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

Corso laughed at that and strode across the stone deck around the pool. Each of his feet had three toes, widely splayed and tipped by blackened nails. Those thick talons dug into the earth as the gang leader crossed the neatly manicured lawn to throw his arms around Gunnar’s shoulders in a brotherly hug. He held the embrace until his wet skin had soaked through Gunnar’s T-shirt, then pulled back and turned his attention to Mimi.

“Still working for the other side?” he asked with a gentle grin.

“For the moment,” she responded. “Gotta pay the bills.”

“Ah, yes,” Corso said. “I’ve picked up a few new jobs to do that. Just today, in fact.”

He engulfed Mimi in a gentler hug. When Corso finally stepped back, he gestured for the pair to follow him to the pool chairs scattered beside the water. “These things are great,” he said. “They even hold me after I gained all this weight.”

To demonstrate, he flopped down in a chair. The wooden frame creaked, and the woven fibers groaned, but nothing broke.

Mimi dropped into the chair to Corso’s left and put her feet up like she didn’t have a care in the world. She sipped her whiskey and shielded her eyes from the sun with one hand. Her eyes flicked to Gunnar, just once, cautioning him to go easy.

The bodyguard eased into his own chair, though he sat sideways facing Cal, his boots on the ground between them. He sipped at his whiskey but couldn’t take his eyes off the stone around Cal’s neck. It glinted and shone in the sun, revealing the symbol of interlocked triangles carved into its polished face.

Gunnar’s eyes locked on the necklace. The Valknut.

“You like it?” Corso asked, flicking the Valknut with one finger. “It’s some Viking shit. One of my procurement people saw it pop up at an auction last month and snatched it right out from under the noses of a bunch of museums. I dig it. So, Mimi. What brings you to my neck of the woods with this giant in tow? Don’t tell me you decided to cash in on the bounty.”

The gang lord had turned away from Gunnar to speak to Mimi. His back and neck were exposed. The bodyguard had a clean shot. He could throw an arm around Corso’s throat and squeeze the life out of him.

But the guards would turn the courtyard into a bloodbath if he tried that. So he held his position, eyes locked on Mimi’s. He’d promised to follow her lead, and she hadn’t given him any signal that it was time to start hurting people.

“Cal, that’s not very neighborly of you. I thought you’d let bygones be bygones, considering the whole world went to shit overnight. We need more allies, not enemies.”

“He did fuck me out of an astronomical amount of money,” Cal chuckled. “But I suppose you’re right. Maybe we can figure out some arrangement to repay me for my losses in this brave new world of ours.”

Mimi leaned forward, raised her glass, and made a clinking noise. “I’ll drink to that. What I’m really here for, though, is that necklace,” she said nonchalantly. “I saw it at the Aria party a couple weeks back. Mentioned it to my boss. They seem keen to get their hands on it. And they’re willing to make it worth your while.”

Gunnar heard something moving outside the security wall. The guards didn’t seem to have noticed it, though. That seemed odd. He strained his ears to catch it again, but whatever it was didn’t happen again.

Strange.

“Interesting,” Corso said. “I don’t suppose they told you why they wanted it?”

Mimi chuckled and shook her head. “Above my pay grade, man. I can make you a sweet-ass offer on it, though. Supplies, ammo, even some shooty toys you wouldn’t normally be able to get your hands on. Seems like a good deal for a piece of rock in these trying times, right?”

“Real good,” Cal agreed. “But I like it. A lot, you know? It has, what do they call it? Sentimental value.”

The smell of woodsmoke and roasting meat drifted on the breeze. The air temperature dropped a good ten degrees, and something wet brushed against Gunnar’s forehead.

Rain? He looked up and saw small white flakes dropping out of the sky.

Snow. In Vegas? In June?

“That’s too bad.” Mimi slapped her thighs and stood up abruptly. She downed the last of her drink in one go. “Guess we’ll be off, then. Sorry to waste your time, Cal.”

The jötunn rose to his feet with the sinuous speed of a cobra preparing to strike. He reached out for Mimi, who drew back instinctively.

“Sorry, sorry,” Corso said, raising his hands. “Since this...change...I’ve been a little faster than I’m used to. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Gunnar had already risen to his feet, his fists clenched. He stepped to the left, putting Corso in the guards’ line of fire if they decided to open up on the bodyguard. “Shit’s gotten kinda messed up, Cal. We’re a little touchy, you know? Maybe it’s best if we just go.”

The bodyguard flicked his eyes to Mimi, then to the heavy concrete planter to the left of the pool chairs. She blinked once, and he prayed she’d gotten the message.

A smoky aroma swirled around the pool, as if there was an open-air barbecue pit nearby. Gunnar had no idea what that meant, but he did not like it one little bit.

“Hey, hey.” Cal turned to face Gunnar, a gruesome smile plastered to his face. “It’s cool, man. You’re safe here. Have another drink. There’s someone coming by that I want you to meet.”

The raven flying overhead suddenly dove out of the sky, cawing like mad. Its wings battered the heads of the guards in the courtyard, and it slashed at their eyes with its beak and talons.

They shouted in surprise and fired their weapons into the air, spraying lead dangerously close to the rooftop guards. Every shot