The nonchalance crushed the emotional storm he himself had created in Deirdre. Balling her hands into fists, she willed herself to suppress the urge not to deck her hand across Brendan’s face.

“Your conscience? After all the sins you’ve committed? After all the lives you’ve ruined? And all you get is your wimpy conscience burning a hole in your non-existent soul!? Your conscience is worthless!”

There was something unreadable and nebulous in Brendan’s black eyes, but he managed to maintain his