain in his eyes is so raw
10:22it hurts to look at i burned their organization to the ground every last one of them but it didn't
10:29bring lucia back dante i don't know what to say don't know how to comfort a man who probably doesn't
10:37accept comfort so when i see you breaking into my house crying over a brother who's too stupid to stay
10:43out of trouble his smile is bitter let's just say i have a weakness for hopeless causes tommy's not
10:50hopeless but even i don't sound convinced no dante agrees moving closer but you are if you think you
10:58can save him alone i've been doing it alone for 10 years the words come out sharper than i intend
11:05since our parents died i've kept him fed kept him in school kept him from from becoming exactly what
11:13he is anyway he's right in front of me now close enough that i can see the faint scar above his left
11:19eyebrow you can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved riley watch me his laugh is soft almost
11:28admiring there she is the fighter he reaches out tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and the
11:35casual intimacy of it steals my breath i'm going to need that fire where we're going where are we
11:42coral gables marco calabresi's restaurant we're having lunch i nearly choke on air you want to walk
11:50into the enemy's territory in broad daylight it's a power play he's already moving grabbing his keys
11:56to which ferrari i don't even want to know marco thinks he has the upper hand because your brother
12:01stole from him we're going to show him he's wrong by doing what exactly getting ourselves killed
12:07by offering him a deal dante pauses at the door looking back at me with those dark dangerous eyes
12:15and by bringing you his insurance policy absolutely not i cross my arms i'm not being used as bait
12:25you're not bait you're leverage he says it like there's a difference marco wants to scare you into
12:33giving up tommy instead we're going to walk in there together you on my arm wearing something that
12:38costs more than his car and we're going to make him realize he's playing checkers while i'm playing
12:43chess that's the stupidest plan i've ever heard good thing you're not the one making plans he opens the
12:51door sunlight flooding in there's a closet in the guest room third door on the left pick something
12:56that says untouchable i don't riley he turns and something in his expression makes me stop
13:06i've kept more people alive in this life than i've killed trust me and here's the thing that
13:12terrifies me i do against all logic against every survival instinct i have i trust this man i met four
13:20hours ago so i head upstairs the closet is bigger than my apartment i'm standing there in a black dress
13:27that probably costs more than my car form-fitting elegant the kind of thing i'd never buy myself
13:34when dante appears in the doorway perfect his gaze travels over me slowly and i feel it like a
13:41physical touch almost he crosses to me pulling a velvet box from his pocket inside is a diamond necklace that
13:50belongs in a museum i can't wear that my voice comes out breathless yes you can he moves behind me and i feel
13:59his fingers brush my neck as he fastens the clasp his breath is warm against my ear you need to look
14:05like you belong to me like touching you would be the last mistake marco ever makes and do i the question
14:13slips out belong to you his hands settle on my shoulders and in the mirror our eyes meet do you want
14:21to you yes the answer screams through me which is insane i've known this man for less than a day
14:28he's a criminal a killer everything i should run from but when he looks at me like that like i'm
14:34something precious and dangerous all at once running is the last thing on my mind i want my brother safe
14:41i say instead which is at least partially true liar but he's smiling as he steps back come on time to
14:50crash a lunch meeting marco calabrese's restaurant is all exposed brick and edison bulbs the kind of trendy
14:57spot that does twelve dollar cocktails and calls it authentic we walk in at noon and the hostess
15:02goes pale when she sees dante mr moretti she's practically trembling i didn't we weren't expecting
15:11is marco here dante's hand is on the small of my back possessive and warm in the back his private
15:18dining room but perfect he guides me forward and every head in the restaurant turns to watch us pass
15:26i feel like i'm walking toward a firing squad in four inch heels the private dining room is exactly what
15:32i expect dark wood expensive wine and marco calabrese himself fifty something silver haired with eyes like a
15:41shark dante he doesn't stand i heard you were keeping interesting company these days marco dante
15:50pulls out a chair for me and i sit because my legs might give out i believe you're looking for this
15:55woman's brother among other things marco's gaze slides to me cold and assessing miss chen you're
16:03harder to find than tommy that's because she's under my protection now dante sits beside me close enough
16:09that our legs touch under the table which means tommy is too marco laughs you're going to war over
16:17fifty thousand dollars no dante leans back utterly relaxed i'm going to war because you've been
16:25moving product through winwood without my permission the money is just an excuse the temperature in the
16:31room drops ten degrees careful moretti marco's voice is ice you're not the only one with soldiers
16:40no dante smiles but i'm the only one the commission respects push me and they'll side with me you'll
16:47lose everything marco's jaw tightens and i realize i'm watching a power play in real time dante isn't
16:53threatening violence he's threatening something worse politics reputation everything marco's built
17:00so here's my offer dante continues tommy returns the fifty thousand with interest twenty percent and you
17:07stay out of winwood permanently and if i refuse then i make a phone call and by sunset every family
17:14from new york to vegas knows you let a bartender's kid rob you blind dante's smile doesn't reach his
17:20eyes how long do you think you'll last after that the silence stretches i can barely breathe finally marco
17:29nods once sharp done he stands but moretti if tommy chen steps one foot out of line again he's mine
17:38girl or no girl understood dante rises helping me up with a hand that's completely steady
17:45mine is shaking we walk out into the miami sun and i don't start breathing again until we're in his car
17:51that was terrifying exhilarating he starts the engine and it purrs to life welcome to my world
18:00riley chen i look at him really look at him and realize i'm in so much deeper than i ever planned to
18:07be now what now his smile is slow dangerous perfect now we go get your brother together and just like
18:18that everything changes key largo at two in the afternoon is postcard perfect turquoise water swaying
18:24palms and my idiot brother trying to bribe a fishing captain with a rolex he definitely stole
18:30tommy i'm out of dante's car before it fully stops storming down the dock in my borrowed heels
18:35what the hell is wrong with you my brother spins around and his face goes through about five
18:41emotions in two seconds surprise relief fear then when he sees dante behind me pure terror
18:50riley tommy's voice cracks he's 23 but looks 17 right now all wide eyes and bad decisions i can
18:57explain explain what that you stole 50 grand from the mafia that you almost got us both killed that i
19:04had to make a deal with i gesture wildly at dante who's leaning against his ferrari like he's posing
19:10for gq sunglasses on completely unbothered with him just to keep you breathing i was going to pay it back
19:18tommy's always been a terrible liar i just needed time you needed a brain i'm shaking now 10 years of
19:27saving him protecting him sacrificing everything for him boiling over do you know what i've given
19:33up for you do you have any idea riley dante's voice cuts through my rage gentle but firm breathe i spin
19:42on him don't tell me to breathe this is your fault too his eyebrows rise above his sunglasses
19:48my fault yes your world your rules your i'm talking with my hands now very aware i'm losing it
19:58if people like you didn't exist people like tommy wouldn't wouldn't what make spectacularly stupid
20:05choices dante pushes off the car walking toward us with that predatory grace
20:10your brother's an adult riley he chose this he's a kid i'm standing right here tommy mutters shut up
20:23dante and i say it simultaneously and in any other circumstances it might be funny dante stops a few
20:30feet away and even through the sunglasses i feel his gaze you can't save him from himself watch me
20:38but my voice cracks on the words and suddenly i'm crying again really crying this time not the quiet
20:45tears from this morning but ugly shoulder shaking sobs that taste like 10 years of exhaustion
20:52oh riley tommy moves toward me but dante's already there he pulls me against his chest one hand on the
21:00back of my head and i should push him away i should maintain some dignity instead i fist my hands in his
21:07stupid expensive shirt and just break i've got you he murmurs into my hair i've got you i'm so tired
21:18it's barely a whisper i'm so tired of fixing everything i know his hand moves in slow circles
21:26on my back but you don't have to do it alone anymore i pull back enough to look at him and he's taken off
21:32the sunglasses those dark eyes are soft almost tender what are you saying i'm saying he glances
21:40at tommy then back to me i'm saying your brother's going to work for me legitimate work i own a marina
21:47in miami beach he'll work there pay back the money in installments no interest tommy's jaw drops seriously
21:55seriously dante doesn't look at him still focused on me and you're going to stop bartending and dive
22:02bars where men like marco can find you i can't just quit you can you will his thumb brushes away
22:10a tear on my cheek i have a friend who owns an art gallery in coconut grove she needs a manager the job's yours if
22:17you want it why my voice is small why are you doing this because he stops jaw tightening like the words
22:27cost him because i told you i couldn't save lucia but maybe i can save you i don't need saving no his
22:36smile is soft real you don't but maybe you need someone to stand beside you while you save yourself
22:43he pauses and maybe i need someone who's brave enough to break into my house and lie to my face
22:50despite everything i laugh it's watery and ridiculous but it's real that's the worst reason
22:56to like someone good thing i have other reasons his hand is still cupping my face and the dock
23:03the boat tommy everything fades except this moment you're fierce you're loyal you don't back down
23:11from anything even when you should his voice drops and you look at me like i'm a person not a monster
23:19you are a person the words come out breathless a complicated dangerous surprisingly decent person
23:26decent he looks almost offended i'm a crime lord riley
23:31yeah well i smile up at him nobody's perfect uh guys tommy's voice breaks the moment
23:41not that this isn't super romantic and everything but there are two boats heading this way and they
23:46look not friendly dante's entire demeanor shifts in a heartbeat he turns placing himself between me and
23:54the approaching boats and i see it the predator the dawn the man who burns empires for revenge
24:01calabrese the name is a curse he sent them anyway i thought we had a deal my heart's hammering we do
24:11but marco's a vindictive bastard dante pulls out his phone typing rapidly he wants to scare you remind
24:18you who you're dealing with it's working i'm gripping his arm now watching the boats get closer
24:26four men in each and they're not here for the fishing riley dante turns gripping my shoulders
24:34listen to me in about 30 seconds 12 more boats are going to arrive my people this dock is about to
24:41become very crowded and marco's men are going to realize they're outnumbered and outgunned
24:45how because i planned for this his smile is sharp you think i'd bring you here without backup i had
24:53people in position before we left miami and sure enough i hear the engines boats appearing from
25:00everywhere behind the marina from the open water even from what looks like a coast guard vessel except
25:06it's definitely not official marco's men see them too their boats slow then stop dante walks to the edge
25:13of the dock and his voice carries across the water gentlemen tell marco that the next time
25:18he wants to send a message he should call first this is my territory now moretti one of them shouts
25:25back marco said i don't care what marco said dante's voice is cold steel you have 60 seconds to leave
25:33before my people decide you're trespassing and trust me you don't want to find out what happens then
25:38for a moment nobody moves the sun beats down the water laps against the boats and i'm watching a
25:46standoff that could turn deadly in a heartbeat then slowly marco's boats turn around they leave
25:55i release a breath i didn't know i was holding holy shit language dante says but he's grinning
26:02you planned all this i'm staring at him the lunch the deal bringing me here i told you chess not
26:12checkers he turns back to tommy get your things you're coming back to miami with us tommy nods
26:19scrambling onto the lucky seven to grab his bag when he's out of earshot i grab dante's arm
26:25i can't believe you did all this for us i told you to stop wasting tears on the past
26:34he steps closer and suddenly we're in that space again the one where everything else disappears
26:40but i didn't say anything about the future what kind of future are we talking about
26:46my pulse is racing for entirely different reasons now the kind where you work at an art gallery where
26:52your brother learns an honest trade where you come home to a house overlooking the bay instead of a
26:57studio apartment in winwood his hand finds mine fingers threading through the kind where you let
27:04someone take care of you for once that sounds like i swallow hard that sounds like you're asking me to
27:11stay with you i am no hesitation i'm asking you to take a chance on something that probably won't work
27:21on a man who definitely doesn't deserve you on a life that's complicated and dangerous and
27:27i kiss him just reach up and press my lips to his cutting off his words his doubts
27:34his very logical reasons why this is a terrible idea he freezes for half a second then pulls me closer
27:41one hand tangling in my hair the other at my waist and the kiss is everything desperate and tender and
27:47full of promise when we break apart we're both breathing hard that was he starts a terrible decision
27:57i smile against his lips probably but you know what i'm tired of making good ones riley chen he's grinning
28:07now really grinning are you saying yes i'm saying i look at him this beautiful dangerous impossible man
28:16who broke into my life the same way i broke into his house i'm saying stop wasting time talking and
28:22kiss me again so he does behind us tommy groans seriously right here on a dock you stole from the
28:32mafia i call back without breaking eye contact with dante i get to kiss whoever i want dante laughs full and
28:40genuine and genuine and free and it's the best sound i've ever heard come on he says grabbing my hand
28:46let's go home home six hours ago i didn't have one now i'm walking hand in hand with a mafia don
28:53toward a ferrari my disaster of a brother trailing behind us and somehow it feels right hey dante
29:01i squeeze his hand yeah thank you for not wasting tears on the past either his smile could light up the
29:11entire keys anytime tesoro anytime we drive back to miami with the top down sunlight everywhere and for
29:21the first time in 10 years i'm not afraid of what comes next i'm ready for it the end did riley and dante
29:30steal your heart if you loved watching riley break into dante's world and his heart don't let this story
29:38end here subscribe for more cinematic mafia romance stories every week new dawns new heroines new cities
29:47all with that same sizzling chemistry and sun-drenched danger you just experienced like if you're team
29:54dante that pool scene the standoff in key largo the kiss on the dock let me know which moment made your
30:02heart race comment your favorite line was it you're playing checkers while i'm playing chess or stop
30:10wasting tears on the past drop your favorite quote below i read every single one
30:24name show you and i'm playing chess i read all the way i read you see you got all the way you're there
30:29i'll be called a couple of other people who know that this is the way i mean you probably know
30:31you put the game where you're all just about like trying to help your heart out so there's a bit of
30:36um a lot of association i love it is for you to get back to my heart and you just want
30:38to make sure i talked about it and i'm going to be like going to of you
30:40really appreciate you i want to be with you doing so i'm going to be doing so i want to make sure the game
30:41yeah i'm going to be out and i'm going to be like i'm going to just go i'll be like i love to
30:48you and i'm going to be able i'm going to be good i'm going to be like i'm going to be the next time i'm gonna be
30:50You
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