The Boys

By Leigh Bernhardt

This is an action/adventure story about four American ex-servicemen now working in the oil industry, who are happily married, and settled in their life.
Their daughters while on an overseas holiday are kidnapped by a ruthless criminal gang who lure young girls into their operation through up market nightclubs and a well organised trafficking network.
These particular men have hidden talents developed in warfare and action that have to be resurrected and applied in order to deal with international violent criminals, corrupt Police and a complicated rescue operation.
What happens next is a thrilling tale of action, revenge and daring as they attempt to rescue their daughters, disband the crime syndicate and steal their funds while narrowly avoiding an international incident and staying alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Mar 20, 2025
• ISBN: 9798369487075

Book preview

Copyright © 2025 by Leigh Bernhardt.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/07/2025

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Contents

Chapter 1 The Boys and Their Families

Chapter 2 The Pact

Chapter 3 The Girls

Chapter 4 The Trip

Chapter 5 The MIU

Chapter 6 The Mission

Chapter 7 Russia

Chapter 8 Awake to a Nightmare

Chapter 9 Trouble at Home

Chapter 10 Russia

Chapter 11 The Wild Stag Bar

Chapter 12 Kidnapped and in Trouble

Chapter 13 Meeting Max

Chapter 14 The Farmhouse

Chapter 15 Help from Home

Chapter 16 Captives

Chapter 17 Mothers on the Way

Chapter 18 The Rescue

Chapter 19 Recovery

Chapter 20 The Boat

Chapter 21 The Reunion

Chapter 22 Home

Chapter 1

The Boys and Their Families

I t was that special Sunday in July again already, the day once a year when the boys and their families got together for a BBQ lunch, a few beers, and some reminiscing about past events.

The boys were a diverse group of men; and an outsider would immediately pick that although they had different physical and behavioural attributes, their camaraderie and apparent closeness combined with the ease with which they spoke and acted, this was a group of men with close bonds and mutual respect for one another.

There was no one person who stood out as a leader. However, Mike was somewhat calmer than the other three. He spoke with measured diction and a polished voice, which inspired silence while he spoke. There was no doubt that the others looked to Mike often during the casual conversations around the barbeque; and although the conversation appeared frivolous and casual, there was an undertone of strength, competence, and awareness that showed a military-style bearing on all four.

Despite the fact that they were in the backyard of Mike’s house, which was set on two acres and had a swimming pool and manicured gardens, at the slightest noise from approaching traffic or dogs barking, each of the boys scanned to see what and where the noise was coming from. Nothing blatant or alarming, just subtle turning of the heads, listening. There was a general level of awareness, positioning of bodies, line of sight, and stances that looked casual but were steady and ready.

This gathering was at the house of Mike and Heather with their children Holly, 18, and Oliver, 12. On the outside, they were a normal family and part of the community.

Heather is a petite woman in her midfifties who met (and married) Mike after they met in college. They married after they re-established contact a couple of years later at a friend’s reunion, and from that day on, they have remained together. They were hardly childhood sweethearts, but their bond was as strong as a marriage could be, and their love for each other was unconditional.

Their children, Holly and Oliver, were like chalk and cheese, with Holly being an exuberant, at times precocious, and wilful 18-year-old adult about to complete her first year of college studies in international relations at Stanford University. Oliver is a quiet, introverted 12-year-old boy who is just average at school. He’s not good at sports but spends his time training to become an online gamer.

Stanford University in Palo Alto is arguably the hardest university in America to be accepted into, even more so than Harvard with only 4 per cent of applicants being accepted at Stanford. Despite the exorbitant cost of an education at this prestigious university, Mike and Heather are as proud as any parent could be of Holly’s acceptance there, and everybody who knows her predicts a successful career in politics.

Holly loves the attention that these predictions bring but also understands that if politics and possibly Capitol Hill is indeed to be her destiny, she must keep her private life unblemished and beyond reproach. This has resulted in her being perceived by her peers as somewhat of a prude, and members of the opposite sex often see her as unapproachable and off-limits.

Holly is quite introspective and misses the fun often enjoyed by others at university, and she has only had one brief fling with a boy in high school that went very badly at the end. Although she would like a relationship, she is happy to concentrate fully on achieving the best from her studies and will just let things flow in the boyfriend area. Her nickname, the Ice Queen, has not helped her, and she pounces on anyone who uses that name in her presence.

Oliver is a boy who Mike and Heather think will take some time to find his place in the world, and they are happy to let him coast along at the moment but are hoping that he will become a bit more assertive and self-assured as he develops. As siblings, Holly is superprotective of Oliver, and their bond has been strong since they were children.

Their house is located just outside the CBD of Houston where Mike owns an oil drilling and exploration business, which takes him all over the world where the oilfields are.

Mike inherited some of the business operations from his father who died three days after Mike returned from his last tour in Afghanistan as a captain in the military police. Since taking over the business, Mike has purchased a number of relocatable offshore drilling rigs, which he contracts out to the big oil companies. When oil prices boomed, he invested wisely and accumulated a healthy bank balance and pool of assets.

Nowadays, the majority of the work was directional drilling, a process where large oil companies with exploration leases engage drilling contractors to bring their purpose-built offshore drilling rigs onto their lease to drill for oil deposits. Due to the fact that permanent oil rigs cost in the region of $700 million plus to construct, and many millions a year to maintain and staff, they require drilling rigs to find the best possible oil reserves in the leased oilfield. Then, the permanent rig or platform is built on that location.

Directional drilling was first invented in the early 1920s and involves the drilling of exploration wells at multiple angles, not just vertically, which allows better access to oil and gas reserves. It also allows for multiple wells from the same vertical bore, which minimises the environmental impact of the drilling and exploration process.

Russia, the United States, and Saudi Arabia are currently the largest producers of oil in the world with each country producing in excess of 10 million barrels of oil per day, with large fields also found in Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela.

The current focus on climate change and the demonisation of fossil fuels was having a severe impact on the oil exploration business, and the careers of all four men depend upon where Mike chooses to take the business next.

Houston is often referred to as the energy capital of the world, with more than 600 exploration and production firms, 1,100 oilfield service companies, and more than 180 pipeline transportation establishments. The oil business has always been a high-dollar, high-risk-and-reward business, and Mike has become very wealthy from his slice of the pie.

The other three of the boys—Tom, Jimmy, and Karl—all work for Mike in various roles in locations spread across his businesses; and their future is the main topic of discussion today.

All the families live in or around Houston as it is the focus of their work and the best base to be close to.

Tom is the chief operations officer and in charge of labour relations, safety, and human resources. Jimmy is a drilling supervisor with extensive engineering and directional drilling knowledge, and Karl is a roustabout and sometimes tool pusher who goes wherever the work is.

Mike is generally based in Houston, but due to the global nature of their business, he travels extensively when and where required and has contact with Tom and Jimmy fairly often. He catches up with Karl once every three or four months. Mike has just turned 50, and the rest of the boys are in their midforties.

They all served in the military from the ages of 19 years to when they all discharged together in 2009; they all served in the military police, and their discharges were voluntary and with distinction. Mike was a captain; Tom, a staff sergeant; and Karl and Jimmy, corporals.

All of them had a chest full of medals, but they were kept in their respective cupboards with their old uniforms and military items they were allowed to keep. This group did not participate in parades or celebrations about war, and they did not openly celebrate their part in the antiterror campaign and their role in intelligence gathering in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay following the Twin Towers attack. They have little contact with other members of their unit, and what contact there was remained private.

The wives knew of their rank and roughly where they were stationed over the period of their service, but after the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers, details were kept to a minimum. The only things that the wives knew about their service was that the work they did was highly secretive and had something to do with Guantanamo Bay, where they were stationed for much of the latter part of their service.

They never discussed their time at Guantanamo Bay with the family, apart from to say they assisted with intelligence gathering for the combined forces. Their role was mainly administration and logistics recordkeeping.

The wives and children know better than to press for any more information than this, and the subject is rarely brought up.

Tom is a tall stringy ball of energy. Although he appears calm, he has an explosive temper and finds his management role challenging, not because he is not qualified but because he has little time for fools and expects things to be done the first time and right. Unfortunately, the old days of taking a union rep outside or challenging a driller to a punch up are gone.

The oil business used to be rough and tough; but now, with all the environmental restrictions, workplace health and safety, workers’ rights, and the generation of the easily offended, labour relations has become a desk job where civility and patience are required.

Tom has had numerous brushes with the law, generally centred around bar fights and arguments with individuals about politics and particularly anyone who denigrates the military.

Susan, Tom’s wife, understands his built-up resentment towards the people and freedoms he fought to protect and shares his views about the often-ungrateful youth and their often-misplaced allegiances.

Their family is no different than many other families across America at this point when Donald Trump is seen by some as the Messiah and others as the devil. Unfortunately, now he is back in the Oval Office, the divisions remain in the general population and the politics has got nastier.

Tom’s wife, Susan, is a boisterous, busty blonde with big hair and big nails, who always has an opinion and makes sure that she shares it with everyone. She is a woman who turns heads wherever she goes, and the other guys often joked that Tom was punching above his weight with Susan. Although she gives the appearance of a blonde bombshell, she is intelligent and fiercely loyal to Tom and their daughter, Becky. Those who have crossed her path remember her and learn not to err again.

Their only child is Becky—who, due to the fact that complications arising from her difficult birth prevented Susan from having any more children—is strong, smart, and independent despite her only-child status. Becky’s independent streak often leads her into situations where her mouth is in gear before her brain, and she has the ability to make a big issue out of a small issue and support causes and protests sometimes quite recklessly.

Becky is studying the dual degrees of global policy studies and Russian East European and Eurasian studies at Austin University in Texas. During some of the Black Lives Matter protests, Becky became involved with a quite militant group of university students and was arrested for affray and vandalism and had to be bailed out by Tom.

The ensuing family discussions about her actions caused some tension, which remains and which was not helped by Tom’s view that the majority of these protesters were looters, terrorists, and themselves racists, as demonstrated by their antiwhite actions and the pain they inflicted in their own communities.

Although Austin University is only about a three-hour drive away from Tom and Susan’s house, Becky stays on campus and rarely visits home to avoid the predictable clashes with her father concerning politics and the state of the nation.

The generation gap—combined with Tom’s wartime experiences and his views of politics, Trump, and the way he sees the deterioration of global politics—only widened the gap. Although Becky was here today, it was principally to catch up with her other friends, and her communication with Tom was strained and restricted to nonpolitical subjects.

Holly and Becky, although close, are polar opposites in personalities and beliefs. They often clash, but they love each other like sisters. Like the other two girls, they never miss these get-togethers so that they can catch up and plan their next adventure.

On many occasions, Tom had to deal with advances made by other men towards Susan when they were out together; and often, these dealings did not end well for the other parties.

About four years ago, a man who knew Susan at college showed up in their town and actively and persistently pursued Susan for a period of about six months. Susan, although mildly flattered, was not bothered by the unwanted attention and showed no signs of straying from her relationship with Tom. Tom, however, had a different view, and he had confronted the man on a few occasions and told him to leave her alone.

The other guys in the group knew that when he was away, he was concerned that something might happen between the pair, and his brooding temper was putting everyone on edge. Then one day, after a short period back home, he announced that the guy had left town and there was nothing more to worry about.

Some weeks later, the police contacted Tom and interviewed him about their past conflicts, as it appeared that he was listed as a missing person. They were investigating his history with Tom and anyone else who had dealings with him. Tom spoke about their past conflicts and said he did not like the guy, but apart from a few heated discussions, he had no interest in him or his whereabouts and had not seen him for some time.

A far as Tom was concerned, the matter was closed, and he had heard no more from the police or the man involved. When Susan and the other guys questioned him about these developments, he simply said, ‘Bad things happen to bad people.’

Jimmy is the Mr Fixit of the group. In his role as drilling supervisor, he travels the world dealing with roughnecks, drillers, labourers, and everybody associated with their oil drilling operations. He stands at 190 centimetres tall, has shoulders as wide as a pick handle, and forearms and fists to match.

Jimmy started out his military career in engineering, but it was not for him. When he joined the others in the military police, he used his knowledge of engineering on many quite unusual projects associated with his duties. He has become a respected drilling supervisor in the business and has been called on many occasions to assist with oil rig fires and accidents with other drilling operations due to his calm and professional approach and experience of dealing with difficult matters under pressure.

Before joining Mike and the others in the military police, he spent two years in Iraq as part of a team assisting with the many out-of-control oil fires and associated damage caused by Saddam Hussein and his regime.

Jimmy prefers to find a problem and fix it; he is not big on small talk, and he has a physical presence that conveys strength and competence.

The oil business is a tough business, and the drillers and roustabouts are renowned for their hard drinking and fighting when away from their offshore duties. They are tough men in a tough industry who revel in their surroundings and their reputation.

Jimmy’s wife, Robyn, is just like Jimmy in that she is a fitness fanatic, hates idiots, and has a temper to match Jimmy’s. Sometimes the two of them go at it like world war three, and others get out of the way when they can see a storm brewing between them.

This does not mean that they don’t love and respect each other, but it does mean that Jimmy’s peripatetic lifestyle gives them both the breathing space their relationship requires.

They met at a military function they had both attended with Robyn having completed her third tour of Afghanistan as a combat medic. They both instantly recognised their mutual similarities, no-nonsense attitude, and camaraderie associated with their service.

Although Robyn often marvelled at Jimmy’s apparent medical knowledge related to anatomy and injury, which she finds strange due to his mainly engineering background, she is the recognised expert in the field. She now works as a paramedic in the ambulance services as part of the Houston Fire Department. Robyn has worked here since her discharge and is one of the most respected and knowledgeable paramedics in the region.

She is extremely close to Heather, and although still friendly with the other wives, she spends a lot of time over at Heather’s place when the children are away and Jimmy is offshore or travelling.

Their children, Chloe and Connor, are only two years apart at the ages of 21 and 19. Chloe was a difficult first baby and has not changed much, with a boisterous and aggressive attitude towards life and love. She is also at Austin University studying law and Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies and rooms with Becky.

The girls have all known each other since they were babies, but Becky and Chloe have always had shared interests and aspirations. Chloe is less inclined to get involved in demonstrations and militant activities like Becky, but she shares many of Becky’s views, and their overlap of studies suits them both fine.

Connor only went to college at Austin because he won a football scholarship. It was close to home and suited his interests in parties, girls, and football in that order. Both Jimmy and Robyn continually worry that his partying ways will lead to drug use or worse, and they are constantly arguing with him to clean up his act, but nothing looks like changing for now. Both Becky and Chloe are aware of his reputation, and they watch his games and cheer him on but avoid his afterhours party lifestyle.

On a few occasions, Jimmy has been called out by the odd tough guy when they have been drinking after a shift offshore on a drilling rig, with a view to challenging his authority and taking on the top dog. On each of these occasions, the challenger has become part of Jimmy’s folklore due to the manner with which he was called out in drunken bravado and the nature of the beating he took at Jimmy’s hands.

The oil drilling business, although global, is a tight-knit group with specialised operators working across many different companies and locations, and Jimmy was widely regarded as someone who was never beaten when challenged and a wild man best left alone.

The kicker to Jimmy’s reputation, however, was that once challenged and in a fight, he had to be physically pulled off the other person. He just did not know when to stop, and the damage he inflicted onto each of his known challengers was legendary.

He is a slow burn with a bad bite.

Karl is also big and strong but with a more chiselled physique that comes from hard work and heavy lifting. He has heavily calloused hands and biceps pumped from years of rough work on the drilling floor, throwing pipes and heavy tools around on a daily basis.

Karl is just one of the boys—a hardworking, hard-drinking, have-a-go-at-anything guy. Although he loves his wife, Abby (short for Abigail), and his two daughters, Melanie and Melody, his roving life as a roustabout suits him fine.

Melanie is the older sister at 19, with Melody coming along five years later. Melody adores her older sister, and they have a great relationship, which has become a bit strained due to the separation that Melanie’s away-from-home studies have brought.

Melanie has always been fascinated by languages and different cultures, which led her to study Russian and German at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, one of the leading institutions teaching modern languages and cultures. Melody misses her but has no interest in learning languages and is intent on being a doctor, although she sometimes struggles to maintain her academic focus.

Abby is just plain nice. She attended college where she studied law. After graduation, she went on a two-year gap holiday across Europe and the African nations; and when she returned, she started working with various charity organisations until she ended up where she is now with Greenpeace in a senior administration role.

Although Abby had been in some relationships previously, she had no hesitation in marrying Karl and starting a family once she met him. Their politics quite often clash, and Karl’s absences with his job cause some friction, but they are joined at the hip and as close as any couple could be.

Abby knew that Karl suffered from PTSD associated with his wartime service when she married him and does all she can for him when he wakes in the middle of the night and paces the floor, seeking some relief from whatever demons he is trying to clear from his thoughts. She loves his fun side and enjoys the parties and BBQs with his hard-drinking mates and their girlfriends and wives.

She had seen so much poverty and suffering in her travels and in her work that despite her demure appearance and well-spoken presence, she is someone who appreciates how lucky she is to have a great life in a great country, and she loves a good party.

Abby despises violence, though. The only times they really argue is when Abby discovers that Karl has been in a barroom brawl or some other conflict where his fists became the tools of choice. Despite the small hiccups, she loves him as a whole and is grateful that his hard work and travel pay for their lifestyle.

At these get-togethers each year, the boys grab a beer and retire to the billiard room and den in Mike’s house for an hour or so, where they shut the door and have a private discussion. The wives and children know that this is part of the day and never attempt to interrupt this ritual.

Today was no exception.

As soon as they closed the door, Jimmy asked Mike, ‘Where are we at with the trials?’

Mike looked around the room and could sense the tension, so when he spoke and smiled at them, the tension eased immediately. ‘The trials still have not taken place, and our role in intelligence gathering at Guantanamo and the other black sites remains protected.’

‘As you know, a couple of soldiers got found guilty and jailed for bad practices and torture after their stint in Abu Ghraib.’

‘Graner and England copped ten and three years.’

‘Abu Ghraib was a fuckup from the start, and the interrogators lacked discipline.’

‘Getting photographed torturing prisoners was stupid, and they will regret it for a long time.’

‘Things got too loose, and they paid the price.’

‘The CIA