Valhalla Virus by Nick Harrow (best management books of all time TXT) 📕

Bogie willed himself to stand, ignoring the wobbling wave of nausea that tried to rip him down to his knees again. He was stronger than that. No fucking concussion would keep him on the ground.

“I said kneel,” Arthur barked. “Unless you want another lesson.”

Bogie had learned a lot about himself since Hyrrokkin had changed him. He was faster, stronger, and a hell of a lot meaner than he’d ever imagined possible. Instead of kneeling as Arthur commanded, he put all those new gifts to work. He lunged forward, grabbed Arthur by the lapels of his suit jacket, and ripped the skinny man off the ground. The jötunn yanked his foe toward him and brought his forehead down into his tormentor’s face like a sledgehammer.

It was like slamming his skull into a brick wall. Bogie’s forehead split wide open, gushing blood in a red sheet down his face, and his world exploded in a violent fury.

Windows on the buildings across from the Golden Nugget smashed open as hidden enemies revealed themselves in a torrent of gunfire. The sudden attack caught Bogie’s soldiers unprepared and tore them to pieces before they could retreat deeper into the casino.

The barrage went on for what felt like hours while Bogie stood in the middle of the street, half blinded by the blood in his eyes, his head ringing like a gong.

The jötunn realized he was only alive because his enemy had shown mercy. The fire of his anger dwindled and died, leaving only the gunfire smoke that wreathed the air on Fremont Street.

“This could have been avoided,” Arthur said. “It’s a shame about your friends. I didn’t want to kill them. But that is the way of our kind now, I suppose. Only the strongest will survive. Now, put me down, or the next bullet fired will go straight through your skull.”

Bogie grunted, lowered Arthur back to the ground, and released him. His dreams of a world where might made right had come true. Unfortunately, he’d discovered too late that he wasn’t the strongest. Hyrrokkin had chosen him, but she hadn’t chosen only him. She wanted the strongest, but she’d make them prove it to earn her favor. It was a big splash of cold water on his dreams of ruling Vegas like a pimp warlord.

But if he played his cards right, Bogie could still land on his feet. He’d miss Raj and the rest of them, but if Arthur had a better plan and more guns, then Bogie knew there was nothing to gain by pushing the fight. “No more trouble from me. What do you need?”

Arthur turned his back on Bogie, walked across the street, and picked up the gaudy Desert Eagle. He gave it a quick once-over to make sure the safety was on, then returned and handed the weapon back to Bogie by the barrel. “I want you to do the same thing you did here at the Golden Nugget. Gather more of our kind. Hyrrokkin needs an army.”

The jötunn nodded and fumbled his way through an awkward bow. “I’ll do it. Where do you want them to gather?”

Arthur considered the question, tapping one finger against his chin. Finally, he shrugged. “You’ll know where to bring them when the time is right.”

“How?” Bogie asked. It was bad enough he had to take orders. He didn’t want to be left in the dark.

“I’ll tell you,” the burning woman’s voice slithered into his mind. “But first, do me one little favor. Find this place and kill everyone inside.”

The sight of a long, low building with a peaked roof floated into view. Snow surrounded the wooden structure, but that made no sense because it was also buried deep underground. The vision dissipated even as Bogie tried to fix the details in his mind. A vivid sunset in a cave, fake trees bursting through concrete. It still didn’t make sense, but that was all right.

Because, for the first time in Bogie’s life, someone had entrusted him with real responsibility.

“I won’t let you down,” he whispered.

“Good,” Arthur said. “I’ll be seeing you.”

Bogie nodded, but he’d hardly heard his new boss. His thoughts were on his important job.

He’d find the hidden lodge and burn it to ash.

Along with whoever sheltered inside it.

Hyrrokkin would reward him well for that.

Chapter 8

MIMI PAUSED AT THE elevator door and motioned for Rayleigh and Bridget to gather around. “Nothing can get in here,” she explained. “The elevator is a reinforced box of steel and bulletproof glass. You’re totally safe as long as you stay in the bunker.”

“We should go with you,” Ray protested. “We’re all in this together. You know that.”

Mimi put a hand on Ray’s shoulder and shook her head. “Gunnar and I don’t know what we’re walking into at Corso’s,” she explained. “We can handle ourselves in a fight, but I couldn’t live with myself if you two caught a bullet. And if something happens, we need you two to carry on.”

“Can’t you just call him or something?” Bridget asked. “Explain what you need. Meet up somewhere neutral and make an exchange.”

“Phones are dead,” Mimi said with a sigh. “There’s no way to reach anyone right now. Our best chance is to meet him face to face. He’ll listen to me, even if he’s still got a hard-on for Gunnar.”

The bodyguard hoped Mimi was right. He and Cal had parted under very unpleasant circumstances.

“We won’t be gone long,” Gunnar said hopefully. “Don’t get into any trouble while we’re out.”

“No promises,” Ray said. “There’s no telling what kind of trouble two hot chicks left alone in a swinging seventies love bunker might get up to. Especially without a big strong man around to make all the important decisions for us.”

Ray’s sweet smile didn’t take the bite out of her words. She was angry again, and Gunnar couldn’t pretend he didn’t know why.

“This is the smart move,” he explained. “Mimi can handle herself in a tight spot, and—”

“I can’t,” Ray said. “I get it.