(sorry for dropping off for FOUR DAYS! Ugh)
Elias stared down at Charlie, then leaned to the left and gave Rylee a long look. But there was some approval there, in that look. He had realized that the first floor was not the best place for a single lady -- even if that lady had both a dog and a gun. Perhaps especially if she had a gun.
"I don't know what paths led you to the ownership of a firearm," Elias said when he returned his undivided attention to the one standing in front of him, "But I prefer you not become a murderess -- even in self defense. And so --"
He let the sentence fall, punctuating its end by rattling the clamps in their plastic/cardboard container. "Come see," he invited, gesturing toward the window. And then, opening the bit of hardware he purchased for Charlie, he dropped one of the clamps into Charlie's palm and then sidestepped her to uncover the window track. "Use the thumbscrew to open the clamp," he explained, "Then set it here and tighten it closed again. It will cause no damage to the window track itself and the window cannot be lifted from the outside even if the latches are unfastened. You can take them with you when you leave this apartment, eventually."
This was the most he'd spoken to Charlie in a single go than he'd ever done before. Significant, that it had been her safety that he'd wanted to discuss. Setting his shoulder against the wall beside the window, he watched her and Rylee a second more, then narrowed his eyes. Was this boy the one who had been with Charlie during the...
"Is he the one with the burn?" Elias asked quietly. He directed the question to Charlie, but his eyes didn't leave the blond on the couch. As an aside, he also added, "You should check inside that black box on the counter."