Por Siempre Y Para Siempre: A Sequel to Take Your Time

Ch. 15 - You Never Know with Him

Please note that the trial described in this chapter doesn't accurately portray the US Appellate Court system.

"Are you excited about the meeting?" Olivia asks Rafael as they meet each other outside of a small bistro.

"Yes, nena, of course I am," he says with a smile on his face, "but also a little nervous." She shrugs and gives him a smirk, understanding the feeling. The two of them walk in together and spot their realtor, Elizabeth, across the dining room. She's sitting in one of the few booths against the back wall and is sipping from a cup of tea while scrolling on her phone. They make their way to the booth and slide into the side across from her.

"My two favorite clients! Good afternoon," Elizabeth has a warm smile on her face as she greets them, "how are you doing?"

"We're good," Olivia responds, "excited to be here. How've you been?"

"Busy, but busy is always good for me," she lets out a small sigh before she takes another drink of her tea. Rafael and Olivia head to the counter to order their lunch before they rejoin the agent.

"Okay, so I am just going to jump right in," Rafael says quickly, "Liv and I want to make an offer for the townhouse you showed us last week. Has anyone else has made one?"

"That's fantastic! I really think that place was meant for you guys," Elizabeth is beaming from the news, "We don't usually disclose other offers for the privacy of our clients, sorry. So, what's your offer?" Rafael slides a slip of folded paper across the table to her and she reads it.

"What do you think?" Olivia asks anxiously.

"I think it's a smart move, bidding lower than the asking price, but this low is a bit risky," the agent is blunt with them, "I'll email them and see how that feel about it. Just a second." She taps quickly on her phone for about a minute before setting it back down again gently. The three of them take the opportunity of waiting for a response to eat their lunch. There's still no response when they've finished eating and Elizabeth promises to call them as soon as she gets an email back from the homeowners. The couple says goodbye to Elizabeth before they make their way to their respective offices.

Rafael walks into Peter's office and sits down on the couch. The two of them promptly begin discussing the federal trial that had just passed. After Jacobson was found guilty in New York for his crimes, the FBI tried him federally for Domestic Terrorism. He had been found guilty for that charge as well as the others. He was sentenced to life without parole and was transferred to a federal maximum-security prison in Virginia. As they finish up their conversation, Peter gets a phone call.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry. It's Jack. I better get this," he apologizes to Rafael before answering the call. Rafael listens in to the ADA's side of the conversation, "Jack, hello. How are you? Good, good. I'm doing well, thank you. Mhmm, okay. Sure. Wait, what? Why? How did this happen? Yeah, okay. Sure, sure. Yes, thank you. Talk to you later." He hangs up the phone and sighs, clearly frustrated.

"What's going on?" Rafael is worried at the change in Peter's change in demeanor.

"You won't believe this," is all he can say as he processes the phone call.

"What is it?" Rafael urges his friend to explain what was happening, "Is it something with Jacobson?"

"No, it's about an appeal," Peter has calmed down a bit and responds without looking up at him, trying to soften the blow of the news.

"Who's appealing?" Rafael is nearly standing up at this point, waiting for an answer.

"It's Wilson," Peter looks him in the eyes and continues, "Michael Wilson is appealing his conviction." Rafael is speechless, his mouth agape. Peter remains quiet and allows his friend to process in silence.