Chapter 183 — The Brothers Hit One Dead End After Another
"Mandy said it's not convenient," Ian said helplessly, putting his phone away.
His mind drifted to Kash.
But things between them had already fallen apart.
Even if he went back and begged for a place to stay, Linda would probably go ballistic—and Kash definitely wouldn't take him in anymore.
"Why not?" Lip frowned, clearly not understanding.
In his eyes, Mandy barely even counted as a person.
Or rather, he looked down on everyone from the Milkovich family.
That might have had something to do with how often he'd been beaten up by them.
"She moved out. She's living somewhere with a bunch of girls. It's not convenient for two guys to stay there," Ian explained patiently.
Lip smirked, a trace of mockery in his tone. "What, hang around you too long and she turned gay? Lost interest in guys?"
Ian frowned at the jab but didn't respond.
"Got anywhere else you can go?" Lip asked, realizing he might've gone a bit too far—but that was just who he was.
"I don't know. What about you? You got somewhere?" Ian asked.
Lip paused.
Yeah… he didn't either.
He dug through his pockets—just over ten bucks.
Not even enough for a motel room.
Taking a drag from his cigarette, he flicked the butt to the ground and crushed it under his shoe.
"Come on. Let's try Kevin's place."
In Lip's mind, there had to be a way out.
Find somewhere temporary, get a job, and everything would fall into place.
He was already picturing it—renting a place, living with Sniqua and their kid.
Lip had always been good at dreaming.
Soon enough, the two of them arrived at Kevin's house.
Kevin happened to be off his day shift and was home.
Lip knocked on the door, not even sure if Kevin was in—if not, they'd have to try the Alibi.
Luckily, Kevin answered.
Wearing a bathrobe, he opened the door and looked at them in surprise.
"Whoa—what's going on with you guys? What's with the bags?"
"Hey, Kev. Can we come in?" Lip gestured inside.
"Yeah, sure. Come in."
Kevin stepped aside, letting them enter before closing the door.
Lip dropped his bag by the couch and plopped down heavily.
Ian followed suit.
Kevin grabbed two sodas and handed them over.
"So… what's going on?" he asked.
"V not around?" Lip glanced around, not seeing her.
"She's in the kitchen. Why?" Kevin asked, confused.
"Here's the deal, Kev. Ian and I don't have anywhere to stay right now. We were hoping we could crash here for a few days. Just a few—once I get a job and find a place, we're gone."
Lip got straight to the point.
"Whoa, whoa—hold up! What do you mean you don't have anywhere to stay? Fiona kicked you out?" Kevin's eyes widened.
"Yeah. She kicked us both out," Lip said bluntly.
"Why?" Kevin asked.
"Look, Kev. Just tell me yes or no."
Lip clearly didn't want to get into it.
"Of course you can stay!" Kevin said immediately.
He was a good guy—simple, kind-hearted. If someone needed help, he helped.
But in the kitchen, Veronica had already heard everything.
She had a pretty good idea why Lip was out on the street—she'd seen that fight outside the restaurant.
"Kevin! Come here for a second!" she called out.
Kevin gave Lip and Ian an apologetic smile before heading over.
"You can't let Lip stay here," Veronica said firmly. "We're not getting dragged into Gallagher family drama."
Before Kevin could even respond, Lip was already on his feet.
"So you're taking Fiona's side?" he demanded, walking over.
"If Fiona finds out we took you in, she'll flip on me," Veronica said.
Lip looked at her like her opinion didn't matter.
Then he turned to Kevin, hoping for something different.
Kevin scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh… you heard what V said. Fiona would lose it. If I lived alone, I wouldn't even think twice."
He spread his hands helplessly.
But to Lip, it sounded like rejection.
"Seriously, Kev?" he stared at him in disbelief.
"Sorry, Lip."
Kevin might not be the sharpest guy, but he wasn't stupid either.
Kevin knew better than to ignore Veronica's judgment.
Fiona had kicked the brothers out, and Fiona and Veronica were close—best friends.
What if Fiona didn't actually mean to throw them out for good?
What if she just wanted to scare them, force them to back down?
Kevin couldn't think that far ahead—but Veronica could.
And that was exactly why she refused immediately.
She knew the Gallagher family's mess was something you stayed out of if you were smart.
"Go home, Lip," Veronica said calmly, trying to reason with him.
But Lip, young and hot-headed, wasn't about to listen.
"Sorry, man. You and Ian can't stay here," Kevin added, shaking his head.
He knew he wasn't the smartest guy in the room, so when in doubt, he backed Veronica—no questions asked.
"What the fuck, Kevin?" Lip stared at them, disbelief written all over his face.
But their expressions said everything.
"Fine. Thanks for the help, Kev," Lip said coldly as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.
"And next time you need help dodging taxes, passing a liquor inspection, or getting out of some mess—don't come to me."
With that, he stormed out and slammed the door behind him.
Ian lingered for a moment.
Compared to Lip, he still had some manners.
"Sorry, Kev… V," he said quietly, giving them an apologetic look before picking up his bag and following after his brother.
"Ian—just go home," Veronica called out one last time. "I don't know what happened between you guys, but that's still your home."
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